The new intermodal cold chain service for fresh fruit from the Black Sea and the Mediterranean to Central Russia

A.P. Moller - Maersk, one of the global leaders in shipping services, announced its new logistics solution designed to grow the Russian food market by improving supply chain performance and reducing the handling of perishable fruit.

On December 21, 2020, the first refrigerated containers heading from Mersin (Turkey) were sent from the port of Novorossiysk en route to the Selyatino terminal in Moscow by a train operated by Ruscon, one of the leading container transportation companies in Russia. Two days later, the containers arrived at the Selyatino terminal in Moscow, were they delivered to the end-consignees.

According to Zsolt Katona, Managing Director Maersk Eastern Europe, for the first time, they have applied end-to-end delivery of fresh fruit from the Eastern Mediterranean to Moscow by rail and in the same containers in which they were discharged in Russian port. Previously, imported containers were delivered by road transport or were stripped in Novorossiysk, and then carried to the inland locations by vans.

This new intermodal cold chain solution is implemented by Russian Railways JSC, which provides rail infrastructure and commercial support for this cold chain corridor. Polar Star LTD, reefer specialists, provides the power supply for containers throughout the rail journey.

Yulia Krymova, Director of Fruit & Vegetable department of Magnet retail chain, said, "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 expects this new service will transform the refrigerated cold chain from the Middle East and Mediterranean to Central Russia, representing more than 50,000 containers per year.

A.P. Moller - Maersk is an integrated transport and logistics company working to connect and simplify supply chains for its customers. The company employs roughly 80.000 employees across operations in 130 countries.

More information about the company can be found on its website.