PTP Group opens €35m Cádiz refrigerated cargo terminal

PTP Group has inaugurated a refrigerated and frozen cargo terminal at the Port of the Bay of Cádiz, with capacity for 20,000 pallet positions and facilities for handling, inspecting and storing temperature-controlled goods.

Located at La Cabezuela-Puerto Real, the terminal forms part of an overall investment of €35 million ($39 million), according to the company. PTP announced the inauguration in connection with the international Fruit Attraction trade fair.

The operator said the opening made it the first Argentine-owned group with its own terminals in Europe. Its announcement presented the facility as a European base for Argentine and other South American production, combining several stages of the cargo journey at one location.

The terminal’s storage capacity is spread across 12 refrigeration and freezing chambers. It also includes ADT and LAME customs warehouses, alongside a Border Inspection Centre for vegetable and meat products.

On the maritime side, PTP identified 500 metres of quay and the ability to accommodate reefer vessels, Ro-Ro traffic, containers and short sea shipping. The combination brings together temperature-controlled storage, inspection facilities and access to different forms of maritime transport within the terminal offering described by the company.

The operator also highlighted rail connectivity with Europe through its Fuenlabrada terminal, located 25 kilometres from Madrid. This inland connection features alongside the quay, storage chambers and customs facilities in PTP’s description of the Cádiz operation.

PTP linked the investment to trading opportunities under the EU–Mercosur agreement, which it said had been provisionally applied since 1 May 2026.

The company argued that tariff reductions alone were insufficient for South American exporters to compete in the European market. Instead, it identified faster delivery, an intact cold chain and lower costs as priorities. PTP said having its own hub within the EU would support those objectives by allowing goods to be unloaded, inspected, stored and distributed through a single stopover.

The company described the facility as providing access to a market of more than 450 million consumers. These commercial benefits were presented as the rationale for establishing its own terminal within the European Union.