Danish transportation giant Maersk Container Industry (MCI) is to invest US$170 million in building Latin America's first refrigerated container manufacturing plant.

The factory will be based at Chile's San Antonio port, Valparaíso region, and will make 40,000 refrigerated containers, known as reefers, and 30,000 fridges a year.

MCI chief executive Peter Nymand, said Chile was chosen due to world trade growth prospects in the South American Pacific.

"The new factory will produce Maersk's high-tech reefers in a part of the world where exporters have problems gaining access to reefers," he said.

The factory will create 1,800 jobs and start production in 2013.

It will complement another plant currently operating in China's Qingdao port; MCI also has operations in the Chinese ports of Dongguan and Huidong.

Parent company Moller-Maersk Group operates in 130 countries and employs more than 100,000 employees.

In April, the firm won the contract to operate the North Terminal of Callao, north of Lima.

Maersk is one of the companies listed on the market as a potential strategic partner of the South American Steamship Company, co-controlled by the Luksic Group and Claro.

Photo: MCI

www.freshfruitportal.com