Dubai & FloatPac Unite on Live Fish Shipments

Successful live fish shipments between Scotland and Dubai have heralded a new era of food transportation for the Emirate.

The movement of the fish has been facilitated by FloatPac, as they utilize their new technology FishPac, which keeps fish alive and well throughout a 24-hour journey.

FloatPac said in a statement: “There is no better way to ship live aquatic animals than via our air freight oxygen delivery system and, thanks to our ongoing work with a range of species, we’re expecting lots more runs on the board in the months to come.

“Now that we’ve completed the stocking of a large re-circulation aquaculture farm in Dubai with fingerlings, we’re ready for the next phase of growth within this exciting area of the business.”

The process, which saw a total of 38,500 fish successfully transported in 42 bin movements over a five month period, included a five-hour road journey to Glasgow airport, 7.5 hour flight to Dubai and customs clearance – culminating in a transit period of, on average, 20-26 hours.

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Based on these trials, initial shipments were undertaken at 70kg per m³ per bin, however further shipments were undertaken at the lower density of around 55kg per m³ per bin once conclusions were made on the initial shipments.

The patented FishPac live air transport system was created as an alternative to outdated water filled plastic bags packed in Styrofoam boxes and air pump systems.

These traditional methods of aquatic transport were not only labour intensive, they were environmentally toxic and yielded high mortality rates amongst the aquatic cargo.

Conversely, FishPac’s innovative in-container oxygen system reduces fish stress levels and lowers mortality rates from more than 50% to less than 1% per payload.

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