Law investigates the case of the ripe avocados

11 Aug 2000 - By Staff reporter

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Faulty temperature recorder may be the cause,
writes Ray Smuts

Ray Smuts

PUZZLED... perplexed... mystified... that sums up the initial reaction of Cool Carriers' Trevor Law when asked by an exporter to investigate why part of his Controlled Atmosphere avocado shipment had arrived in Europe ripe.
The extent of his mystification becomes more apparent on explaining the circumstances leading to the probe.
One July 4 - barely a month after the Cool Carriers fruit ship Amer Annapurna had sailed from Cape Town with an under deck perishable cargo totally protected by CA administered from a single on-deck generator, the first ever such shipment from South Africa - 277 avocado pallets were loaded under deck 4B of same vessel in Cape Town.
When she arrived in Rotterdam, part of a certain exporter's 209 pallets were found to be ripe, prompting the investigation.
It was extremely puzzling seeing all the avocados were in the same hold, kept under the same CA conditions throughout, and that the other exporters reported perfect outcomes with their fruit, says Law, general manager for Cool Carriers in Southern Africa.
On investigation it became apparent that the exporter in question had four temperature recorders in his cargo, one of which was giving a different reading to the others.
Law says investigations are continuing and they are talking to exporters, receivers and Cool Carriers' technical staff in Sweden. The investigation is important to us as we promised avocado growers we would ensure the product worked for the duration of the season.
Earlier ths year, Cool Carriers entered into a partnership with Atlantic CA Services for the whole avocado season which ended on August 2, by which time the line would have undertaken 13 sailings with between 4 500 and 5 500 pallets of avocados (export value up to R57 million) - mostly loaded under deck and all protected by Atlantic CA.
A unique CA service offered by Cool Carriers/Atlantic CA is exporter Internet access to temperatures of their fruit while at sea by logging onto websites (www.coolcarriers.co.za and www.atlantic-ca.com)
In spite of the investigation, Law has the fullest confidence in Cool Carriers' chosen 'third generation' technology which he and Atlantic's Dan Lauritzen both assert is as effective underdeck as in containers. (At the time of this interview Cool Carriers' Ivory Tirupati was about to leave for Europe with 320 avocado and citrus pallets in containers, all charged with Atlantic CA).
The belief in Atlantic's efficacy is shared by the Perishable Products Export Control Board's Martin Oosthuizen who, in his capacity as technical officer charged with monitoring temperature management on all export fruit, says: It (Atlantic CA) is working 100% and I am happy. All the required details have been spot on and this is the way to go.