Up the Supply Chain BY SARAH SAMPSON SEA SHIPPING STEPS UP


> A shipment of chrysanthemums can travel 42 days by sea from Kenya to the United Kingdom and still have a good vase life. Roses will last four weeks from when they are harvested in Colombia and shipped by sea to Miami and keep a 10-day (or longer) vase life. Alstroemeria also flourishes after a four-week trip by boat. The success of these flowers’ jour-


neys is thanks to scientific discoveries that include breeding disease-resistant varieties, a better understanding of the cold chain, new rehydration techniques and improvements in sanitation and water quality. “Sea shipping into the U.S. is very


realistic and is being done very suc- cessfully,” says Terril A. Nell, Ph.D., AAF, research director for the American Floral Endowment. “It’s increasing dramatically.” In fact, the number of TEUs (20-foot


equivalent units) of flowers imported by sea to PortMiami increased from 2018 to 2022 by a whopping 1,044 percent, according to the port.


10,000 Containers and Growing On Feb. 3, Flores El Capiro, a Colombian farm known for its chrysanthemums, sent its ten thousandth container of flowers by sea. The company cele-


brated the feat with a party — and a bit of art. The container, which traveled from the farm in La Ceja, Antioquia, through the port in Santa Marta to a port in Rotterdam, Netherlands, was decked out with urban art graffiti for the journey, says Valeria Plazas, a Capiro spokesperson. “This was a huge event in Colombia


and floriculture,” Plazas says. “No one in flowers had reached that number of 10,000 containers by sea before.” Capiro began investing in sea ship-


ping in 2008, when 87 percent of its shipments were by air; last year, 88 percent of shipments were by sea, Plazas says. From its logistics room, the company tracks where each container is around the globe using a real-time map, and can spot delays or problems ahead of time, allowing them to respond quickly and effectively, she says. The steady and rapid growth has


supported the farm’s sustainability efforts as well, reducing its carbon dioxide emissions, Plazas says. “We’ve figured out that each con-


tainer saves 57 tons of CO2,” she says, noting that is equivalent to growing six mature trees. “We also see it as less expensive to transport via sea freight. It is better for the environment and for business and you get the same quality of flower.”


Finding Solutions Perfecting the cold chain was key to being able to ship by sea, Plazas says. Capiro has also devoted a lot of time to looking at everything from soil treatment to harvesting and rehydration proce- dures, which has enabled the company to standardize sea freight. They are far from alone in testing this


part of the supply chain. FloraLife, a divi- sion of Smithers-Oasis, has developed pages of scientifically backed step- by-step procedures for how farms can ready cut flowers for ocean transport, says Steve Daum, director of Superflor Technologies at FloraLife. “Our express technology for rehy-


dration has become the standard that people are using,” Daum says, noting that a key factor is being able to rehy- drate without having to cut the stem. Solutions are still being discovered.


While alstroemeria, carnations, chry- santhemums and roses travel well by sea, other varieties and mixed bouquets require more experimentation. That’s because the respiration rates


of different varieties and species vary dramatically, Nell says. Sorting out the breeding and growing conditions are among the next big steps needed to move sea shipping forward, he says.


Educating the Industry Education is another key element that is needed to continue to drive sea shipping, Daum says, because some in the indus- try are still skeptical that flowers shipped by sea will last in the vase. Capiro addresses that worry by


sending samples to demonstrate the quality of the flower, Plazas says. Daum suggests wholesalers conduct third-party testing to become more com- fortable buying flowers shipped by sea, because that mode of transportation will continue to be utilized. “I don’t see sea freight replacing air


freight, but I think it will run congruent with it,” he says.


Sarah Sampson is a contributing writer for Floral Management.


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FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2023 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


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