Africa’s largest cold-chain air facility to open

AfricaÆs largest cold-chain air facility to open    Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is on schedule to complete the first phase in July of the largest cold-chain air cargo handling facility on the continent.
   The new Transglobal Cargo Centre will be the first fresh produce and cargo handling facility in Africa to incorporate a multistory cool-chain elevating transfer vehicle, or ETV-based, perishables handling system. The system will have capacity for storing 160 pallets, or the equivalent of more than four 747 freighter loads.
   The final completion of the facility, including commissioning of its ETV system, will enable it to accept export perishables traffic. It will also mark the end of a one-and-a-half-year building program, representing an investment of '11 million. The cargo facility will have an estimated cargo handling capacity of 250,000 tons per year.
   The facility will include 12,351 square meters of warehousing with 11 truck docks, 10 container workstations, a three-level ETV system, a combined ULD (unit load device) weigh-scale and X-ray scanner, and six additional security scanners.
   There will be roller bed access to the temperature-controlled ULD buildup area. The perishables handling area will be divided into separate temperature zones, including chilled store, and freezer ratings, to cater for the varying needs of different commodities. Shippers, agents and regulatory staff will also have access to a dedicated 1,000 square meters of perishables inspection and repacking area.
   The facility adjoins a 5,150-square-meter, three-story office building, which will house Transglobal Cargo Centre Ltd.'s staff, and provide accommodation for airlines and freight agents requiring on-site offices.
   Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has the second-highest cargo throughput in Africa, at 290,500 tons in 2009, up 5 percent over the previous year. The airport is served by about 40 scheduled airlines. Transglobal Cargo Centre has provided handling for airlines in Nairobi since 2007, through its off-airport facility.