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Fruit shipper says carriers won't tell them when cold probes go wrong

FAULTY or malfunctioning reefer probes of fruit in transit, and a reluctance of carriers to reveal problems en route, cost fruit shippers needless expense, said one at last week's Hong Kong reefer fair.

Cold probes ensure the core of the fruit remains at a specified temperature level for the duration of voyage, it was explained at the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong.

"The problem is that the shipping lines will not give us a report on where a problem was so we can see where things went wrong," said Vince Brullo, export manager of Melbourne's Australia Fruits.

"That means we don't know what needs to be fixed or changed. The carriers can monitor the containers every hour if necessary, but all we need is a daily report," Mr Brullo said.

The lack of transparency following faulty in-transit cold disinfestation treatment, leads to costly redirections of cargo to lower price markets, he said.

"And that shipment has to be redirected to another market that doesn't require ICT [cold treatment], and that costs us money," he said.

Mr Brullo said carriers declared it was an insurance problem and did not want to be legally liable.

Hapag-Lloyd reefer account executive Ruud Liberton said it was matter of liability and insurance.

"From an insurance perspective, we have to be careful providing information when something breaks down. If it is found we were grossly negligent, our insurance will not cover that."

"Sometimes we disclose information after checking what went wrong, but if the information can be used to prove negligence on our side, we will not provide it," he said.

Australia Fruits exports about 50 FEU to China and 50 boxes to Thailand, with the value of the cargo in each container ranging from US$50,000 to $60,000.