Technology boosts ZIM's perishables offering

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services South Africa hopes to soon launch a remote monitoring temperature control service following the successful completion of a pilot study. SA managing director Slava Liskovich told FTW that the pilot was currently being conducted in conjunction with a major pharmaceutical company to prove the feasibility of the concept. “Remote monitoring of climatecontrolled containers is a growing field, as new technologies mature. Several solutions are already on offer in the market, all intended to provide perishable cargo owners with far greater peace of mind through online realtime monitoring of their precious cargo,” he said. The benefits of these solutions, said Liskovich, are that they can send alerts when any unusual events, such as change of temperature within the container during a voyage, occur. “Most importantly, they also enable cargo owners to take action and resolve some of these issues remotely,” he said. ZIM plans to launch a complete remote monitoring package to its customers which will include monitoring cargo, sending alerts to key personnel via cellphones or e-mail and allocating staff to handle such calls while the cargo is on board the vessel or in depot. “Through this, many problems can be solved immediately and prevent damage to valuable, sensitive shipments,” said Liskovich. Advances such as sterilised reefer containers and controlled atmosphere containers (CAC) have fast-tracked a modal shift from air to sea in the transportation of perishables, said Liskovich. He added that the technology’s ability to slow down the ripening process opened up ocean transport as a viable alternative to air cargo on some of the longer trade routes. “Previously some fresh foods could only be transported in containers by sea for short or mediumlength voyages. New possibilities opened by controlled-atmosphere containers remove this limitation,” said Liskovich. He noted that even on some trade routes that were already within range for regular reefer containers, controlled-atmosphere technology could still improve the status quo by extending shelf life. INSERT & CAPTION Remote monitoring of climate-controlled containers is a growing field, as new technologies mature. – Slava Liskovich New reefer routes Responding to increased demand for refrigerated exports in West Africa and Russia, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services South Africa has added two new destinations to its portfolio of services. “We’ve added Russia to our Mediterranean and Black Sea portfolio as well as Burkino Faso in West Africa,” said SA MD Slava Liskovich. He told FTW that the European Union’s ban on fruit with Citrus Black Spot (CBS) has meant that South African producers are focusing on alternative markets within the Med and Black Sea region. CAPTION Advances in temperature control are creating new opportunities in the perishables market.