INTERNATIONAL PROJECT
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Maersk’s new 50 000-ton
cold store facility in Russia
By Benjamin Brits
After just 9 months from ground-breaking at the site in 2019,
the new facility was officially opened in April 2020.
This major hub is the largest cold store
in St. Petersburg, Russia. The
3-chamber warehouse not only offers
grapes and apples from South Africa.
There was a particular focus on the citrus
export season from South Africa and with
perishable products being +13˚/+6˚/-25˚C
respectively.
Further demand calculations required
cold facilities for foods but includes
the improved South Africa to Europe
>40 000 pallet locations, >50 000 tons
specialised solutions in extending the life
service, Maersk will now be able to offer
storage capacity, pick and pack options,
cycle of other perishable goods.
South Africa exporters a full solution of
handling of customised packages
The new facility was built purely to
delivery at final destination.
and further delivery to various Russian
address the needs of a high-demand
In April 2020, to offset the scarcity of
destinations by road and rail.
Russian market. In the near future the
reefer containers in South Africa and
The almost 24 000m², storage area
facility will also offer freezing capabilities
ahead of the citrus season, in support of
was also designed with 35 docks that are
in a separate storage chamber for frozen
the nation’s agricultural sector, Maersk
able to serve a daily throughput of up to
produce (-25°C).
brought in 1 800 empty refrigerated
200 trucks.
In June 2019, the ground-breaking
ceremony for the new warehouse
took place and was also attended by
containers from the Middle East as
additional stock to serve customers.
Reefer containers have been scarce
LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS AND
TECHNOLOGY
Maersk CEO Søren Skou, Fyffes CEO
in South Africa due to the imbalance
This facility is one of the latest additions
David McCann and representatives
in trade flows impacted by the various
to the logistics solutions of the global
of the regional and federal Russian
lockdowns around the world and high
Maersk network and their global footprint
administration.
Constructed by the Russian industrial
developer PNK Group, the facility is
located within the PNK Park, Sofiyskaya
KAD in St. Petersburg and has created
demand for South African fruits.
The new cold store has a total
capacity of more than 40 000 pallets
in 3 chambers and uses CO 2
cooling,
which makes it the largest commercial
All photos by Maersk
means their facilities are able to handle
many supply chain goods, and in
particular participate extensively in the
cold chain. The company’s strategy of
combining shipping with warehousing
employment for over 200 employees.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS
cold store in Russia using this new
technology. Over the next months, as
part of its cold chain management
The new cold store can accommodate
more than 40 000 pallets.
and distribution enables a convenient
end-to-end solution with fewer service
providers in between and time delays
The first produce to be handled at
products Maersk will also establish at
on perishable goods. The recipe results in
the new facility brought in pears from
this particular destination, site customs
speed, control and tracking – all of which
Argentina. After a 26-day journey as
clearance, bonded cold storage
are essential for the sector.
an end-to-end solution for a client,
(frozen) and phyto-sanitary/veterinary
the produce was unloaded swiftly into
services, as increased interest by both
the chilled chamber operating at a
current and prospective customers
temperature of 0.5 Celsius. In total,
the initial delivery was more than 60
refrigerated containers.
“The full end-to-end offering we have
created will allow our customers to enjoy
shorter overall lead times, predictable
costs and best in class service,” said
Zsolt Katona, Managing Director,
Eastern Europe at Maersk during the
inauguration of the first reefer container
underpins Maersk’s strategy of providing
integrated solutions for reefer logistics.
DESIGN SPECIFICATION
The cold store was designed to ensure the
building is highly energy efficient and was
fitted with the latest cooling technology
(CO 2
). As the facility is also open 24/7 this
was also factored into the specifications.
As an Inland container depot and with
Making it into
some of the very first
deliveries to the store
were grapes and
apples from
South Africa.
arriving at the facility.
various future demands in mind, Maersk
Additionally, making it into some of
the very first deliveries to the store were
required a 3-chamber storage facility to
cater to various cooling needs of these
The facility has teams working 24/7 in order
to manage demand.
The new cold store can handle a capacity of 200 trucks
per day.
35 docks cater to delivery to and from the facility, and in the near future will be
offering customised solutions for clients.
Their storage solutions are further
underpinned by large investment in
technology, automation and robotics
and are soon to add AGVs (Automated
Guided Vehicles), automated sorters
and hybrid systems, all of which deliver
superior efficiencies, all of which
are supported by an IT landscape
consisting of best-in-class warehouse
management systems. This provides
clients with integration capabilities and
improved accuracy, allowing quick
responses to any events (foreseen
or unforeseen as with the global
pandemic) in the supply chain. CLA
22
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za COLD LINK AFRICA • September 2020