More than 24,000 tonnes of fruit transferred out of port of Nansha this week
China has begun the process of destroying the 1,300 containers of Chilean cherries left in poor condition when Maersk ship, Saltoro, was stranded in the Pacific for more than 20 days.
At the beginning of March, China announced it had rejected the entire Saltoro cargo which carried more than 24,000 tonnes of fruit valued at more than US$120mn.
La República reported that China had started moving the cargo out of the port of Nansha on 12 March to begin the destruction process. The transfer is expected to take several days.
The publication said the elimination would be carried out by eight companies specialising in the destruction of perishable products.
Before final disposal, the containers will be inspected by insurance representatives and Chilean exporting companies. Marine insurance experts told La República the claims process could take between three and six months to finalise.
