MSC has launched a quayside fumigation service in collaboration with the disinfection company Descroes at MSC PSA European Terminal (MPET) of Antwerp, after a successful pilot phase.
This service will help optimise the supply chain for customers, speed up turnaround for fumigated cargo, as well as increase intermodal transport options and flexibility, according to a statement.
“Quayside fumigation fulfills our customers’ needs for increased flexibility and accelerated turnaround times and unlocks access to intermodal services that would previously have been inaccessible,” explained Jerri Smet, Intermodal Manager at MSC Belgium.
Furthermore, according to the Managing Director at MSC Belgium, Marc Beerlandt, the fumigation service will allow MSC to capitalise on former investments made to its intermodal network, with the goal of delivering integrated supply chain solutions for countries shipping forestry products from northern Europe, such as Belgium, Austria, France and Germany.
“Containers can arrive by road, rail or barge and be fumigated on-quay, eliminating the need for additional haulage to and from an external fumigation zone, and increasing flexibility within the supply chain,” added Beerlandt.
Having extensive experience in shipping logs to the Far East, the Swiss company has formed its fumigation service to the needs of its wood customers worldwide.
In particular, MPET’s location enables the expansion of fumigation services to the wood log industry and helps to simplify the supply chain, and customers exporting goods to Australia will also be able to benefit from fumigation services at either end of the journey, ensuring compliance with new Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BSMB) regulations in place between September 2021 and May 2022.
Last but not least, MSC Belgium offers quayside Verified Gross Mass (VGM) weighing in order to complement the new quayside fumigation service with equipment adjacent to its fumigation facilities for easy access and efficient turn-around post fumigation.
