Zespri says its recent first shipment of kiwifruit to Shanghai on a vessel powered by a low-emissions biofuel was an “exciting step forward”.
The Kowhai was Zespri’s first charter shipment for the Greater China region for the 2025/26 season.
It departed Tauranga in mid-March and arrived at Nangang Port on March 26.
The Kowhai continues the trial work Zespri and Fresh Carriers Co. Ltd (FCC) are undertaking, following a technical performance trial undertaken last year.
With biofuel not available in New Zealand, the vessel bunkered the biofuel in Hong Kong before sailing south to Tauranga, where it was loaded with 1.2 million trays, or around 5400 tonnes, of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit, as well as 16 containers of Zespri RubyRed Kiwifruit for customers in Greater China.
On its journey north, the Kowhai was powered by a blend of biofuel made from used cooking oil.
Along with FCC, the successful biofuel charter has been made possible with support from PFS Cold Chain Logistics Co. Ltd, and VX Cold Chain Logistics, Zespri’s logistics partners in China.
Zespri chief executive Jason Te Brake said it was an exciting step forward to take Zespri kiwifruit to market for the first time on a charter powered by biofuel with long-term shipping partner FCC.
“Shipping has the largest carbon impact across our supply chain, making up more than 40% of Zespri’s emissions for fruit sold globally.
“With Zespri delivering fruit to more than 50 markets around the world each year, we’re focused on efficiency measures as well as collaborating with shipping partners such as FCC to trial low-emissions solutions.
“This will help us reduce our carbon impact per tray of fruit.”
FCC’s president and chief operating officer, Toshiyuki Kog,a said, “FCC is committed to reducing emissions in order to assist Zespri meet their carbon reduction ambitions and make progress towards our own International Maritime Organisation (IMO) aligned goals.
“This is being achieved by the building of new ships, dedicated to the New Zealand kiwifruit trade.
“These ships incorporate the latest engine technology, which provides significant fuel savings and are able to run on biofuel to further reduce carbon emissions.
The Kowhai in Shanghai.
“This voyage is the first commercial shipment of Zespri kiwifruit using modern engines burning biofuel for the entire voyage from Tauranga to Shanghai.”
Te Brake said the arrival in China of the biofuel-powered Kowhai also signalled the start of Zespri’s sales season in one of its largest markets.
“China is an important market for us, and we’re delighted to see the arrival of the first of the New Zealand crop for customers and consumers in China, while also working with our partners to learn more about decarbonising our shipping.
“It’s all part of understanding what we need to do on the ground so we can scale this in the future as low-emissions fuels become a viable option for New Zealand shipping.
“It’s been great to work with our long-term partners to make this biofuel sailing happen, and as we continue to look to undertake further low emissions work, we look forward to seeing investment in both low emissions fuels and supporting infrastructure and regulations that will enable us to continue on this path.”
