Fish shipment fresh after 33-day sea journey

Global Fresh Foods has sent its first commercial sea shipment of fresh fish to Tokyo from Talcahuano, Chile, using its fuel-cell based oxygen management system.

The shipment of salmon will spend up to 33 days at sea before being sold at Tsukiji Fish market, the world’s largest wholesale fish and seafood market.

GFF’s technology completely removes oxygen from the shipment, which the company says means the fish will arrive at its destination as fresh as the day it was packed. It eliminates the need for ice, polystyrene packaging and air freight.

“We have been working with our partners in Japan to completely transform what is now a largely frozen trade route for Chilean salmon into a market for fresh fish,” said Mark Barnekow, CEO of GFF.

In May 2013, the company successfully freighted more 18,000 kg of fresh salmon from Chile to Long Beach, California, without polystyrene or ice.