A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk) has expanded its cold chain options between the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and Central Russia as it looks to tap into the growing Russian food market through better supply chain connectivity.
The carrier said the new intermodal cold chain solution is enabled by Russian Railways JSC, a company that provides rail infrastructure and commercial support for the regional cold chain corridor.
Reefer specialists Polar Star LTD provides the power supply for containers throughout the rail journey.
Zsolt Katona, Managing Director, Maersk Eastern Europe, said, “We aim to offer Magnet and all our customers fixed departure/arrival and transit times, fully secure transportation, reefer monitoring goods condition throughout the journey using our RCM (Reefer Container Management) at a competitive and predictable price.”
Yulia Krymova, Director of Fruit & Vegetable department of Magnet retail chain, said, “We see steadily growing demand from our customers for fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
“So, we endeavor to provide the best possible quality of fresh items in our shops across Russia.
“Launch a direct rail product for delivery from port of Novorossiysk to Moscow will substantially enhance availability and freshness of imported fruit on our shelves, especially when offer from local suppliers are limited by seasonal factors.”
Maersk said it expects this new intermodal service will transform the refrigerated cold chain from the Middle East and the Mediterranean to Central Russia, representing over 50.000 containers a year.
