Mexico’s Pacific Coast port of Lázaro Cárdenas on July 1 handled its first international container transshipment – a box laden with lubricants bound for Chile from Houston, Texas. The Georgia Ports Authority is participating in a USDA pilot program that will expedite the handling of fruit and produce imported from South America via the Port of Savannah.
Lázaro Cárdenas: First International Container Transshipment
Mexico’s Pacific Coast Port of Lázaro Cárdenas on July 1 handled its first international container transshipment – a box laden with lubricants bound for Chile from Houston, Texas.
Lázaro Cárdenas is Mexico’s second largest container handler, with volume exceeding over a million TEUs in 2012 and 2013.
Tradelink Pacific, which is based in Lázaro Cárdenas, was responsible for the planning and negotiation with the customers that made the transaction possible, as well as coordination between the Kansas City Southern de Mexico railway and ocean carrier Maersk Line. Stakeholders in the process were assigned a time slot at Container Terminal 1 where the loading of the container was supervised.
The port says that coordination efforts and an efficient railroad link were essential to the success of the operation and believes the outcome clearly demonstrates Lázaro Cárdenas’s reliability as a transit point for international merchandise moving between the United States and the rest of the world.
Savannah Fruit Import Business Gets a Boost
The Georgia Ports Authority is participating in a USDA pilot program that will expedite the handling of fruit and produce imported from South America via the Port of Savannah.
Starting September 1, Savannah will receive fruit from South America that has undergone cold treatment to prevent the transmission of agricultural pests.
Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture pilot program, citrus fruits, grapes and blueberries will be chilled for at least 17 days prior to entry into the U.S. to protect against fruit flies. The process will occur in producing countries – including Peru, Chile and Brazil – or at transshipment points such as Panama. The fruit will move in refrigerated containers at just over freezing temperatures during transit aboard cargo vessels, effectively cutting the time the fruit must remain stationary for treatment.
"We will work closely with the Georgia Port Authority and Customs and Border Protection over the next year to evaluate the application of cold treatment and monitor its progress," said Osama El-Lissy, Deputy Administrator, Plant Protection and Quarantine, in USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "Bringing cold treatment to the Port of Savannah is just one example of USDA’s commitment to facilitating trade while protecting American agriculture."
Besides faster delivery, the program also cuts logistics-related emissions by reducing truck miles and allowing more efficient shipments. Trucks carrying refrigerated cargo containers may be loaded up to 100,000 pounds (truck and cargo weight) on Georgia highways, in contrast to the 80,000 pound limit imposed on domestic loads.
Garden City Terminal in Savannah has a refrigerated container capacity for more than 2,600 containers. The refrigerated boxes are powered by 600 chassis plug-ins and 2,016 container rack slots.
"We look forward to a successful pilot, leading to a permanent program expanded to include new countries and more commodities," said Cliff Pyron, the GPA’s chief commercial officer. "Because the South American growing season is opposite that of the U.S., these shipments are vital for keeping fresh produce on shelves year-round."