newstodate.aero
Jun 06, 2016 (newstodate): Expectations for Norway's large exports of fresh king crabs remain high - but with seasonal fluctuations.
With the first flight on January 14, 2016, the country's leading exporter, Cape Fish launched own direct flights from Lakselv Banak Airport to Seoul, South Korea, using a chartered TU-204C aircraft from the Russian carrier Aviastar in an operation managed by the Norwegian freight forwarder Air Cargo Logistics and aiming at South Korea, China and Japan as well as a number of rising markets such as India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
Now, all charter flights in June have been suspended as Russia has taken a slice of the market by exporting a similar product at lower price to the same markets in Asia.
-Russia is currently utilizing its assigned quota for king crabs, but this will soon be fully exploited and our charter flights are to commence again from July 2016, says Bjorn Ronald Olsen, Cape Fish CEO.
-So even if there are some fluctuations in the market situation I still expect this year's total volume of king crabs exports to go up to some 8-900 tonnes.
-Alongside the king crabs we are now also slowly developing a new business opportunity - exports of snow crabs. This species is smaller than the king crab and more sensitive requiring close attention and special logistics. Anyhow, while we are now to export probably only some 50 tonnes of snow crabs in 2016, I would expect exports of this species to outweigh the king crabs up to ten-fold in the coming years, aiming at the same markets primarily in Asia, says Mr Olsen.
The king crab export season runs from April till the end of the year. In 2014, the total volume of live king crab exports from Norway was around 600 tonnes, while 2015 saw a slight decline to some 550 tonnes.
With the first flight on January 14, 2016, the country's leading exporter, Cape Fish launched own direct flights from Lakselv Banak Airport to Seoul, South Korea, using a chartered TU-204C aircraft from the Russian carrier Aviastar in an operation managed by the Norwegian freight forwarder Air Cargo Logistics and aiming at South Korea, China and Japan as well as a number of rising markets such as India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
Now, all charter flights in June have been suspended as Russia has taken a slice of the market by exporting a similar product at lower price to the same markets in Asia.
-Russia is currently utilizing its assigned quota for king crabs, but this will soon be fully exploited and our charter flights are to commence again from July 2016, says Bjorn Ronald Olsen, Cape Fish CEO.
-So even if there are some fluctuations in the market situation I still expect this year's total volume of king crabs exports to go up to some 8-900 tonnes.
-Alongside the king crabs we are now also slowly developing a new business opportunity - exports of snow crabs. This species is smaller than the king crab and more sensitive requiring close attention and special logistics. Anyhow, while we are now to export probably only some 50 tonnes of snow crabs in 2016, I would expect exports of this species to outweigh the king crabs up to ten-fold in the coming years, aiming at the same markets primarily in Asia, says Mr Olsen.
The king crab export season runs from April till the end of the year. In 2014, the total volume of live king crab exports from Norway was around 600 tonnes, while 2015 saw a slight decline to some 550 tonnes.