The port of Tarragona consolidates its position as one of the main importers in the fruit sector

This year the Port will once again participate in the Fruit Attraction trade fair - one of the most important in the sector in Europe.

This year the Port of Tarragona will once again participate in the Fruit Attraction trade fair, which will be held in the Feria de Madrid from the 18th to 20th of October. Bodies from all over Europe will attend this fair, one that is becoming increasingly recognised on an international level year after year, with a total of 45,000 sq. metres and 1,500 companies taking part.

The Port will be present at the fair with a stand within the State Ports area, and has already formalised interviews not only with import and export companies in the sector, but also with trading companies and shipping companies.

Tarragona, a benchmark port

The traffic in fruit and vegetables is experiencing a significant growth in the Port of Tarragona. The Port closed 2016 with results for fruit products traffic exceeding 170,000 tonnes, up 6.1% over the previous year, with a special importance for kiwi fruit, coming mainly from New Zealand, as well as pineapples and bananas, which come from Costa Rica and Colombia.

The Port of Tarragona is a solid international benchmark that has achieved a progressive positioning in the ranking of Spanish ports, consolidating good results despite the economic situation. Its strategic location in the South of Europe has helped to strengthen international relationships, especially in the importing of fruit, consolidating its position as a port of entry for tropical fruit in the Iberian Peninsula. At the same time, in order to provide an outlet for fruit and vegetable traffic, the Port of Tarragona has a series of infrastructures and intermodal services that make it the best choice in the Mediterranean for distributing to the Peninsula and to Europe.

Efficient facilities and services

The Port has a number of refrigerated facilities of more than 20,000 sq. metres, and with a container terminal that complements the export services, providing added-value services for this traffic: picking, consolidation, quality controls, labelling, etc. In the case of the fruit terminal, it should be specified that it is operated by Fruport and is adapted for receiving palletised fruit.

The range of services includes specifically an extensive and modern Border inspection Point (BIP), with all its facilities approved for the entry of fruit into the EU. It also has specific quality controls, temperature controls, cargo tracking systems via RF and a wide variety of value-added logistics services.

The Port of Tarragona’s infrastructure has two areas devoted exclusively to fruit traffic, with ro-ro ramps, a 350 metre and a 230 metre mooring line respectively, with draughts of 8.50 and 10.50 metres each. In total, the fruit terminal has 100 connections for reefer containers and has 12 refrigerated warehouses – just 50 metres from the dockside - with a capacity of 20,000 sq. metres, suitable for 170,000 pallets of products.

Maritime connections with the main producers

The Port of Tarragona has maritime connections with the main fruit exporters, which means it has regular services with New Zealand, Costa Rica, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Most of the kiwi fruit consumed in the peninsula come in through the Port of Tarragona’s facilities, as well as different varieties of pineapples, bananas and avocado pears. The regular services provided are completed with Canada and the United States of America.