[Press Release] Chilean Cherries: From Port to Market in Only 2.5 Hours

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December is a good time for Chilean cherries to hit the market. The strong sunlight and fertile volcanic soil of South America provide the perfect conditions for producing exquisite, flavorful and plump cherries with a pleasing color and sweetness. On Christmas Day, a large quantity of Chilean cherries completed their long journey from South America to arrive at the Port of Guangzhou.

“Nansha Speed” – 2.5 hours from port to market

On Dec. 25, Christmas Day in the West, the Nansha Harbor Area of the Port of Guangzhou saw the arrival of the container ship Lloyd Don Giovanni, the very first cherry express service from Evergreen. The unloading, customs clearance, release and transportation to Jiangnan Fruit Wholesale Market were completed within only 2.5 hours, bringing the freshest Chilean cherries to eager Chinese consumers. This sets the record for the fastest and most cost-effective cherry express service in South China.

To expedite customs clearance and maintain the highest levels of freshness and firmness, Nansha customs applied a special customs clearance mode designed for very delicate fruits such as cherries and permitted advance declaration of the shipment.

The shipment comprised 23 containers of cherries in total, of which six containers (26%) were inspected. For a closer look at the speed of the clearance process, let us examine the timeline:

3:17 p.m. – Fastening of first mooring rope

3:50 p.m. – Unloading of first container

4:17 p.m. – First container out of the gate

4:25 p.m. – Arrival of containers at Haixin Cold Storage Inspection Center for inspection

4:31 p.m. – Unloading of last container

4:45 p.m. – Last container out of the gate

5:15 p.m. – Release of inspected containers

6:40 p.m. – Arrival of the first vehicle of cherries at Jiangnan Fruit Wholesale Market

The containers that did not require inspection were shipped to Jiangnan Fruit Wholesale Market, five vehicles of cherries were transferred from the Haixin Cold Storage Inspection Center to Shanghai, and one vehicle of cherries was transferred to Jiaxing market in Zhejiang province.

Nansha Harbor Area is the nearest wharf to Jiangnan Fruit Wholesale Market. Through the “Nansha Express”, produce arriving at Nansha Harbor Area can reach the Jiangnan Fruit Wholesale Market on the same day as their arrival via Hong Kong.

The Chilean cherry express line’s completion, from ship unloading to arrival at the market, in only 2.5 hours reflects the ultrafast and incomparable “Nansha Speed”, which is the result of the collaborative efforts of Nansha customs, port and wharf operators, Evergreen Marine, import traders, customs declaration agents, Longxue Fleet, the Haixin Cold Storage Inspection Center and others.

Largest cold and fresh port in South China under construction

On Sept. 26, 2019, Chile’s largest cherry exporters and major fruit importers in South China visited the Nansha Harbor Area of the Port of Guangzhou to inspect the Nansha International Cold Chain Logistics Base.

Following the arrival of the current batch of cherries, several additional batches of Chilean cherries will arrive prior to Chinese New Year. The Nansha Harbor Area of the Port of Guangzhou will further strengthen its efforts to ensure the efficient and smooth arrival of these future shipments.

Six eight-story cold storage facilities are currently under construction at the Nansha International Logistics Center in a cooperation between the Port of Guangzhou and Dalian Port Yidu Cold Chain. Their completion will increase the storage capacity by 460,000 tons and make this the largest cold and fresh produce port in South China. Phase I of the project is expected to be completed and in operation by the end of 2020.

Dalian Port Yidu Cold Chain provides a one-stop cold chain logistics service for fresh food, reducing the number of logistics links, improving efficiency and reducing logistics costs by enabling fast customs clearance, centralized inspection, warehousing and processing, logistics distribution and other services. Taking the Port of Dalian as an example, Yidu Group is working jointly with Shenyang Northeast Cold and Fresh Port, offering the fastest customs clearance in the entire region and accounting for 70% of the inbound and outbound goods. This allows the company to meet the demands of its customers and provide secondary sorting, processing and rapid cold chain distribution services at more cost-effective prices than the market rates.

This mature cold chain business model in Dalian has now been replicated nationwide to provide a standardized logistics solution with the fewest links in the Nansha International Logistics Center.

Dalian Port Yidu Cold Chain is dedicated to developing a cold chain logistics network for imported fresh products that covers the major regions of China, namely, Northeast China through its facilities in Dalian and Shenyang, Central China via Zhengzhou Airport and South China via Guangzhou. With its unified information system, the company has established fully functional distribution centers at ports and terminals, linking regions to create a cold chain logistics network for fresh imports in China.

Images: Yidu