30th January 2021, 21:57
First post-Brexit sea freight direct from UK: Eroski’s Waitrose delivery includes milk, pasta & crackers
Published by GBC News
Since the end of the Brexit transition period on 01.01.21, a regime change at the Dover-Calais crossing has resulted in supermarkets experiencing ‘teething problems’ bringing food products from the UK to the Rock. With trucks getting stuck at the UK border, sea freight has emerged as an alternative for some products.
On Saturday evening, container ship Henneke Rambow arrived in Gibraltar laden with “dry” and “ambient” foods: milk, pasta, Ryvita crackers, biscuits, cookies, chocolates, flour and other baking ingredients, crisps, porridge, marmite and more, all of which should hit the shelves on Monday morning.
The supermarket Eroski hasn’t had any problems bringing its Spanish range of products to Gibraltar, but the problems for trucks wanting to cross the English Channel has delayed the delivery of its Waitrose line of products.
The Massias family - who own and run the Eroski supermarkets locally - worked with freight and shipping company Trident to bring the Waitrose goods by sea.
Solomon Massias told GBC Trident’s Juan Carlos Lopez had worked hard to bring what is believed to be Gibraltar’s first post-Brexit shipment of food to arrive directly in the Gibraltar port from the UK. Eroski’s next sea freight is set to arrive on the 15th of February. Mr Massias says it’s a full order of chilled foods, cheeses, milk and meats. He expects a “regular flow” thereafter.
Other supermarkets are also looking at alternatives to the land route to ensure they can resume normal service with a full range of products in the coming weeks.
