Seago Line, the European short sea specialists, is to add larger vessels and a UK port call at Tilbury to its Morocco-North Europe service in anticipation of the Moroccan citrus export season.
“In the run up to Christmas, Moroccan growers provide UK supermarkets with a significant proportion of their citrus fruits. This service gives those retailers a reliable, fast route direct from their growers and producers,” said Robert Clegg, general manager for Seago Line UK and Ireland. “With a transit time of just five days, and the proximity of Tilbury to a significant number of distribution centres and the UK’s transport infrastructure, fruit can be picked, packed, shipped and on the shelves in under two weeks.”
The larger vessels, which, with a capacity of 1,400 twenty foot containers (TEU) mean they are able of carrying four hundred more boxes than the current ships, also have the capabilities to load more than 250 refrigerated, or reefer, containers.
“The reefer containers keep fruit fresher, for longer.” said Clegg. “It’s why we can have Moroccan oranges in shops in the likes of Coventry or Hull which taste like they’ve just been picked. These new vessels will mean our customers can get the stock they need to make sure their customers have the choice they expect.”
The vessels will now call at the following ports: Casablanca, Agadir, Tilbury, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven, St Petersburg, Bremerhaven, Antwerp, Casablanca. The entire rotation will take four weeks.
