Cool Cargo News

Shippers and carriers alike are waiting to see how much new hours of service regulations will affect refrigerated trucking and the timing of food deliveries to restaurants, grocery stores and distribution centers. The new rules apply to all truck drivers, regardless of the type of equipment, but some believe the cold chain might take a bigger hit to productivity than other sectors.

Marten Transport today reported its net income in the second quarter of 2013 was $7.7 million, inching up 1.1 percent from $7.6 million in the second quarter of 2012.

Duff Brothers Capital has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Frozen Food Express Industries, a temperature-controlled truckload and less-than-truckload carrier in the U.S., for $38.2 million.

DB Schenker has opened a new logistics center in South Korea to provide health care and pharmaceutical supply chain services.

Officials from Port of Hueneme in California and Ports America have formally christened the stevedoring company’s new Liebherr LHM 420 Litronic mobile harbor crane.

Norbert Dentressangle has entered into a 50-50 joint venture with the Danone Group to offer temperature-controlled logistics services for fresh products across Russia.

Westwood Shipping Lines has entered the refrigerated container cargo market with the launch of its new fortnightly reefer service connecting the U.S. Pacific Northwest...

UPS has launched UPS Proactive Response Secure, a time- and temperature-sensitive shipment monitoring and risk management solution to protect customers against lost profits.

Sea Star Line has taken delivery of 150 new 40-foot refrigerated containers in the second year of a five-year equipment replacement plan.

Following an outbreak of the avian influenza during the second half of 2012 and its continued spread in 2013, the Mexican poultry market has suffered a “considerable loss” in production, according to the U.S. Grains Council.

Some agriculture shippers say they'd consider paying slightly higher rates if container lines could provide better reliability and service.

DHL Global Forwarding has launched DHL Thermonet, a new air freight product tailored to the life sciences and health care sector.

Americold has appointed Todd Sheldon as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary.

Suddath Global Logistics, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based warehousing and logistics management company, has acquired PenserSC, a third-party logistics provider.

Cucumber exports from Mexico’s Yucatán state reached a record high this past season, according to Grup Marítim TCB.

Yourway Transport will expand its biopharmaceutical services in Lehigh Valley, Pa., according to Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Corbett.

Cryoport reported a net loss of $6.4 million in fiscal year 2013, ending March 31, 2013, improving from a net loss of $7.8 million in fiscal year 2012, ending March 31, 2012.

Brookfield Asset Management, through its private equity group, has acquired the stock of Millard Refrigerated Services – Canada.

The European Commission has approved a proposed joint venture between OJSC Unimilk Company of Russia, part of Danone Group, and NDL International, part of Norbert Dentressangle Group, both of France.

Lineage Logistics, the world’s second-largest cold storage company, has added another space to its portfolio, acquiring the real estate and assets of a facility in University Park, Ill. Financial terms of the transaction weren not disclosed.

Dole has suspended a previously announced $200 million share buyback program in order to mitigate losses from its strawberry business and revamp its fleet of container ships, Fox Business reports.

Maersk Line is rolling out a new system designed to speed up and simplify containerized food product shipments.

Americold has appointed Jeff Hogarth as senior vice president of Asia-Pacific.

The global market for road transportation refrigeration equipment is expected to be worth $8.8 billion by 2018, driven by technology innovations in energy efficiency refrigeration and the increasing consumption of frozen and chilled foods.

The recession might finally be over for the refrigerated warehouse industry. Operators in the U.S. and Canada expect revenue to grow more than 4 percent in 2013, according to a recent survey by the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses.

DB Schenker Logistics in Finland has been selected by Oy Roberts Ab, a Finnish food production company, for the storage and distribution of its food products.

Container carriers began the year with seemingly unshakeable resolve to increase rates on refrigerated cargoes, saying the prices were far below what carriers need to earn a return on their sizable investments. Now rates seem to be in a freefall.

After handwringing, a major lobbying effort and consternation on the Hill, Congress passed $55 million in new funds to allow U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors to stay on the job. And Southern California’s Port Hueneme got one of the rare budget reprieves that allowed the produce and auto port to continue normal operations.

Operators in the perishables sector of the global air cargo market are seeing gains while volume in other sectors has declined.

Cold Train is expanding its express refrigerated intermodal service from Portland, Ore., to complement its existing expedited service out of Quincy, Wash.

Lineage Logistics has begun operation of two cold storage facilities in Arlington and Murfreesboro, Tenn., on behalf of Rich Products.

EuroFruitPorts, the refrigerated fruit terminal that recently opened in Belgium’s Port of Antwerp, has opened its cold storage facilities.

Marten Transport reported its profit in the first quarter of 2013 was $7.2 million, a jump of 32.2 percent compared with $5.4 million in the first quarter of 2012 and the 12th consecutive year-over-year increase in quarterly net income.

Australian meat exporters are set to benefit from China’s decision this week to authorize 28 cold store facilities and four red meat plants in the nation, as the first step in a system-wide approach to approval of meat storage facilities...

Lineage Logistics has acquired the assets of Seattle Cold Storage and its facilities located in the Port of Tacoma and Algona, Wash. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

PTA Holdings, through its subsidiary Nortford, has begun serving the produce industry by transporting perishable food products from southern U.S. markets into various locations in the Midwest.

The attempt to privatize the Port of Wilmington, Del., has foundered on the rocks of local port business and labor opposition.

The volatile U.S. refrigerated freight trade will make a comeback in 2013 after declining in 2012, “a modest comeback but still a comeback,” Journal of Commerce Economist Mario O. Moreno told the 13th annual TPM Conference.