Mediterranean Shipping Company has chosen Durban as the location for the world's first designed, built and owned cold storage facility.Photo: Brenton Geach/Getty Images
Global shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) opened the world's first cold storage facility in Durban on Thursday. The company said the R350 million development was part of its “love story” with South Africa and was a demonstration of its confidence in investing in the country.
MSC, the world's largest shipping company based in Geneva, has a history of more than 50 years in this country, dating back to 1971 when its first ship called at the Port of Durban. The current chairman of MSC South Africa, Captain Salvatore Sarno, who later opened the company's local headquarters in the city, was a crew member that day.
Rosario Sarno, commercial director of MSC South Africa and his son, told local and international business and government leaders who attended the opening ceremony of the Medlog cold storage facility that the investment is the latest in a series of investments by MSC valued at R2 billion. He said this is the latest one. The facility, which includes the Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal in the city since 2019, was a demonstration of the company's “love” and commitment to the country.
“Tonight, we not only open the first MSC cold storage facility in Durban and South Africa, but also the first designed, built and owned MSC cold storage facility in the world,” Sarno said.
“As the Springboks taught us, if we all work together as a team, we can be the best in the world. MSC is South Africa's oldest shipping company. Our first ship calls in South Africa The year was 1971, and that was when MSC's history was almost in its infancy, so it's been a very long story, or should I say, love story, between MSC and South Africa. It's a testament to the love we have for,” Sarno said.
“Over the past 50 years, we have invested a lot in offices, warehouses, the Nelson Mandela Passenger Terminal etc., but that is not enough. This is proof that we will continue to invest in this country,” Sarno said.
Our state-of-the-art cold storage facility is located in Chesterville, not far from the N3 and N2 and less than 10km from Durban Port. It can accommodate 10,000 pallets and meets the growing demands of the refrigerated logistics market, including fresh produce exporters such as citrus growers who need to preserve temperature-sensitive products to ensure quality upon delivery. It's designed like that.
Sarno said the company, which is also South Africa's largest local shipping agent, is committed to job creation and has never made any redundancies.
“We're hiring at a time when our competitors are shrinking,” Sarno said. “This building is proof that we will continue to employ people in South Africa and create thousands of jobs…This is a building with the soul of MSC and in the hearts of all our employees. , that makes us a family of smiles, who will always do their best to help. It doesn't matter whether it's COVID-19, social unrest, floods, etc., we will always be there to help you. …This building is a tool to strengthen our partnership with you, the City of Durban and South Africa.”
Captain Sarno said he has spent most of his life in South Africa and considers it his home. He said he was inspired by Nelson Mandela's words: “It doesn't matter how you live your life; what really matters is what you do with your life to improve the lives of others.” Ta.
“I promised him I would never forget his words. With this in mind, MSC has created more than 100,000 jobs around the world, all of which are part of our complex It's related to industry. In South Africa, we started out as a group of about 100 people and now we have about 2,000 employees in offices across the country,” Sarno said.
The company has a fleet of approximately 800 container ships, sailing on 300 routes and calling at 500 ports in 150 countries. After expanding into air cargo and cargo services in December 2022, the company now owns five aircraft.
Mr Sarno said the companies' R2 billion local investment since the COVID-19 pandemic included a passenger terminal, a mineral warehouse in Johannesburg and a cold storage facility in Durban. Additional cold storage facilities in Coega and a new container warehouse in Cape Town are planned in the pipeline.
He explained that in the near future, MSC will trade all its local logistics activities under the name Medlog, a well-known brand in Europe.
Mr Sarno added that the company was delighted that Transnet Group chief executive Michelle Phillips was appointed last week.
“I am confident that under Michel's leadership, our ports and railways will be dramatically improved and all farmers and producers will be able to export fresh fruit around the world without any problems,” he said. Ta.
MSC CEO Soren Toft said he was inspired by the company's growth when he joined the company three years ago.
“I was inspired by the story of this company, the story of growth and passion, and the people who were willing to take great risks,” Toft said. “Everyone at MSC is here to provide the best service and personal service…We strive to be humble servants of the global supply chain.”
“The Rainbow Nation has a very special relationship with MSC because this country is where the shipping industry started and we have invested over R1 billion in infrastructure for new jobs and thousands of We have trained thousands of young people to get jobs and we want to help South Africa achieve its vision of being sustainable, economically prosperous and self-reliant.”
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomsa Dube-Ncube said her government was “very pleased” with the investments made despite difficult global economic conditions.
“The fact that MSC has invested over R350 million in the construction of this cold storage facility is a clear sign that you share our positive outlook for the future of KwaZulu-Natal. We commend MSC for improving its supply chain machinery, building this state-of-the-art cold storage facility and creating many jobs,” said Dube Ncube.
