FEATURE
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Continued from page 29
The rest, as they say in the classics,
is history.
Soon citrus fruit was being exported,
when in 1908, the Union Castle mail ships
Norman and Armadale Castle took over
the first large shipment of oranges.
Encouraged by the demand, the Union
Castle Company, at huge cost, increased
the refrigerator space in the mail and
intermediate vessels to meet various
agreements with the South African
government.
The pinnacle of development in
connection with the carriage of fruit
A modern-day reefer ship.
came about when the wholly refrigerated
passengers. As businesses go, the Cape had to be substituted for a haphazard cargo vessel, the Rowallan Castle, took
route is simply not financially viable. approach, and so the cold chain came to England in 1943 — the largest shipment
to be. of fruit ever to have been exported from
the better. Since 1889, attempts had
Together with his brother, JC Molteno,
been made to ship South African fruit, a successful Cape Colony farmer, they
chiefly grapes, to the United Kingdom. formed a syndicate in 1890, to export fruit
In February of that year, the Grantully to the United Kingdom from South Africa.
Castle left Table Bay with a shipment of
Company to fit cool chambers to
poor condition and the whole exercise several of its vessels and urged the Union
proved to be a failure. The shipping of fruit Company to do the same.
being by the local fruit growers.
However, a certain Percy Molteno,
provided by the Union Castle ships
contributed in no small measure to the
success of the fruit export trade.
Together with the technical staff of the
Perishable Products Board of South Africa,
succumbing finally to a changing world;
a fast-paced world of ever-advancing
technology, diminishing standards, and
declining values.
Nonetheless, the international
mercantile marine industry continues to
service the perishable goods markets with
distinction, thus maintaining each crucial
link in the cold chain.
*Read part one in the June 2018 edition
of Cold Link Africa.
CLA
The first shipment of fruit under the new
aboard the Drummond Castle in February of
1892. A few days later, the first South African
company, the Castle line, took more than peaches were soldin London.
fruit export.
The excellent refrigeration facilities
For 124 years (1853–1977) it served
our country with utmost distinction,
strict handling conditions arrived in England
who was a partner in Sir Donald’s shipping
just a passing interest in the matter of
of citrus, measuring some 8 746 tons.
Percy Molteno induced the Castle
fruit, some 130 boxes in total. It arrived in
to England was abandoned for the time
South Africa. It comprised 155 000 cases
trade and industry in its time.
There to inspect their quality, were
John X Merriman of Stellenbosch and
He realised that scientific input was Percy Molteno, where at Covent Garden,
necessary if fruit export were to succeed. they witnessed the opening of case upon
Accurate observation and experiment case of peaches in superb condition.
All this was about to change for
the Union Castle Company was able to
ship cargoes of pre-cooled fruits from
South African ports and maintain them at
a perfectly even temperature throughout,
within two degrees of variation.
At last, the ships had a meaningful return
cargo, leading to a vast improvement in
the company’s profit margins.
To my mind, the Union Castle
Steamship Company remains one of the
greatest ambassadors for South African
A modern refrigerated container ship.
COLD LINK AFRICA • July/August 2018
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
31