MAERSK SALTORO

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First container of fruit destroyed

On March 11, the first container of fruit from the 'Maersk Saltoro' was destroyed, which took approximately two hours. On March 8, the Chinese customs had completed the inspection process of the fruit, and then private inspections were being carried out. To destroy the fruit, the wooden pallets from the loads at customs had to be removed. Then, the 20 tons of cherries were transferred to a hopper truck to be sent to the destruction site. More centers awere being sought to dispose of the fruit. In the first destruction, private inspections were added; given the volume. The destruction was done in a place approved by customs, under the supervision of Chinese customs personnel. The fruit was transported in trucks after the pallets were removed. The Chinese authorities deliver inspection times and define places to destroy the fruit by order of request to perform private inspections. The exporter would receive a document of the customs inspection and the certificate of rejection of the fruit. Customs is still developing the destruction process and protocol as the first destruction was an initial test.

Unloading and inspection of Chilean cherries from Maersk Saltoro completed

Regarding the fruit onboard the 'MAersk Saltoro' , the Chilean Cherry Committee executive director Claudia Soler has been in contact through the office in China from the beginning to provide information to the producers and exporters and send daily updates on the situation to the associates They have met at a general assembly to provide information and learn about the companies' situation. The objective was to be as coordinated as possible and informed to make decisions correctly and timely when necessary. Moreover, since last week, when the ship arrived in Nansha, the general manager of Frutas de Chile went to that market, together with professionals from the Agriculture and Livestock Service, and has held important meetings with the Chinese authorities to date to collaborate and coordinate the unloading and inspection activities of the more than 1,300 containers, mostly of cherries, which arrived at the port of Nansha. The Chinese authorities are very willing to ensure that the process is carried out in the best possible way and in compliance with the country's standards for commercializing the fruit. About 10% of checked containers did not meet marketing standards The CCR continued monitoring the entire process on the ground to continue supporting our partners and safeguarding the image of the category in the market, The cargo is estimated at more than $130 million, mainly in cherries. Other products, including blueberries, some containers of avocados, raisins, and other goods, were in transit to other Asian destinations such as Vietnam and Thailand. Containers were still being checked and the fruit has not been found fit to enter the market. Therefore, it was agreed to destroy all containers that do not meet the market quality and condition requirements. 800 containers had been unloaded from the vessel as of Feb. 25. The ship's unloading was completed by Feb. 26, and the ship continued to Hong Kong.

Cargo of cherries compromised after delay of four weeks

On Feb 17 the 'Maersk’s Saltoro' has finally arrived at the port of Nansha, 28 days later than scheduled, after breaking down in the Pacific Ocean. The vessel, part of the Cherry Express service, was carrying 1,353 containers of cherries from southern Chile, heading for China for the Chinese New Year celebrations. Although the power supply to containers was maintained and the cold chain remained unbroken, the fruit has arrived in poor condition according to Antonio Walker, president of the National Association of Agriculture (SNA), who inspected the containers on board the vessel. He warned that the quality of the cherries has been compromised, and that China could reject the entire cargo. Maersk and Chinese Customs were discussing the future of the merchandise. The evaluation of the conditions and quality of the fruit could take several days, given the high volume transported. As of Feb 18, no containers from the vessel have been released. Only 100+ containers have been unloaded, with 12 under inspection and requiring further evaluation. Maersk has proposed unloading the remaining 1,200+ containers in Nansha, leaving legal negotiations to their lawyers, importers, and China Customs. However, China Customs was unwilling to accept these containers, citing food safety concerns.