New Container Terminal Opens at Port Canaveral
The Canaveral Port Authority welcomes the start of StreamLine’s Blue Stream weekly liner service at its new Canaveral Cargo Terminal, which GT USA manages and operates. The service adds Port Canaveral to this valued trade route that includes Central America, Europe and the Caribbean. The first call at Canaveral is scheduled for January 31, 2016 with the arrival of the M/V Norderoog.
StreamLines N.V. part of the Seatrade Group, is a container line providing refrigerated and dry container service specializing in fresh produce and perishables. The launch of this new service is part of the company’s development plan and expands Port Canaveral’s relationship with StreamLine’s parent company Seatrade, which currently offers GreenSea specialized service calling monthly at Canaveral.
With five ships with 1300 TEU capacity and 250 reefer plugs, the weekly Blue Stream service will offer one of the fastest services from Florida to Europe at just 11 days and from Central America to Port Canaveral in three days. Port Canaveral is the exclusive U. S. port of call for this service.
Pablo Gonzalez, General Manager, StreamLines N.V., said, “We see Canaveral as an important transit point for refrigerated, dry and project cargoes between Central America, Florida and Europe. Working closely with our U.S. general agents, North American General Agents, we are committed to first-class customer service by providing ‘Fast, Dedicated, Direct’ service.”
From Canaveral, the M/V NORDEROOG will proceed directly to Rotterdam, Netherlands, with calls in Tilbury, United Kingdom, and Radicatel, France. After departing Europe, the schedule loop takes the vessels to the French West Indies ports of Fort de France, Martinique, Pointe a Pitre, Guadeloupe and Phillipsburg, St, Maarten – serving a Caribbean market based westbound out of Europe that is quite familiar to StreamLines. From St. Maarten, the vessels then proceed on to Moín, Costa Rica; Puerto Cortés, Honduras; and Santo Tomas, Guatemala and from there directly on to Port Canaveral.
According to Alberto Cabrera, Port Canaveral’s Senior Director of Cargo Business Development, “This service will strengthen Florida’s perishable import market from Central America and provide a Central Florida gateway to shippers seeking to lower inland transportation costs and to get their product to market faster. At the same time, it creates an efficient outlet for Florida shippers to export products directly to northern Europe.”
Canaveral Cargo Terminal, operated by GT USA, is Port Canaveral’s new state-of-the-art facility handling multipurpose cargo and containers. GT USA is investing $100 million into facilities, infrastructure, equipment and workforce.
