MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company announced that it is introducing an express service for cherry and fresh fruit cargo from Chile to Asia starting November 18.
The Cherry Express service will run as a joint carrier agreement, connecting Asia and the west coast of Latin America. It will connect Valparaiso, Chile with a fast transit time to Hong Kong in 23 days.
Shippers can rely on MSC’s feeder network to reach other Southeast Asia destinations.
In a statement, MSC said shipments will arrive in Nansha and Shanghai in 25 and 26 days respectively, via transhipment from Hong Kong.
To complement the regular Cherry Express service, MSC will operate exclusively two more vessels with fast shipping service for weeks 49 and 51.
The Swiss-Italian shipping line noted that both vessels will sail on different days compared to the regular schedule, allowing customers greater flexibility during loading.
The two vessels will also provide a direct connection to a few different ports in Greater China, offering customers more choice in terms of destination ports.
"In week 49, MSC Alessia will be calling at Shanghai and Hong Kong with transit times of 22 days and 25 days respectively. In week 51, MSC Fiammetta will be calling at Nansha and Hong Kong with a transit time of 23 days," MSC said.
With concerns around cargo contamination still mounting amid the ongoing pandemic, fruit exporters in Chile can also rely on MEDLOG, MSC’s logistics arm, to provide sanitised containers as a safety measure against COVID-19.
MSC said it is committed to meeting the needs of its customers and is proud to offer this added service through its exclusive tie-up with MEDLOG in Chile.
“We’re very excited about the launch of the Cherry Express service. With the introduction of two complementary vessels and the support of our MEDLOG depots in Chile, MSC will be able to reinforce this service by maintaining a constant flow of containers for our export customers,” said Cristian Montenegro, commercial director of MSC Chile.
Cherry supply leading to Lunar New Year
“Cherries have become an increasingly popular fruit in China as consumer spending power rises across the country. Furthermore, the timing of the Cherry Express leads up nicely to the Chinese New Year. Red Chilean cherries are especially popular during this period with consumers as the red fruit symbolises prosperity and fortune,” said Pikkei Yuen, inbound sales manager, MSC Hong Kong/South PRC/Taiwan.
The Lunar New Year next year is on February 12.
MSC noted that Chile is the single largest supplier of cherries to China with Chilean cherry season running from November to January, which is often close to the Chinese New Year.
The ASOEX (Fruit Exporters Association of Chile) Cherry Committee estimates a growth of 36% in exports for the 2020-2021 season, as compared the previous season, despite fears of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This translates to approximately 15,500 container loads of cherries.