Miami International Airport (MIA) is expecting to handle its first ocean-to-air transhipments by the end of this year after its permit was approved by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
It says the ocean-to-air pilot program will save cargo shippers time and money, who will receive expedited air transport for perishable products and will not be required to pay Customs and Border Protection (CBP) duties.
MIA partnered with Crowley Maritime subsidiary Customized Brokers to gain approval allowing the logistics company to coordinate ocean shipments of perishable products from Latin America to PortMiami or Port Everglades and then transport them to MIA, where they will depart by air via KLM Cargo or Centurion Cargo to foreign destinations in Europe and Asia. The CBP has granted approval for expedited processing of ocean shipments before departing by air.
Miami-Dade Aviation director, Emilio Gonzalez says: “Cargo shippers now have an additional, expedited channel for transporting perishables through the U.S., which incentivises them to do more business at MIA and PortMiami – two of our state’s strongest economic engines. The pilot programme also continues our efforts to grow cargo at MIA through outside-the-box initiatives.”
Customized Brokers vice president, Kimberly Wakeman adds: “This pilot program follows wins that we’ve had in securing additional entry points in South Florida, South Carolina and Savannah for certain perishables entering the U.S. from Central and South America. This further expands the distribution of fresh produce into supermarkets across the globe.”
