Antwerp Cold Stores opens reefer storage complex in the port of Antwerp
June 30, 2016: Antwerp Cold Stores has opened a new complex in the port of Antwerp, thus considerably expanding the range of refrigerated and deepfreeze facilities available within the port.
The project is an initiative of the Antwerp-based investment group Ferrum which is mainly active in the foodstuffs industry.
In the first phase, 32,000 m² of deepfreeze and refrigerated warehousing will enter service, offering 8000 pallet places for deepfreeze and 7,500 for refrigerated storage. A further 24,500 m² of deepfreeze and reefer capacity is planned for the second phase, with 12,000 multifunctional reefer and deepfreeze places.
Furthermore, it plans to collaborate closely with the shipping lines to help them raise their container load factor, which can be achieved by among other things rotating the containers faster.
"As an investor we believe that the port of Antwerp can play an even more important role as a European gateway for foodstuffs in the near future, hence this large investment," a spokesperson explained.
The new investment will considerably expand the refrigerated and deepfreeze storage capacity in the port. Antwerp is already the largest banana port in Europe, and also has an excellent and longstanding reputation for transhipment, storage and handling of reefer and deepfreeze products. Its strong selling points in this segment include its large, diversified range of storage facilities combined with numerous value-added activities and excellent intermodal connections.
