Last year’s Covid-related disruption of air services, placing air cargo capacity at a premium, resulted in the disruption of traditional transport patterns in many sectors.
None more so than for exporters of blueberries who – after a record-breaking harvesting season - transported higher volumes of the fruit than ever before, forcing a switch from air to sea.
And this pattern continued as the year progressed.
MSC was among the shipping lines that stepped into the breach, transporting its first-ever shipment from South Africa to Europe in September. “The fruit travelled safely from Cape Town to Rotterdam via our weekly ‘NWC to South Africa’ service. We also carried smaller volumes to the Middle East and Far East,” according to a spokesperson.
“The line’s reefer containers feature Controlled Atmosphere (CA) integrated technology such as XtendFRESH™ and Star Cool® to modify the atmosphere, slow down the ripening process and reduce the growth of spoilage micro-organisms such Botrytis cinerea – ensuring optimum quality at destination.”
The spokesperson says they are ready for more of the same this year.
