August 1, 2024

Thai Union expands storage capacity for Atlantic tuna with new facility in Tema, Ghana

Thai Union has opened a cold storage facility in Tema, Ghana, to expand storage capacity to 8,000 metric tons at its Pioneer Food Cannery (PFC) processing facility.

Thai Union said the new facility, located near its manufacturing plant, will help ensure it will have year-round temperature-controlled storage for Atlantic tuna. The facility also represents a US$14 million investment in the company's Ghana operations.

"Our PFC factory plays a vital role for our brands across Europe and the US," Thai Union Group President and chief executive officer Thiraphong Chansiri said in a release. "This investment will further improve our supply security and competitiveness serving our customers."

Chansiri said the new investment inches the company closer toward delivering the goals outlined in its SeaChange 2030 plan.

The cold storage facility tackles multiple objectives in the SeaChange 2030 plan, including lowering emissions via the installation of solar panels, implementing measures to minimise waste going into landfills, reducing water discharge, and reducing food loss, Chansiri said.

Notably, the facility replaces Thai Union's previous storage strategy at the PFC facility in Ghana, which entailed using rented cold storage spaces that it said were "scattered across the city." The new Tema facility will centralise the facility's cold storage needs, reducing the need for transportation.

"Thanks to our new cold store, we will cut traffic and CO2 emissions while ensuring we can produce throughout the year and independent of fluctuating fish supply," said PFC plant director Johnny Ladouce. "We are committed to Ghana and the communities we operate in by providing both direct and indirect jobs here in Tema."

Thai Union acquired the PFC facility in 2010, and it is now the company's second-largest factory in Africa.

- SeafoodSource