Perishable Products News

Staff shortages caused by an ongoing strike over wages are impacting container and car terminals at South Africa's Durban port, one of the busiest on the continent, a unit of state-owned logistics company Transnet said on Tuesday.Transnet, which manages South Africa's freight rail network and ports, declared force majeure last week after its workers went on strike over a wage dispute.In an update on its website, Transnet Port Terminals said the strike had impacted waterside and landside operations at its Durban port…

The pandemic has brought about sudden changes for cargo transportation, impacting shippers and transport companies around the world and potentially increasing the risk environment, particularly for high-value and temperature-sensitive goods. In a new risk bulletin AGCS highlights steps for cargo owners to consider when developing contingency plans.While in most cases initial government directives have established cargo transportation as an essential activity, permitted during any quarantine period…

Major Qatari shipping conglomerate Qatar Navigation (Milaha) is launching a direct service between Qatar and Karachi in Pakistan, the company said on Sunday, as it seeks to counter economic sanctions against Doha by other Arab States. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and transport links with Doha on June 5, ending the use of Dubai's Jebel Ali port as a trans-shipment centre for goods flowing to and from Qatar. As a result, imports into Qatar plunged by more than a third from year-earlier levels in June and July…

Qatar Navigation (Milaha) , a top Doha-based shipping and logistics group, said on Wednesday it had launched a new container service to Kuwait amid a diplomatic crisis that has seen it lose access to regional trans-shipment hub, Dubai. Milaha will operate the weekly, direct service between Kuwait and Qatar using a vessel capable of handling the equivalent of 515 20-foot containers, the company said in a statement. Milaha said the service between Qatar's Hamad Port and Shuwaikh Port in Kuwait would have a transit time of one day and be ideal for transporting perishable products and food.

Broward County's Port Everglades had a record-setting month in December 2016, logging 104,590 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units, the industry's standard measurement for containers), moving through the Port. This is the highest producing month in the Port's nearly 90 -year history, and a 15 percent increase over December 2015. TEU counts at Port Everglades have been climbing since September. "Our customers are bringing in higher volumes of consumer goods such as produce, clothing and household goods as the region's population increases. It's an indication of a strengthening economy," said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak. He announced the record TEU count at Florida Governor Rick Scott's 2017 Jobs Summit in Orlando on February 2, 2017.

Already the busiest port of entry in America for international air freight, Miami International Airport will soon be able to receive perishable freight imports by sea as well – a first for any Florida airport – through a permit approved in September by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The first ocean-to-air trans-shipment is expected at MIA before the end of the year. “Congratulations to MIA and Port Miami, our County’s two largest economic engines, on collaborating to generate new revenue and better serve our local cargo industry,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. Customized Brokers, a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corp.…

Maersk Line has ordered 14,800 new reefer containers in 2016, driving the average age of its 270,000 unit reefer container fleet down to 7.9 years. Part of the reefers replace older equipment, and add to the 30,000 reefers acquired by Maersk Line in 2015. “We continue to invest and modernize our reefer fleet to include the latest technologies in supply chain visibility and cargo care,” said Shereen Zarkani, Head of Reefer Management, Maersk Line. The new reefers feature built-in Remote Container Management (RCM) technology…

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s Miami-based subsidiary specializing in Customs clearance of imported perishable apparel and refrigerated products, said it could begin clearing certain produce requiring cold-treatment from Peru, Uruguay and Argentina into the Port of Charleston, S.C. as early as this Spring. This development would indicate an expansion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) cold treatment pilot program that has previously been rolled out in South Florida and in Savannah, Ga. Cold treatment is a process whereby perishable fruits have their pulp brought to a certain…

Milaha Maritime & Logistics, a subsidiary of the Qatar based Milaha Group which delivers integrated transport and supply chain solutions in the GCC, has announced the launch of the first direct container service between Qatar and India. The non-stop service will connect Qatar’s Doha port with India’s largest port Nhava Sheva, also known as Jawaharlal Nehru Port, located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The move will further facilitate the thriving trade activities between the two countries that have witnessed a phenomenal growth in the recent years. Unlike existing services in the market, the new weekly service by Milaha will enable direct shipments between Nhava Sheva and Doha without the need for transshipment in Jebel Ali or elsewhere…

Crowley Maritime Corp.’s Miami-based subsidiary Customized Brokers recently cleared the first shipment of Uruguayan citrus to enter the U.S. in nearly 20 years, a major agricultural milestone made possible by the combined, dedicated efforts of the importer, USDA and Uruguayan Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. To mark the historic occasion, Customized Brokers’ John Donohue, trade development specialist, joined the importer, U.S. agricultural representatives, Uruguayan dignitaries…

In early 2012, a state-of-the-art Liebherr Mobile Harbour Crane, type LHM 550, marked the 40th delivery to the North American market. Of these machines 32 were delivered to the United States and 8 to Canada. Since 2006 a stable upward trend has been evident, especially in the United States. Since 2006 more than 20 Liebherr Mobile Harbour Cranes are guarantying highly efficient cargo handling throughout North America. The 40th crane delivered was purchased by the Maine Port Authority for their port in Searsport, ME USA.

Reefer market dynamics continue to change. Drewry Maritime Research have just published their latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review and Forecast 2011/12, analysing the industries make-up including; leading operators’ profiles and fleets, perishable commodities, specialised reefer and freezer fleet capacity, containerised reefer vessels, ship economics and forecasts for the future. As the burgeoning containerised reefer market continues unabated, the specialist reefer fleet is feeling the strain. With twelve-month charter rates forecasted to continue sliding, scrapping levels gaining pace and for the first time an empty newbuild orderbook , the industry is changing quickly.

CMA CGM (America) LLC announced that they will launch a new dedicated export reefer customer service desk on March 30, 2009. The new Export Reefer Customer Service Desk will be based in the Norfolk, Virginia office, and will give export refrigerated cargo customers access to a dedicated team of customer service representatives that can help customers place or modify bookings, track and trace cargo, process documentation and/or assist with problem resolution. CMA CGM (America) LLC provides door-to-door reefer logistics solutions for customers in each of the major reefer trades. The company’s reefer professionals work with customers to provide the safe and reliable transport of perishable products around the globe.

In response to the rising demand for specialist containers on the steadily maturing West Africa trade, OT Africa Line (OTAL) has introduced a range of 40 ft. and 40 ft. high cube refrigerated containers (reefers). These containers are a new addition to the OTAL fleet which currently comprises of 20 ft. reefers, ventilated containers, dry vans, flatracks, collapsible flatracks and open tops and 40 ft. high cubes, dry vans, flatracks, collapsible flatracks, and open tops. The new reefers will be used to transport the growing number of perishable products imported and exported by West Africa every day. OTAL's new 40 ft. and 40 ft. high cube reefers are made from muffler grade stainless steel (MGSS) and have six lashing points on each side of the internal bottom rail.