Crowley opens Everglade refrigerated pest control facility

Fresh fruit and vegetables imported from the tropics may harbour pests that can travel and multiply quickly in South Florida’s warm climate. Traditionally, cargo found with highly mobile pests that needed some type of manipulation or re-arrangement prior to fumigation have been returned to their country of origin. Now with Crowley’s new HMAP Refrigerated Chamber, these perishable cargoes can be segregated and prepared for fumigation while maintaining refrigerated temperatures.

Crowley’s innovation, which is available to all shippers transporting perishable cargo into South Florida’s Port Everglades, gives shippers using peace of mind without worrying about wasting time and money because the shipment no longer has to be re-exported if highly mobile pests are found and re-arrangement of the cargo is needed.

“Within this chamber, Crowley is able to manipulate or rearrange such cargo to meet the prerequisites for fumigation. This restacking enclosure will avoid re-exportation of products that until now had to be returned to the country of origin as no such facility existed at the port,” said Nelly Yunta, general manager of Crowley’s Customised Brokers subsidiary that specializes in Customs clearance of perishables in the US. “Crowley worked very closely with USDA to make this happen”, she said.