By Xuefei Chen Axelsson
When I read the following news, I can’t help crying out This is just a good example of Belt and Road Initiativ.
The first salmon train from Arctic Norway to China will soon be ready for departure
A new technology will keep the fish fresh during the 10-day journey from Narvik to Xi’an.By Thomas Nilsen, The Independent Barents Observer -December 19, 2019130Share on FacebookTweet on Twitter
The first cargo train loaded with Norwegian salmon is expected to depart Narvik for China early next year, Jernbanemagasinet reports.
Thanks to new transport technology, the salmon will still be fresh when it arrives in Xi’an about 10 days after leaving Narvik.
Narvik is the northernmost cargo railway station on the coast to the Norwegian Sea, with a line originally built for iron-ore transport from Kiruna in northernmost Sweden.
In Haparanda, on Sweden’s border to Finland, the containers will be transferred over to Finnish wagons, because the two countries have different track width. From Finland the salmon cargo will cross into Russia from Kouvola and then follow the established rail cargo route via St. Petersburg and Moscow into Kazakhstan and eastbound to China, the portal iLaks informs.
The San Francisco-based company BluWrap has developed new transport means to keep the salmon fresh for longer periods than under normal transport where the fish is stored on ice.
The company uses fuel cells to reduce and monitor oxygen during transport. “It’s made from cardboard and use no ice or Styrofoam,” said Ola Strand, CEO of BluWrap interviewed by SalmonBusiness.
BlueWrap says it is by controlling oxygen and temperature salmon are kept fresh over longer periods.
Norway has a strong focus on developing the so-called blue economy, including giving a boost to aquaculture. By 2030, the goal is to increase seafood export to five times the amount today. The new salmon cargo train from Narvik to China opens a new export corridor to reach that goal.
This story is just a good example of Belt and Road Initiative. That is to use new technology or tools to make us connected. The train uses fuel cells to reduce and monitor oxygen during the transport. This is good. This is also climate friendly.
This is just the same idea of Belt and Road Initiativ.