Maersk Opens ‘Largest’ CO₂ Cold Storage Facility in Russia

Maersk, a Danish shipping and logistics giant, has opened a new CO₂ cold storage facility (cold store) in St. Petersburg, Russia, with three storage chambers and the capacity to store 40,000 pallets, equaling 50,000 metric tons of produce.

The Maersk Cold Chain Distribution Centre Sankt Petersburg, which is the largest commercial CO₂ cold storage warehouse in Russia, according to a press release from Maersk, is already receiving chilled products for storage, and the chamber for frozen products will follow shortly. The temperatures in the three chambers will be 13˚C, 6˚C and -25˚C (55.4°F, 42.8°F and -13°F).

The new warehouse was finished after a nine-month construction period, and the first produce to arrive was a shipment of fruit from Argentina.

“The full end-to-end offering will allow our customers to enjoy shorter overall lead time, predictable costs and best in class service,” said Zsolt Katona, Maersk’s Managing Director for Eastern Europe, during the inauguration of the first reefer container at the facility.

Over the coming months, Maersk will also establish customs clearance, veterinary and phytosanitary (plant-disease control) services on site.

Maersk is one of the world’s leading shipping companies, operating in 130 countries and employing around 76,000 people. The company is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.