Identifying temperature deviations in the hake cold chain from Namibia to Spain

Background: Research shows that significant volumes of fresh fish produced globally are wasted because of failures in the cold chain. As fresh hake is extremely temperature sensitive, fluctuations in temperature will influence the quality and the shelf life, resulting in losses in revenue. Objective: The main objective of the research was to detect deviations in temperature along the fresh hake export cold chain from Namibia to Spain. Method: This article presents a case study on a company that exports fresh hake from Walvis Bay, Namibia to a large supermarket chain in Spain, Europe. Results: This article confirms that temperature breaches and breaks occur and are sometimes unavoidable. However, if the avoidable temperature deviations could be resolved, it would improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of the export cold chain. The results indicate that temperature breaches and breaks mainly occur along the export cold chain when the product is at the airport during transfer flights either at Hosea Kutako Airport near Windhoek or Frankfurt Airport in Germany or in the refrigerated truck during the inland transport leg either from Walvis Bay, Namibia or Frankfurt, Germany to Zaragoza, Spain. Conclusion: This article makes recommendations to assist in solving identified problems and streamlining the fresh hake export cold chain. The research benefits the Namibian fishing industry as the export of fresh fish is both a precarious and taxing venture. As relevant research is lacking in Namibia, this article will contribute to the management of an efficient and effective export cold chain. Contribution: This research adds to the current knowledge of maintaining the export cold chain of fresh fish from developing countries. Preventing temperature deviations in the fresh hake export cold chain would extend the shelf life and help to maintain the quality of the fresh product and in so doing improve the competitiveness of developing countries in the global trade of fresh fish.