Joint venture creates cold storage facility outside Cape Town

Maersk Sealand and major exporters band together RAY SMUTS MAERSK SEALAND South Africa has joined several of the Western Cape’s major fruit exporters in a R30 million investment venture to create a new, world class, cold storage facility outside Cape Town. Although only open for about a month, encouraging signs are already evident. The fledgling company, Cape Fruit Coolers, marketed as ‘The Ultimate Link between Packhouse and Port’, is already fully booked for the whole of next year. General manager Steve Oosthuizen says Cape Fruit Coolers has already captured 35 000 pallets of fruit from competitors and foresees handling at least 70 000 pallets during the course of next year. Aside from Maersk Sealand, which holds a slightly larger stake in the business, the other shareholders are the DuToit Group from Ceres ( big in all fruit varieties), Goedehoop Fruit and Ceres Coldstorage. The investors are intent on ensuring efficient handling, cooling and shipping of perishable products to overseas markets and serving the fruit export industry by adding value to their business. Situated next to the SATI container terminal in Killarney Gardens about 15 minutes by road from the port of Cape Town, the company believes there are big advantages for fruit producers wishing to use its facilities. “Consolidating cargo close to port allows for flexible and delayed distribution decisions, it improves preservation of cold chain integrity and lowers container cartage costs,” says Oosthuizen. “The advantage to logistics operators is that fruit destined for specific receivers or ports from different producers and areas can be packed together and at competitive rates, close to port,” he added. Among the facilities on offer at Cape Fruit Coolers are ten dedicated rapid cooling tunnels, each accommodating 60 pallets of warm fruit, a 2 000-pallet holding capacity, a 2 000m² cooled handling area ensuring a continuous cold chain perpetuation, and reefer plug points. “This modern facility is on par with the best in the world, created to add value to the South African export fruit industry,” says Oosthuizen, adding the company will soon offer an inspection service for fruit destined for the US. Oosthuizen has been in the fruit business for 13 years, starting out as production manager for International Harbour Services (IHS), forerunner to Fresh Produce Terminals (FPT). He later served as business manager of Southern African Fruit Terminals (SAFT).