Southampton: ABP and Solent Stevedores showcase £8.3m fresh produce terminal

ABP Southampton and Solent Stevedores have given an exclusive preview of their £8.3 million upgraded fresh produce terminal to VIP clients from the Canary Islands.

The president of the Canary Islands government, Fernando Clavijo, and representatives of the tomato growing and exporting federation Fedex, toured the terminal on November 8.

The investment in upgrading the terminal has expanded the cool store’s temperature range and chilled storage capacity, giving Solent Stevedores the opportunity to handle a wider variety of chilled fruit and other high-value products all year round in Southampton. 

Chairman and CEO of Solent Stevedores, Stuart Cullen, and Clavijo jointly cut a ribbon at the terminal to celebrate the Canary Islands’ links with the port, the commencement of the new tomato season, the completion of the upgrades to the storage areas and the commitment of the growers with their trade in the UK. 

The main storage areas of the building now feature energy-efficient lights, rapid-action doors, multiple storage compartments, and a brand new energy efficient cooling system that can operate at different temperatures in different parts of the building.  The upgrade process is continuing with the creation of an integrated packhouse facility that will be operational in February and support a team of over 40 specialist fruit packing operatives.

To complement the upgrades to the terminal, ABP has invested in two new harbour mobile cranes and Solent Stevedores has purchased new pallet cages and a fleet of high capacity fork lift trucks to improve the handling capacity for fresh produce at the port.