MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys have linked up with sister company MSC, a world leader in container shipping, to use smart containers guaranteeing the freshest produce is loaded onto cruise ships from warehouses.

Each smart container is fitted with internet-connected devices to collect data such as position, temperature and humidity, and monitored remotely around the clock from a centralised customer service centre in Antwerp, Belgium.

Paolo Raia, Managing Director of MSC Procurement & Logistics, said: “The use of smart containers has made a significantly positive impact on the supply of food, especially in markets where it is a challenge to source and acquire all of the products locally. For example, for our ships in the Middle East, local production is limited and some goods can take several weeks travelling from the warehouse to the vessel.”

A problem in transit during the transportation of goods by road or sea triggers an alert to the supplier, which can be resolved en route to ensure foods that depend on the environment for freshness are delivered without costly replacement.

The smart containers are particularly beneficial for chilled and frozen goods such as meat, seafood and dairy produce.

MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys both source most food locally. When products are not available, goods are taken to ships from warehouses around the world.

Last year, from the northern Italian warehouse in Genoa, MSC Cruises used smart containers, which improved quality assurance compared to 2022 when the line used traditional food transportation by road and sea.

“Another major advantage with smart containers is that, in real time, we can constantly monitor the humidity and temperature of the goods being transported and change the parameters in transit, if required, to deliver with absolute confidence the freshest and finest food for our guests,” Raia added.

The scale of the food delivery operation is considerable. Every year, the MSC Cruises fleet of 22 ships is stocked with 5 500 different food and beverage items including 32 million eggs, six million litres of milk, 170 000 oysters, two million tomatoes, 900 000kg of apples and 800 000kg of lemons.

Each MSC Cruises ship carries, on average, 22 500kg of fresh fruit, 20 000kg of fresh vegetables and 5 400kg of fish during a seven-night voyage.