In the world of luxury cruising, delivering top-tier experiences begins with exceptional cuisine. MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys, renowned for their commitment to quality, have taken an innovative leap to ensure the freshest ingredients reach their ships—no matter where in the world they are sourced. How? By teaming up with their sister company, MSC, the global leader in container shipping, to deploy cutting-edge smart containers.
These aren’t just any containers; they’re equipped with internet-connected devices that gather real-time data on position, temperature, and humidity. Monitored 24/7 from a centralized Customer Service Centre in Antwerp, Belgium, these smart containers ensure that every step of the journey is under watchful eyes.
Imagine a truck transporting delicate seafood or dairy products from a warehouse in Genoa. Suddenly, a spike in temperature threatens the integrity of the cargo. In the traditional supply chain, this might result in costly waste and a scramble to find replacements. But with smart containers, an alert is immediately sent to the supplier, allowing them to address the issue while the goods are still en route. This proactive approach not only saves time and money but also guarantees that the ingredients arrive in peak condition.
The introduction of these smart containers has proven particularly beneficial for chilled and frozen goods like meat, seafood, and dairy. MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys, which source an impressive 96% of their food locally, now have an extra layer of security when local products are unavailable. Goods transported from warehouses around the globe arrive fresh and ready to delight guests.
Take, for example, the northern Italian warehouse in Genoa. Last year, MSC Cruises utilized these smart containers and saw a marked improvement in quality assurance compared to 2022 when traditional transport methods were still in use. The scale of this operation is nothing short of impressive. MSC Cruises’ fleet of 22 ships is stocked annually with an astonishing array of 5,500 different food and beverage items. This includes 32 million eggs, 6 million liters of milk, 170,000 oysters, 2 million tomatoes, 900,000 kilograms of apples, and 800,000 kilograms of lemons. Each ship carries, on average, 22,500 kilograms of fresh fruit, 20,000 kilograms of fresh vegetables, and 5,400 kilograms of fish during a single 7-night voyage.
Paolo Raia, Managing Director of MSC Procurement & Logistics, highlights the impact of this technological advancement: “The use of smart containers has made a significant positive impact on the supply of food, especially in markets where it is a challenge to source and acquire all of the products locally. For example, for our ships in the Middle East, local production is limited, and some goods can take several weeks traveling from the warehouse to the vessel.
“Another major advantage with smart containers is that in real-time we can constantly monitor the humidity and temperature of the goods being transported and change the parameters in transit, if required, to deliver with absolute confidence the freshest and finest food for our guests.”
With the seamless integration of smart containers into their logistics network, MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys are setting a new standard for culinary excellence at sea. Whether it’s the freshest seafood from a distant shore or a shipment of ripe tomatoes from a local market, guests can rest assured that every meal onboard is a true taste of quality.
Main Image: MSC Cruises
The post MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys are Revolutionizing Food Delivery with Smart Containers appeared first on EntertainmentSA News South Africa.
Post a Comment