FM Logistic inaugurates its new logistics hub in the ZAL of Barcelona to support intercontinental traffic.

FM Logistic, European B2B Logistics Busan Barcelona Hub partherner, develop their new logistic center ubicated in ZAL in Barcelona.

This center will be managed by FM Logistic alongside Taewoong Logistics (logistics partner in Korea for B2B Logistics Busan Barcelona Hub) with the objective of facilitating commercial exchanges between Asia, mainly Korea, with Southern Europe and North Africa: “We want to convert the Port of Barcelona into the main port for arrivals of goods by sea in Southern Europe and North Africa, given that it has all the favorable conditions for this”, argues Montserrat Maggi, Business Development Manager of FM Logistic. Jordi Torrent, Managing Director of B2B Logistics, encourages companies to land in the ZAL Barcelona: “B2B Logistics is the best partner in Barcelona for efficient distribution in Southern Europe.

The warehouse will have an initial surface area of 9,129 m2, operated in equal parts by FM Logistic and Taewoon Logistics. Standard and customs administration services will be managed with customs clearance, reception and issuing of transits, DVD, removal of containers from the port for delivery to the ZAL warehouse, storage services, cross-docking or order preparation handling, national, last mile and international transport, among others. Initially, the warehouse will be a temporary storage facility (ADT) with the forecast of a future expansion due to market needs to a public bonded warehouse (DAP).

The inauguration ceremony of this logistics hub was attended by: Damià Calvet, President of the Port of Barcelona; Kang Boo Won, Vice President of the Port of Busan; Heo Nam-duk, Consul General of Korea in Barcelona; Jordi Torrent, General Manager of B2B Logistics; Cho Yong-jun, Taewoong Logistics CEO and President; Kim Tae-Myeng, General Manager of Taewoong Logistics; Beatrice Ogée, Commercial Director of the FM Logistic Group and Ahn Young-ju, General Manager of KOTRA.

Damià Calvet said: “Our objective is to facilitate, speed up and make trade between Europe and Korea more sustainable. In both cases, these are very powerful economies that can grow their ties. Asia is our market of reference and represents more than 50% of the exports and imports that pass through the Port of Barcelona and Korea is a reference country in technological products and high added value, one of the segments in which we also have an outstanding position”. As a result of this collaboration, the first Korean imports – a cargo of chemical products – will arrive in the next few days.

In 2021, traffic between the port of Barcelona and Korea reached to 793,000 tonnes, a similar figure to that achieved in 2019, before the pandemic. Container traffic was around 60,000 TEUs, 6.3% more than the containers moved in 2019. More than 55% of Spanish maritime imports from Korea enter through the port of Barcelona. Catalonia is the main destination for Korean imports, with 55% of total maritime shipments. 

Kang Boo Won pointed out that “the B2B logistics centre will serve as a logistics platform for Korean companies, moving towards southern Europe. It will also help to boost maritime traffic between the two ports of Busan and Barcelona”.

Busan is the sixth largest port in the world and, in addition to being one of Asia’s largest import/export ports, it is one of the world’s two major maritime transhipment hubs, along with Singapore.