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APL expands reefer service to cope with surge in Japanese fresh produce
SINGAPORE's APL, now a unit if French shipping giant CMA CGM, recently expanded its reefer services to cope with the demand surge for Japanese fresh produce.
Demand comes from across Asia and with increasing markets in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, reports London's Loadstar.
Following the CMA CGM acquisition, APL has access to a reefer fleet of 315,000 TEU, and will continue to operate as an separate brand.
Current exports include strawberries, peaches, grapes and leafy vegetables, and the ocean carrier is creating new opportunities for reefer shipping, while a government-led initiative to increase sea exports could pose a threat to the dominance of air cargo, said Loadstar.
The carrier said the globalisation of Japanese food culture had helped fresh produce exports gain popularity with increasingly affluent Asian consumers.
"Japanese produce is appealing to many Asian consumers with its fine quality, exquisite taste and excellent presentation," said APL Japan commercial chief Fujita Yasuhiro.
"More Asian consumers have become aware of Japanese fresh produce as Japanese food exporters step up marketing overseas. This phenomenon is consistent with the Japanese government's plan to double food and agriculture exports to JPY1 trillion (US$9.4 billion) by 2020," Mr Yasuhiro said.
APL, which has increased its deployment of reefer FEUs, has also strengthened its technical support in Japan, offering customised solutions based on shipper requirements, import protocols and the unique characteristics of each perishable.
APL's atmosphere-regulating reefer technology, SMARTcare+, allows the quality and presentation of fresh produce to be preserved longer than ever before, in some cases tripling the post-harvest life.
According to Mr Yasuhiro, this technology provides new logistics options to exporters traditionally limited to air cargo.
"While air freight is faster, Japanese exporters with a large shipment of perishables will find sea freight with the right reefer solutions a more economical and practical option," he said.
Mr Yasuhiro said APL shipped premium strawberries and leafy vegetables from Hakata to Hong Kong reaching their destination in pristine condition at a fraction of air freight costs.
APL is currently only offering full-container load (FCL) services to large-scale exporters. However, two major Japanese logistics companies, Nippon Express and Yusen Logistics, are teaming up to offer less-than-container load (LCL) reefer shipments to smaller merchants.
The joint-venture will begin with a regular service between Nagoya and the Taiwanese port of Keelung.
Yusen Logistics is also part of a government-led programme to boost fresh produce exports by increasing reefer shipping services, rather than air cargo.
Demand comes from across Asia and with increasing markets in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, reports London's Loadstar.
Following the CMA CGM acquisition, APL has access to a reefer fleet of 315,000 TEU, and will continue to operate as an separate brand.
Current exports include strawberries, peaches, grapes and leafy vegetables, and the ocean carrier is creating new opportunities for reefer shipping, while a government-led initiative to increase sea exports could pose a threat to the dominance of air cargo, said Loadstar.
The carrier said the globalisation of Japanese food culture had helped fresh produce exports gain popularity with increasingly affluent Asian consumers.
"Japanese produce is appealing to many Asian consumers with its fine quality, exquisite taste and excellent presentation," said APL Japan commercial chief Fujita Yasuhiro.
"More Asian consumers have become aware of Japanese fresh produce as Japanese food exporters step up marketing overseas. This phenomenon is consistent with the Japanese government's plan to double food and agriculture exports to JPY1 trillion (US$9.4 billion) by 2020," Mr Yasuhiro said.
APL, which has increased its deployment of reefer FEUs, has also strengthened its technical support in Japan, offering customised solutions based on shipper requirements, import protocols and the unique characteristics of each perishable.
APL's atmosphere-regulating reefer technology, SMARTcare+, allows the quality and presentation of fresh produce to be preserved longer than ever before, in some cases tripling the post-harvest life.
According to Mr Yasuhiro, this technology provides new logistics options to exporters traditionally limited to air cargo.
"While air freight is faster, Japanese exporters with a large shipment of perishables will find sea freight with the right reefer solutions a more economical and practical option," he said.
Mr Yasuhiro said APL shipped premium strawberries and leafy vegetables from Hakata to Hong Kong reaching their destination in pristine condition at a fraction of air freight costs.
APL is currently only offering full-container load (FCL) services to large-scale exporters. However, two major Japanese logistics companies, Nippon Express and Yusen Logistics, are teaming up to offer less-than-container load (LCL) reefer shipments to smaller merchants.
The joint-venture will begin with a regular service between Nagoya and the Taiwanese port of Keelung.
Yusen Logistics is also part of a government-led programme to boost fresh produce exports by increasing reefer shipping services, rather than air cargo.
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