MEET US AT FRUIT LOGISTICA – BERLIN, 7-9 FEBRUARY 2024

Marfret invites you to Berlin from February 7 to 9, 2024, for the Fruit Logistica business meeting.

The Marfret delegation will be well-represented, with individuals from the company headquarters as well as from various ports involved in the transportation of fruits and vegetables in reefer containers (Costa Rica, Italy, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, etc.).

The agenda includes business-to-business meetings with multinational companies in the “French Corner.” This professional trade show dedicated to the fruits and vegetables sector attracts 3,200 exhibitors and 80,000 visitors each year. It provides an opportunity to gauge the pulse of the industry while staying informed about the latest trends.

Launching of the ro-ro vessel Ferrymar

The signature name for its Caribbean service, Ferrymar is about to become eponymous with the latest Marfret vessel under construction in China, set to replace the Marin. The vessel’s launching took place on 5th May last, with delivery scheduled in August. It was an exciting moment for all the teams involved, that you can watch on this video.

The Marin, long a familiar sight for Caribbean islanders, is seeing out its last few months of service as a Marfret vessel. The company is about to begin a new chapter in its history of serving the Caribbean with the construction of a purpose-built ro-ro vessel. “This is a really exciting project, one that again underlines our total commitment to serving the overseas territories,” says a delighted Marfret managing director Guillaume Vidil, holding an impressive 1/200th scale model of the ship.

For many months now, the Chinese shipyards of Jiansu Dajin Heavy Industry Co, have been busy welding together the steel jigsaw on the banks of the Yangtse River, under the supervision of a dedicated multinational team assembled for the Marfret project.

The launching is an important event in more ways than one, since it marks the start of the navigability trials and the payment of the fourth instalment for the construction.

The ro-ro vessel was designed in collaboration with the Chinese engineering firm Sdari, which drew up the initial design based on Marfret’s requirements. Supervision of the project was entrusted to Alwena Shipping.

The vessel’s characteristics are specifically adapted inter-island navigation. With its length of 120m and 22m beam, the Ferrymar will have a load capacity of 1200 linear metres, exceeding that of the Marin. Its three decks will be able to carry more trailers, accompanied and unaccompanied, as well as a greater number of containers.

With its car deck headroom of 10 metres, the Ferrymar has an expected service life of around 30 years. The ship is equipped with twin screws powered by an engine featuring the latest technological innovations in terms of fuel efficiency, making it compliant with the most stringent EEDI standards.

Over the past few years, Marfret has continued to reinforce its presence in the West Indies.

The Ferrymar service connects the ports of Marigot, Gustavia, Pointe-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France, acting as a vector for the strengthening of economic ties between the four Caribbean islands. The aim is to create a large enough market for local industry to develop, making the islands less dependent on imports and helping bring down the cost of living locally.

Amid social unrest, river transport shows its advantages.

Once again, river transport has shown its appropriateness. While the ports were heavily impacted by the strikes over the recent law on extending retirement age, Marfret and its FFA subsidiary were working flat out to evacuate goods stuck at Le Havre.

While all road access to the Le Havre terminals was closed, our FFA subsidiary’s Lydia was able to evacuate 300 TEUs to the port of Rouen at each port call. This river-ocean vessel does not have to negotiate any locks on the Seine between Le Havre and Rouen, a huge advantage when lockkeepers are on strike.

We witnessed a substantial increase in volumes on the Lydia and the arrival of a new clientele realizing the efficiency of this massified and environmentally friendly solution for their pre- and post-carriage requirements.

The mobilization and responsiveness of our teams also allowed the Marfret Niolon to call at Rouen on 21st March last instead of Le Havre, which meant cargo arriving from the West Indies and French Guiana could be dispatched on barges to the Paris area.

It is worth reminding that Marfret offers 14 days free time at it Rouen hub, against only four provided by Le Havre.

Together, through their efforts, Marfret and its FFA branch have demonstrated both the outstanding success of the river alternative from Le Havre and the need to enhance the visibility of Rouen Vallée de Seine. It is a virtuous model, and guaranteeing its continued existence is vital without waiting for road transport to grind to a halt once again.