Slovenia’s port of Koper has reinforced its position as the largest container port in the Adriatic as new services from Egypt provide an upsurge in reefer traffic, the company said in its press release.
Terminal operator Luka Koper handled a record 844,000 teu and 749,000 cars in 2016.
And, according to Luka Koper sales and marketing manager Milena Jerman, the port enjoyed growing perishable cargo flows as more shippers recognised the benefits of the strategically located port.
“Besides our traditional clients, we gained new customers from Egypt with more container lines calling and improved transit times,” she told The Coolstar.
“The biggest rise in imports were Egyptian fruits and vegetables, and particularly grapes where we handled 1,200 40ft reefer containers within just six weeks.”
Koper now has six shipping lines calling from Egypt, including three-day connections from Damietta, Alexandria and Port Said.
Once in Koper, perishable imports can reach most of Europe in under two days. Just 500km away, Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava are some of the most popular hinterland destinations, as are the UK, Netherlands, Poland and Scandinavia, particularly for grapes, peppers and spring onions.
Koper’s perishable exports increased last year too – particularly apples from Poland, energy drinks and juices.
In addition to vessels calls, earlier last year Koper began loading south-to-north Europe reefer block-train services as part of the EU’s Fresh Food Corridors (FFC) project. The service cuts six days from an ocean voyage from Israel to northern Europe.
A good railway network and regular train services are key for Koper. An average of 62 cargo trains a day call at the port, resulting in 60% of all port throughput being covered by direct rail connections.
Ms Jerman said the FFC project had gained a lot of interest from the market, including back-haul journeys, and more rail services were planned.
Meanwhile, a key factor in the growth of dry container volumes has been Koper’s inclusion in the Asia-Europe networks of three of the deepsea alliances – 2M, Ocean Three, and CKYE.