ZIM has launched a first-of-its-kind direct service between the Port of Savannah and the West Coast of South America (WCSA).
The direct service on the ZIM Colibri Xpress intends to take advantage of Savannah’s refrigerated cargo infrastructure and partner network that can support a suite of services, such as agriculture inspections, cold treatment/retreatment services, fumigation and repacking.
Flavio Batista, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), said: “We’re excited to be the first US port of call on this new ZIM service. Fresh produce from the West Coast of South America is a major growth target for Georgia Ports, with citrus, avocados, grapes and blueberries gaining traction through our gateway.”
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Judd Bare, GPA Regional Sales Manager, stated: “Our ecosystem of cold storage warehouse space continues to expand with the recent addition of a Lineage Fresh less than 6 miles from our gates. This brand new, state-of-the-art facility is dedicated to fresh produce.
“Savannah is increasingly seen as a more attractive option than traditional points of entry, because of its proximity to important markets.”
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The Port of Savannah’s central location within the US Southeast offers a strategic gateway to serve the Eastern US and Midwest, with the deep-water terminal 100 miles closer to Atlanta than any other port.
The ZIM Colibri Xpress rotation is as follows:
San Antonio (Chile) — Callao (Peru) — Guayaquil (Ecuador) — Kingston (Jamaica) — Savannah — Philadelphia — Miami — Kingston — Balboa (Panama) — Buenaventura (Colombia) —Guayaquil (Ecuador) — Callao (Peru)
This month, ZIM announced a new operational cooperation agreement with Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
