Bluefin tuna lives in the Mediterranean sea but is consumed almost entirely in one single country: Japan. Data shows that 80 per cent of Mediterranean bluefin tuna is exported to Japan for use in sushi and sashimi. However, shipping tuna long-distance is no simple matter.
Bluefin tuna has been overfished for decades and to preserve stocks, strict regulations are in place. Japan has firm rules prohibiting illegal, unreported and unregulated fish from entering the country.
In the Mediterranean, no tuna weighing less than 30kg can be fished or captured to be farmed. During the fishing season, which spans from May 26 to June 24, tuna is captured to be transported into big cages where the farming process begins. After three to six months, the fish is ready to be harvested, weighing up to 300kg each by autumn. This is the season when representatives of Japanese buyers go the Maltese farms to inspect if the tuna is ready to begin its journey to Japan.
This is also when Maersk Line becomes involved with its state-of-the-art super freezer containers and staff competences to make sure the cargo moves from farm to shelf in perfect condition.
Super reefer technology allows transportation at temperatures below 60 degrees, which preserves the quality of the fish. To be loaded on board, super reefers follow strict and careful procedures which require spare part kits to be always on board and the lowest possible transhipments.
Maersk Line’s dedicated terminal team, run by Maltese agent Thomas Smith, monitors and assists the loading operation 24/7 and ensures that everything goes smoothly.
Upon arrival in Japan, the cargo is transferred to the owner’s storage area, ready to be sold at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. This market handles more than 400 different types of seafood, ranging from cheap seaweed to the most expensive caviar, and from tiny sardines to huge tuna.
In specifically licensed auction houses, buyers inspect the fishes and make their bids. They are typically intermediate wholesalers with marketplace stalls or agents for restaurants, food processing companies, and large retailers.
Once the auction is over, the purchased fish is either loaded onto trucks to be shipped to the next destination or on small carts and moved to the many shops inside the market. There, the shop owners cut and prepare the products for retail. From the first capture in the Mediterranean, the fish has ended its long adventure and is ready to be turned into delicious food.
The tuna business is one of the most profitable commodities in the container business and a niche market for Maersk Line.