Massive mackerel export industry feeds the region

Horse mackerel might be landed in Walvis Bay but, thanks to a cold logistics chain, it can be bought from street vendors in Maputo, Lobito, Harare and Lubumbashi. Walvis Bay’s Commercial Cold Storage (CCS), situated next to the quayside handles more than 150 000 tons of frozen fish a year – the majority of which is horse mackerel. The cold store is European Union approved and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certified, which means the fish can be distributed internationally. However, most of the horse mackerel caught is sold within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. “It is the cheapest source of protein in the world,” said general manager Willie Venter. According to Venter the resource is well managed and is sustainable. Excellent stock management systems are in place. All pallets are scanned when they are offloaded from the vessels, where the fish is frozen and packed on board. When packed, the pallets are matched to a barcode on the rack. The system monitors all stock and warns customers when the fish are nearing expiry date. “We can identify every pallet at any time and have its history on the system.” CCS is in the process of setting up a satellite cold store in the Walvis Bay Logistics Park. Customers will benefit because they will no longer need to negotiate security and the traffic in the harbour. “We will include facilities for the drivers, which we cannot provide in the port.” CCS would also provide valueadded logistics services such as repacking for distribution in smaller amounts than full pallets or boxes. INSERT & CAPTION We can identify every pallet at any time and have its history on the system. – Willie Venter CAPTION Horse mackerel … 140 000 tons handled a year.