80,000 t/yr port export cold hub — Morocco
Public-private consortium built a port-adjacent multi-temp cold hub to consolidate seafood, citrus and berry exports to EU and GCC markets, replacing fragmented on-farm cooling.
Challenge
- Fragmented pre-cooling on-farm caused 12–18% quality downgrade at EU arrival.
- Port berth-to-container dwell time averaged 36h — vs 8h EU benchmark.
- Financing required blended DFI + commercial stack with export-linked covenants.
ColdMatch solution
- Turnkey multi-temp cold hub with dedicated citrus, berry, seafood and pharma zones.
- 8 blast freezers (−40 °C), 3 reefer plug yards (240 reefer containers), rail-served dock.
- NH₃ central plant with CO₂ secondary loop; 2.4 MWp PV + 6 MWh BESS for tariff arbitrage.
- ColdMatch structured DFI (AfDB + IFC) + commercial senior + sponsor equity tranches.
Project scope
- Civil: 24,000 m² insulated envelope, dock levellers ×42, rail spur, reefer plug yard.
- Mechanical: 4.8 MW NH₃/CO₂ plant, 8 blast tunnels, ozone-friendly IQF tunnel line.
- Electrical: 8 MVA grid + 2.4 MWp PV + 6 MWh BESS, medium-voltage ring main.
- Digital: reefer telematics, GDP/HACCP monitoring, port TOS integration.
- Financing: 60% DFI senior, 20% commercial, 20% sponsor equity — 12-yr tenor.
Key engineering metrics
- Cooling load
- 4.8 MW
- Blast capacity
- 180 t/day @ −40 °C
- Specific energy
- 28 kWh/m³·yr
- Refrigerant charge
- 1,800 kg NH₃ · 2,200 kg CO₂
- Dwell time (berth-to-container)
- 7.5 h
- PV self-consumption
- 78%
vs 36h pre-project
ROI & financial performance
- Capex
- US$ 48M
- Annual savings
- US$ 11.2M/yr (quality uplift + energy + dwell)
- Payback
- 4.9 yrs
- IRR
- 21.4% (12-yr)
- NPV
- US$ 42M @ 9% WACC
- Energy reduction
- −34% vs BAU baseline
- CO₂ reduction
- −6,200 t CO₂e/yr
“The blended DFI stack closed in nine months. ColdMatch's tender kept the EPC price 14% below our internal budget.”
How this project was delivered — planning to commissioning
Port-authority concession project with export-corridor stakeholders. Total programme: 23 months, concession to first export vessel.
- 1
Planning & feasibility
Months 1–5- Export-corridor volume study across fisheries, produce and reefer container flows.
- Quay-side siting, reefer plug capacity and truck-turnaround modelling.
- Concession business case, tariff model and phasing plan prepared.
Milestone: Concession business case approved with phase 1 capacity defined.
- 2
Permitting & approvals
Months 5–11- Port authority concession agreement and land allocation executed.
- Coastal and environmental impact assessment approved.
- Customs bonded-zone and border inspection post requirements incorporated.
Milestone: Concession signed and bonded-zone status confirmed.
- 3
Procurement & build-out
Months 11–20- Cold hub, reefer yard and inspection facilities constructed quay-side.
- Refrigeration plant specified for marine and high-humidity exposure.
- Power distribution and reefer plugs installed with metering per container position.
Milestone: Hub structurally complete with reefer yard energised.
- 4
Testing & validation
Months 20–22- Temperature and pull-down testing under full-load export scenarios.
- Border inspection, customs and traceability workflows rehearsed with authorities.
- Truck-turnaround and vessel-loading cycle timing verified.
Milestone: Corridor workflows validated with the port and inspection authorities.
- 5
Commissioning & handover
Months 22–23- First bonded export consignments processed under supervision.
- Operator staffing, shift patterns and maintenance regime established.
- Phase 2 expansion triggers agreed against measured throughput.
Milestone: Hub operational and first export vessel loaded.
This project sits under the Expand Cold Chain Capacity objective. Start from the objective hub to scope capacity, permitting and budget before engaging suppliers.
Project brief → RFQ package → supplier outreach → outcome
Every ColdMatch project follows the same managed sequence. Nothing reaches a supplier before David has reviewed the brief and confirmed the project scope, budget and timeline.
1. Project brief
- Submitted via
- RFQ builder — port export cold hub
- Review
- Reviewed manually by David with the financing workstream
Clarified before outreach
- Export mix across citrus, berries and seafood, and the seasonal peak overlap.
- Berth-to-container dwell targets agreed with the port authority.
- Lender requirements for ESIA and export-linked covenants.
Qualification checks
- Capex band US$ 40–55M with a blended DFI and commercial stack.
- Consortium mandate and a named sponsor decision-maker.
- Land tenure and port access secured before tender.
2. RFQ package issued
DFI-compliant tender pack, issued to bidders pre-screened for lender eligibility
Documents in the pack
- Zone brief: citrus, berry, seafood and pharma areas with separate temperature regimes.
- Blast capacity requirement (180 t/day at −40 °C) and reefer plug-yard scope.
- Energy strategy: 2.4 MWp PV plus 6 MWh BESS for tariff arbitrage.
- ESIA, procurement-transparency and reporting requirements set by the lenders.
Mandatory supplier returns
- Lender-compliant procurement and ESG documentation.
- Guaranteed blast capacity and dwell-time contribution.
- PV self-consumption modelling with assumptions disclosed.
- 12-year spares and service commitment matching the debt tenor.
3. Managed supplier outreach
- Approached
- 12 EPCs and refrigeration OEMs screened for DFI eligibility
- Shortlisted
- 4 progressed to full tender
- Round 1 — lender eligibility
Bidders screened against DFI procurement and ESG rules before technical review.
- Round 2 — technical tender
Blast capacity, dwell contribution and energy strategy compared on normalised scope.
- Round 3 — financing alignment
Contract structure, milestones and covenants aligned with the debt drawdown schedule.
Evaluation weighting
- Technical capacity & dwell impact
- 30%
- Lender compliance & documentation
- 25%
- Price (normalised scope)
- 25%
- Long-term service commitment
- 20%
4. Commercial outcome
NH₃ plant with CO₂ secondary loop, awarded 14% below the sponsor's internal budget
Delivered results
- Dwell time cut from 36 h to 7.5 h berth-to-container.
- −81% quality downgrade on EU arrival across 80,000 t/yr throughput.
- US$ 48M capex, 4.9-year payback, 12-year blended DFI tenor.
Review the financing guide, then submit a brief for a manually structured tender.
Project records are anonymised at the buyer's request and presented as planning-grade benchmarks. Costs, timelines and performance figures are indicative and are not engineering designs or quotations.
Supplier and manufacturer listings are provided for research, transparency and discovery only. ColdMatch Group does not provide automatic buyer-supplier introductions. Every cold chain project request is reviewed manually by David / ColdMatch Group, and supplier introductions are made only after internal approval.