PTP Group arrives in Europe with opening of two plants in Cadiz

16.5 million euros is to be invested in the construction of two plants in the La Cabezuela dock (Puerto Real)

Argentinian logistics group PTP has decided to take the leap into Europe, and has chosen the La Cabezuela dock in Puerto Real (Cadiz) for its first ventures on the continent: a refrigeration plant and a facility for the storage of bulk and general merchandise.

The La Cabezuela dock at the Port of Cadiz Bay specialises in solid and liquid bulk cargo. Covering an area of 163 hectares, it also includes the Dragados Offshore plant, and a Navantia shipyard. It has two wharves, which are 612 and 481 metres long, and with a maximum depth of 13.5 metres.

Three investment phases
The construction of the planned refrigeration plant will entail an investment of 9.6 million euros by the PTP Group spread over three phases between 2022 and 2027, as reported in an article reproduced in full by the Argentinian company. Intended for the refrigeration of fruit and vegetables and the freezing of meat, it is to be located on a 24,266 square metre plot to the south of the Dragados Offshore plant. The project includes the installation of solar panels with a generating capacity of 1.35 megawatts, enough to make it self-sufficient.

The storage facility for bulk and general merchandise will be built on a 39,000 square metre plot. The investment will also be divided over three phases, in this case between 2022 and 2026, and will be worth a total of 6.9 million euros. These premises will be used for the storage of products intended for human and animal consumption, as well as fertilisers.

Strategic location
The PTP group is well established in South America, primarily operating on the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway System, a natural river transport corridor stretching for more than 3,400 kilometres that links the ports of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay via the Paraná and Paraguay rivers. The choice of the Cadiz logistics platform for the firm’s business expansion is explained by its strategic location as a link between Latin America and Europe.

The project presented by PTP to the Bay of Cadiz Port Authority has already overcome the administrative hurdles, such as those concerning competition and public and official information. All that remains to be finalised is the administrative concession, which the Port Authority's board of directors expects to approve this month for a period of 35 years, extendable to 50 years.

Rail link
In fact, the president of the Port Authority herself, Teófila Martínez, has spoken in favour of the project and the importance it gives to the La Cabezuela dock, which stands out thanks to “the investment figures and the solvency of the PTP Group, and the importance of the fact that a holding company like this has chosen Cadiz as the location for establishing itself in Europe and expanding its logistics services in Latin America”.

As Martínez recalls, the La Cabezuela rail link, which is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023 and will speed up the intermodal transport of goods, has been an influential factor in the Argentinian group choosing this dock. She also said that the importance of the new refrigeration plant was particularly noteworthy, because it represents a new service not previously offered in the Port of Cadiz Bay.

Photo: Cadiz Bay Port Authority