With the announcement of a new innovative cold storage facility that will be planned for Flatholmen quay in Aalesund, Norway, A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) continues its mission to integrate global end-to-end cold chains. 

The requirements of Norway’s sizeable seafood industry have been meticulously taken into account in the construction of the brand-new facility. Slated to be fully operational by Q1 2024, it is anticipated to become one of the largest cold storage facilities of its kind in the country.

The new facility in Aalesund will be constructed in accordance with BREEAM Excellent sustainable building standards, and it will have zero direct emissions from operations. Such stipulations are in accordance with Maersk’s overall goal to decarbonise its entire operation by the year 2040.

Driving down the supply chain footprint 

It is anticipated that once operational, the facility will assist customers in significantly reducing the climate footprint associated with their entire supply chain.

“It gives us great pleasure to announce the opening of our very first environmentally friendly cold storage facility in Norway,” enthused Birna Odefors, the Area Managing Director for A.P. Moller – Maersk in the Nordic countries. “A significant number of our clients, particularly those operating in the seafood industry, are on the lookout for long-term business partners who are in a position to cut down on their overall climate footprint. The cold store in Aalesund is an additional step forward in our commitment to set a course for zero carbon logistics while simultaneously enabling genuine integrated logistics for our customers. This was made possible by the construction of the cold store,” he advised.


According to Maersk’s emission targets, the company’s global cold chain and contract logistics operations will have to achieve a green certification rate of at least 90 per cent by the year 2030 (scope 1 and 2).

Fully end-to-end cold chain offerings

Once finished, the cutting-edge new facility will feature approximately 12,000 square metres of fully convertible, temperature-controlled space. Customers will be able to take advantage of the facility’s fully integrated cold chain logistics offerings, which include storage, distribution, and inland transportation services, as well as the facility’s capacity to store over 33,000 pallets of cold store products in total.

“By putting this initiative into motion, we are moving forward another step in the direction of enabling true end-to-end cold chain offerings in Norway,” continued Mr Odefors. “Because of the new facility in Aalesund, all of the cargo will be able to be directly stored and consolidated at our cold store at the terminal rather than being consolidated from the smaller cold stores that are located throughout the region. Its location on the quayside means that it will provide easy access to infrastructure for palletized cargo coming from the North and will limit the amount of traffic that currently exists between cold stores and the terminal. All of this will lead to lower operational costs for everyone involved and will improve our customers’ cashflow,” he advised.

Servicing an important hub for the Nordic fishing industry 

Maersk has been active in the region of Aalesund for a number of years now. Aalesund is the most important hub for fish coming from the northern part of Norway and is also the largest receiver of wild catch in Norway.

The new facility will function as a seamless supply chain link for customers when transporting frozen and refrigerated products. This will be accomplished by linking Aalesund’s strategic location with easy access to national road networks and proximity with shipping ports. This will enable the facility to reach major container hubs in Europe with relative ease – and from there to the rest of the world.

Another significant achievement for the growth of the Port of Aalesund, the signing of the agreement with Maersk to construct a cold storage facility that is state-of-the-art and emits low levels of greenhouse gases marks a significant step forward in the on-going partnership.

“We are thrilled and honoured to be in a position to make a significant improvement to the Aalesund area, and it fills us with excitement,” remarked Ole Christian Fiskaa, Director of Port Operations for the Port of Aalesund. “This agreement strengthens Maersk’s long-term relationship in Aalesund, and we are confident that it will attract even more commercial activity to our region.”

Norway is one of the largest seafood exporters in the world and the country with the highest production of Atlantic salmon in the world. The sector of aquaculture in Norway has grown significantly over the past few decades to become one of the most significant economic sectors in the country. The value of Norway’s fish exports, which currently accounts for US$11.90 billion, is expected to increase five-fold by the year 2050 (from a 2010 baseline).