In order to ensure a faster and more expeditious arrival to the United States market, the main destination for Chilean blueberries, especially after last season there were major complications in these matters, the company Cool Carriers will implement a charter service for blueberries fresh to the north country.

To learn more about this service, Simfruit spoke with the General Manager of Cool Carriers, Ricardo Barckhahn, who explained that the "Blueberry Express" will be a special service that will begin operating from week 49 of 2022 and then be complemented with the regular service until week 15, 16 or 17 of 2023, depending on the volume, with specific non-stop ships, which will allow the fruit to reach the United States within a period of 12 days from the last port of shipment. He also highlighted that, to ensure a good shipping process, for several years now they have been working and carrying out shipping tests for blueberries under cover, which have been very successful.

"Two years ago, two more clients joined to carry out tests for the export of blueberries under cover with very good results. Based on this, and considering all the shipping and logistics problems of last season, this volume increased during the last season. The blueberry industry was looking for a more efficient solution when shipping its blueberries and this is how this service arose, in which they guarantee a base volume of blueberries, and we make sure to provide a weekly service, from week 49″ Barckhahn noted.

The general manager pointed out that another novel aspect of the "Blueberry Express" is that the ships will be operated from the port of Coronel, "which provides added value to the blueberry industry in Chile, by being closer to the production areas," assured.

It should be noted that the port of destination will be Gloucester, which was chosen because it is a “port that has the conditions and connections for Chilean blueberries to be dispatched as soon as possible to their destinations within the United States. It has refrigerators, fumigation areas, therefore, it is a very well-equipped port for the needs of the industry. It is also a port in which we have worked throughout our history of operations in the United States, so it gives us full confidence”, he pointed out.

Services

As for the benefits, the professional not only mentioned the shorter traffic time, but also the system to segregate and keep the load at the right temperature.

“Although I believe that both container lines and chamber vessels are complementary services; It is important to note that the chamber ship is a floating refrigerator ship that, unlike a container, does not have these properties, since it is a unit that maintains the temperature according to the setting or adjustment that you make to it. The refrigerated ship has four generating plants to maintain refrigeration, with constant monitoring by our refrigeration technicians who are on board, who guarantee each step to be able to deliver the fruit to its destination in the best conditions and in compliance with USDA protocols. For the same reason that if fumigation is required, the temperature rise begins prior to arrival at the port, so that during the unloading shift the fruit can be fumigated. In short, it is a ship that cannot be compared to a container, and for that reason, they are complementary services”, he added.

Also, the representative of Cool Carriers explained that this type of ship has a great capacity for segregation. “Chamber ships have a great segregation advantage. We ship fumigated and non-fumigated cargo, which are independent of each other in the different cooling sections or refrigeration sections and another very important point is that it allows you to ship the amount you want, you should not ship 20 plts to fill the container, You can ship the number of pallets you have available, this way you don't leave the fruit waiting to complete the multiple. ”

Regarding the cargo volume of the ships, he indicated that they have a capacity that ranges from 6.000 to 15.000 pallets, which includes cargo in the chamber and in containers that go on the deck of the ship.

Before shipping the fruit

Ricardo Barckhahn was emphatic in pointing out that what happens before the fruit is shipped on the ship is key. "The most important thing for the success of this type of export, then, is that the pallet comes in optimal conditions, well robust and well assembled," said the professional, adding that "the loading cycle between the truck and the ship is very fast. and short, for which there is no temperature break, since, when the ships are in the process of boarding, they are under positive pressure, so there are very strong air flows that remove the hot air from the interior of the ship. In this way, the load already enters the required condition. Once the section is filled, it is immediately closed.”

Finally, the manager called on the industry to be calm and trust, because “we export all kinds of fruit throughout the world, in different markets, and we have never had major problems. We are an old company in this field, so we have the experience, the vessels and the personnel to do things well. I would tell exporters to be optimistic, but make sure you do things right before shipping the fruit. We are very excited about this service. We have worked together with the sector in technical and coordination meetings to ensure that everything goes as smoothly as possible. The truth is that we are very optimistic about it. I am convinced that it will be a very good experience”, he closed.