SOURCE: QA Magazine
Fresh Del Monte Produce introduced a containerized shipping service for fresh banana and pineapple exports from the Philippines to Japan and South Korea. The collaboration marks a departure from traditional breakbulk shipping methods.
The containerized service operates on two key shipping routes, provided by CNC, the Intra-Asia specialist of the CMA CGM Group:
- JP8 Service – A newly enhanced route offering direct connections from Davao to Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, and Moji, Japan.
- BMX Service – A flagship route providing a weekly connection from Davao to Busan, South Korea.
For decades, breakbulk vessels have been the standard in transporting bananas and pineapples to Japan and Korea. But this legacy method — where fruit is exposed to fluctuating temperatures and handled multiple times — has long posed challenges for maintaining fruit quality, said Fresh Del Monte.
“Customer satisfaction starts long before the fruit reaches the shelf — it begins with how we move it,” said Raul Saca, SVP, global logistics at Fresh Del Monte. “By transitioning to dedicated container vessels, we’re not only improving cold chain reliability and minimizing damage but also creating amore agile, scalable logistics model that better serves our retail partners across Asia.”
Unlike breakbulk methods — where the fruits may face hours of exposure to extreme heat or cold and frequent handling — the new containerized approach keeps fruit in consistent, temperature-controlled conditions from farm to customer, said Fresh Del Monte. It also mitigates carbon footprint due to its efficiency. Each container acts as a mobile cold room, preserving quality and extending shelf life. The result: more capacity, less waste and consistently better bananas and pineapples, said Fresh Del Monte.
CMA CGM’s CLIMACTIVE controlled atmosphere containers slow down ripening and preserve the nutritional value of fruits while allowing customers to obtain real-time information about their goods.
“This partnership with Fresh Del Monte reflects our shared commitment to innovation, sustainability ,and customer satisfaction,” said Bo Wegener, CEO of CMA CGM Asia Pacific. “In addition to benefits from containerization, CMA CGM’s expertise in fruits and fresh produce logistics offers improved solutions that add value to both producers and consumers.”