Port Everglades puts new tarpless fumigation system to work
Florida’s Port Everglades has successfully deployed a new tarpless fumigation system to eliminate insects from fruits and vegetables that are imported through Broward County’s foreign trade zone No. 25.
The portable container door (PCD) attaches directly to the cargo container carrying the produce so that there is “little seepage of refrigerated air or the gas used to fumigate microscopic-sized non-indigenous pests,” said Port Everglades in a statement.
Traditionally, produce is fumigated by wrapping a tarp around the container and opening the container to inject the pest fumigation gas.
The PCD, which is patent-pending, was developed by International Warehouse Services and has been approved for use by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“The benefit to the shipper is that the PCD is a faster fumigation method that takes up less space so more containers can be fumigated at the same time,” the port said. “The benefit to the consumer is that there is no change in temperature because the container remains closed so the fruits and vegetables stay fresher and have a longer shelf life.”
The PCD includes an air-tight seal, which replaces the normal container door during the fumigation process.
Port Everglades is the only location where the PCD is available. About 15 containers can be fumigated at the same time and that number is expected to double within the next five years as space becomes available, the port said.