Terminal Marítima de Zaragoza (tmZ), an intermodal rail terminal partly operated by APM Terminals, has increased its handled volume by 20% to around 350,000 TEU by rail and truck.
The terminal in Zaragoza, a key industrial area in North East Spain, has also increased its volumes by more than 250% over the past five years.
APM Terminals Spain became involved as a co-founder after taking a 45% stake in tmZ Depot Services, which started operating the terminal under a 35-year concession after the addition of railway siding in 2007.
The depot, a multimodal inland terminal exclusively focused on the maritime container trade, is located approximately 300 kilometres inland from APM Terminals Barcelona and halfway to Spain’s capital of Madrid.
It has put its success down to the customs-bonded warehousing and customs clearance services, which is saving its clients time and money and has reduced administrative tasks at the port.
Miguel Duro, Managing Director of tmZ, said: “Customers also benefit from door-to-door delivery.
“We take away all of the hassle, paperwork and administration for our customers.
“In addition to being strategically located for international trade, over 20 million inhabitants and 70% of the country’s GDP lies within a radius of 300 kilometres.
“Our volume growth has been accommodated by continuous right-sizing of the depot to align with customer needs.
“2015 saw the addition of two new 550 metre rail tracks for freight, in addition to the expansion of the main railway tracks.
“With the longest siding of 750 metres the depot is capable of handling Spain’s longest trains.
“We have a frequent and direct connection with Spain’s most important route between Barcelona and Madrid.
“As a result, we handled more than 2,400 trains in 2017, and 84,000 rail container movements.”
Learn more about Cartagena Container Terminal, another APMT project, in Port Technology's technical paper with the terminal operator
In 2015, tmZ added 50,000m2 of purpose-built container handling area, including an additional 60 reefer connections, to meet high reefer export demand.
The depot also has 6,400m2 of warehouse space.
Duro added: “In addition to around 20 standard trains per week, our rail operator, APM Terminals Railway Spain, offers four dedicated reefer trains per week between the terminal and the Port of Barcelona, three to four weekly trains to the Port of Bilbao, and a dedicated train to the Port of Valencia.
“On these services, reefer containers are connected to power throughout transportation to guarantee constant temperatures and ensure that there is no disruption in the cold chain during transportation.
“The terminal also offers regular rail access to the cities of Burgos, Pamplona, Vitoria, Madrid, Azuqueca de Henares and the Port of Algeciras.
“Routes and service frequency are flexible, giving us the capability to adapt to market requirements at any given moment.”
