MIAMI: February 03, 2017: Miami International Airport (MIA) saw its first ocean-to-air perishables transshipment this week as nearly 10 tons of peas from Guatemala, which arrived aboard a Crowley Maritime vessel at Port Everglades on January 30, was trucked to MIA for a flight to Amsterdam on Centurion Cargo.

Miami-based Customized Brokers, a subsidiary of Crowley, partnered with MIA to win approval last year from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to expedite the processing of ocean-air transshipments via MIA.

The new service is expected to save shippers time and money as they avoid paying CBP duties on the perishable transshipments, according to an airport spokesman.

"The new program exemplifies Crowley's ability to grow trade of perishables from Central America to Florida ports thanks to our knowledge of shipping requirements, clearance protocols and efficient handling," said Nelly Yunta, Crowley vice president.

Crowley's brokerage subsidiary can now coordinate perishable shipments from Latin America via Port Everglades to MIA for onward distribution by air to markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

"We greatly appreciate our cargo and federal agency partners for collaborating with us in this exciting new chapter of MIA's growth," said Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) director Emilio González. "We continue to explore innovative concepts like the ocean-to-air program, which have immense potential to generate new revenue and business ties around the world."

Pictured left to right: Kimberly Wakeman, vice president, Customized Brokers; Nelly Yunta, Vice president, Crowley; Edgar Baldizon, commercial director, Linea Vegetal Tecpan SA; Joseph Napoli, MDAD chief of staff; Patricia Millon, Centurion Cargo vice president, Perishable Goods & Imports; and Ernesto Rodriguez, MDAD Marketing Division chief.