The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) FISH4ACP program is working in close collaboration with MIMRA in support of the Marshall Islands strengthening its position as a tuna hub to create more jobs and income for the local economy.
A key element of this fishery upgrading strategy is to increase containerization of frozen raw tuna for sale to canneries. Reefer containers are an essential part for development of the containerization process. But their maintenance and repair is currently a bottleneck due to the lack of specific technical service in Majuro.
A five-day training program was sponsored by FISH4ACP on the basic functions, maintenance and repairs of reefer containers focusing on local tuna processing plants and service provider personnel in the tuna containerization process.
A total of 12 trainees from Pacific International Inc., Marshall Islands Fishing Venture and Pan Pacific Foods participated in the training last week, and as part of the program, six reefer containers were fixed, said Sergio Bolasina, who is coordinating this program for the FAO.
“In addition to the training, meetings were held with stakeholders in order to establish the main needs of the sector,” he said. “In addition to qualified and registered technicians, it is necessary to have someone responsible for the reception of spare parts and an inventory. Work is being done on this and on the possible continuation of more specialized courses.”
Daniel Allen from RMS Eastern company, based in Australia, was in charge of bringing to locally based technicians the intensive training in the loading and maintenance operations of refrigerated containers. The training helped reefer container operating personnel to better maintain containers, reducing risks of refrigeration failure which would disrupt the cold chain and spoil valuable tuna.
The training consisted of a general introduction of the main parts and function of reefer containers, and practical sessions to resolve the main failures that affect these containers. The training was not only productive for the students: during the first day, two containers that normally had to wait to be returned for servicing were repaired. This avoided losing valuable cargo.
“It is worth highlighting the interest and dedication of the trainees, who really appreciate this type of initiative, as well as the commitment of the companies that are a fundamental part of this strategy,” said Bolasina. “The program will continue to support the tuna value chain, establishing strong ties between the different stakeholders, providing technical support and consolidating the economic, social and environmental sustainability of this fundamental resource in RMI.”