DHL beefs up cold chain to US and Asia

DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post group, says it is going to accelerate the supply chain for the north Norwegian seafood industry.

DHL has started shipping live crabs and seafood from the Lakselv Airport Banak in north Norway to Asia and Northern America.

On dedicated weekly flights, DHL transports the fresh seafood to the DHL terminal in Oslo, from where the freight is sent to South Korea and other destinations such as Japan or the United States.

From the origin, which is only 100km from the North Cape, to its destination in Asia the whole logistics is exactly timed, ensuring the shipments are delivered in perfect condition.

Tim Robertson, head of Air Freight, DHL Global Forwarding, Americas, said: ‘Thanks to our team of experts, who understand temperature control requirements, regulations, food safety and quality control guidelines, this seafood and fish is able to get to market and to consumers in the most expedient way possible.’

DHL said transporting the fresh seafood by plane allows it to cut the lead time nearly by 50 per cent. This ensures that living crabs and other fresh seafood arrive at their destination in the best condition.

Bjørn-Erik Stabell, marketing manager for salmon and trout at the Norwegian Seafood Council, said: ‘Time is of the essence when it comes to delivering fresh seafood of the very best quality. Norway is a long country, and with a large proportion of seafood being produced in the north, this air freight route is an important contribution to efficiently reaching seafood consumers across the world.’

DHL is aiming to increase the frequency of deliveries from Oslo to Asia to three flights per week. From Oslo, almost 90 per cent of the fish is flown directly to Seoul in South Korea, while approximately 10 per cent is further directed to destinations in the US, Japan and China.