Crowley: Ocean-to-air shipments could reduce costs, extend produce seasons

A shipment of snow peas was transported by a Crowley cargo ship from Guatemala to Port Everglades, and was then trucked to Miami International Airport where it was transloaded onto an air cargo plane operated by Centurion Cargo for transport to Amsterdam.    A shipment of snow peas from Guatemala was flown from Miami to Amsterdam Thursday as part of a new ocean-to-air transshipment program designed to save perishable cargo shippers time and money.
   Crowley carried a refrigerated container loaded with 10 tons of snow peas from Guatemala to Port Everglades aboard it’s cargo ship Tucana J. The peas were then trucked to Miami International Airport where they were transloaded onto a B-747 freighter operated by Centurion Cargo airline for the final leg of the journey to the Netherlands.
   “This integrated ocean-to-air cold chain solution will offer customers the most efficient way to speed perishables to new markets,” said Frank Larkin, Crowley senior vice president and general manager, logistics. “As customers seek new markets to distribute their produce, this is a valuable offering in our full suite of services and embodies our commitment to innovation and high performance at Crowley.”
   Kimberly Wakeman, vice president at the Crowley subsidiary Customized Brokers, said the shipment was a milestone that shows the company’s “ability to provide far-reaching services that speed customers’ products to market. By listening to our customers, our unmatched ability to provide ocean transport and logistics services has been enhanced to help customers grow their global supply chains and reach grocers worldwide.”
   Crowley said that last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the program’s permit, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agreed to expedite processing of the ocean shipments before their air departures.
   The ocean-to-air program will save both time and money for cargo shippers, who will receive expedited air transport for perishable products without paying CBP duties, since the cargo travels in-bond, Crowley explained. In addition, Crowley said European and Asian households will be able to receive Latin American produce at the peak of freshness, extending the seasonality for certain products in some cases.
   A spokesperson from Crowley told American Shipper the ocean-to-air service is anticipated to be a regular offering.