Associated British Ports (ABP), owner and operator of Millbay Docks at Plymouth, has caught a new cargo in the form of 1,100 tonnes of frozen fish. The fish is being loaded at Millbay Docks today (Monday, 17, January) for local company Interfish.
The frozen fish, which is mainly herring, is being exported to Africa onboard the
6,583-tonne vessel, Nova Hollandia. It is expected to be one of the largest single shipments placed by Interfish this year.
Interfish, which has a processing plant in Plymouth, chose Millbay Docks to handle the shipment as it is the only port facility in Plymouth with deep water and a large enough berth to accept the specialist reefer vessel.
Alan Bartlett, General Manager, Interfish, commented:
“It is important to minimise any disruption to our logistics chain when handling a perishable product, such as fish. The fact that we can transfer the fish from our processing plant to nearby Millbay Docks, and load the ship for export in less than 48 hours, means it is the ideal choice for this large shipment.”
Colin Greenwell, ABP Port Manager, Plymouth & Teignmouth, said:
“Plymouth is well known for its ferry and cruise-handling facilities. Yet, just as importantly, it is a port with good deep-water access, berthing and storage facilities that are ideally situated to handle a variety of ships and cargoes.”
The fish, which was caught in waters stretching from Dover to the Thames Estuary, will be packed in specialist export cartons and kept at a temperature of -18º C to -20º C for its voyage. When the fish reaches Africa, it will be distributed to local food wholesalers, who in turn will supply the general public with this basic, but high-protein food source.
