Bumble Bee CEO: Canned tuna supply shock is reshaping our supply chain
 Read more

Three offshore engineers for canned tuna giant Starkist were granted special entry permits to the American Samoa in the wake of strict coronavirus-related travel restrictions to repair part of its factory as it looks at ways to maximize production, RNZ reported.

The three engineers landed at Pago Pago International Airport on April 19. The private jet directly departed after dropping off the Starkist engineers.

As a condition to be allowed travel, the three engineers were tested prior to departure, according to Iulogologo Joseph Pereira, chairman of the territory's Coronavirus Task Force.

Many seafood companies are currently looking at ways to optimize production in line with increased retail demand.

While companies don’t want to appear to be capitalizing on the global pandemic, many, particularly major branded producers, are seeing a surge in new customers and are looking for the best ways to retain these new consumers during and after the pandemic subsides.

US shelf-stable seafood supplier Bumble Bee Seafoods, Starkist and frozen seafood company Gorton’s are three such companies navigating the uncharted waters of marketing themselves in the wake of an unprecedented surge in consumer demand for their products over the past month.