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Cool Cargoes

News and analysis of refrigerated (reefer) cargo transportation, rates, capacity, technology, equipment, lessors, providers

The latest Cool Cargoes News & Analysis

Increased vessel capacity, reliability key to 2023 reefer rebound

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Feb 8, 2023, 12:30 PM EST

Refrigerated container trade was muted in 2022 due to high costs and poor service, but ocean carriers appear keen to serve those markets in 2023 now that dry cargo rates have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Cool CargoesContainer shippingNorth American ports

New IMO rules force global reefer fleet to confront uncertain future

Richard Bright, JOC analyst | Feb 3, 2023, 8:00 AM EST

The specialized reefer fleet has proven to be remarkably resilient in the face of various challenges, but now it must deal with the latest threat in the form of new IMO environmental regulations.
MaritimeCool Cargoes

Savannah aims for more cold-chain cargo with new reefer racks

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Jan 31, 2023, 1:29 PM EST

The Port of Savannah says plans for additional reefer rack capacity will add to its market share for cold chain imports coming into the US Southeast and Gulf Coast.
North American portsContainer shippingCool Cargoes

Commodity, semiconductor crunch threatens reefer capacity 

Gregory W. Tuthill, chief commercial officer, SeaCube Containers | Apr 6, 2022, 7:00 AM EDT

The strong likelihood of continued growth in the reefer trade creates questions about supply meeting demand given recent world events and the potential upstream production dependencies linked to raw material sourcing.
Cool Cargoes

Lineage buys cold storage near East, Gulf coast ports

Michael Angell, Associate Editor | Mar 9, 2022, 5:23 PM EST

Lineage Logistics is acquiring MTC Logistics, a cold storage operator with warehouses at the ports of Baltimore, Wilmington, Delaware, and Mobile.
Cool CargoesIndustrial real estate

New funding, acquisition signal growing digital forwarder competition

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor | Aug 9, 2021, 9:43 AM EDT

Shypple has acquired a perishables competitor that it says will expand its geographic presence in Latin America and Asia, while giving it a leg up on other digital forwarders.
Logistics technologyCool Cargoes

New devices, increased interoperability drive reefer tracking improvements

Lara L. Sowinski, Cool Cargoes editor | Mar 12, 2021, 9:34 AM EST

Shippers are increasingly able to gain visibility into in-transit freight, even for time- and/or temperature--sensitive cargo being carried in specialized refrigerated containers, courtesy of new technology.
Cool Cargoes

Reefer shippers facing higher rates, equipment constraints beyond 2021

Lara L. Sowinski, Cool Cargoes editor | Mar 5, 2021, 11:03 AM EST

Sustained strong import volumes from Asia and tight capacity have forced perishable food importers and exporters to compete with dry goods shippers for space and equipment.
Cool Cargoes

COVID-19 testing delays Chinese imports of US perishables

Lara L. Sowinski | Feb 23, 2021, 1:44 PM EST

US seafood exporters are among the hardest hit by stricter COVID-19 testing requirements in China that some shippers have decried as non-tariff trade barriers.
Cool Cargoes

Vaccine demand to stress but not soak up capacity, say transport executives

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor, and Cathy Morrow Roberson, Senior Contributor | Dec 18, 2020, 5:35 PM EST

There’s debate about how much of a knock-on effect COVID-19 vaccine distribution could have on other types of cargoes, but US shippers are cautioned to plan for some disruption.
Cool CargoesTruckingAir CargoAir cargo carriers

Reefer market resiliency defies broader COVID-19 impact

Lara L. Sowinski, Cool Cargoes editor | Nov 17, 2020, 11:43 AM EST

The pandemic has increased food insecurity in many countries, while some buyers ordering more inventory to hedge against potential supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks.
Cool Cargoes

Indian cold chain players gear up for COVID-19 vaccine challenges

Bency Mathew, Special India Correspondent | Oct 29, 2020, 12:03 PM EDT

Sensing potential scalability factors, a handful of Indian domestic cold chain solutions providers have already trained their sights on what could be a tough, but lucrative, market for them.
Cool Cargoes

Foodservice, cold storage sectors find new opportunities during pandemic

Lara L. Sowinski | Sep 22, 2020, 9:38 AM EDT

While much of the wholesale and institutional food business remains depressed, foodservice distributors are finding new opportunities to add value to the food supply chain, such as helping restaurant customers open pop-up shops and online marketplaces.
Cool Cargoes

COVID-19 forces shippers, service providers to redesign food supply chains

Lara L. Sowinski | Sep 21, 2020, 12:55 PM EDT

Food logistics providers increasing their offerings in the "new" last-mile — from restaurants and grocery stores to consumers' homes — as demand for online grocery shopping and direct-to-consumer food delivery skyrockets due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cool Cargoes

COVID-19 pain to reefer supply chain lingers after shock

Lara L. Sowinski | Jun 24, 2020, 11:10 AM EDT

The turmoil unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic has barely subsided, evidenced by numerous reports of service failures that continue to come in from stakeholders throughout the food supply chain.
Cool Cargoes

Food shippers maximize opportunities in US, Asia

Lara L. Sowinski | Jun 22, 2020, 3:09 PM EDT

While food service and the retail grocery sectors adapt to new pandemic-linked realities, consumers’ food preferences remain unchanged.
Cool Cargoes

Mitigation key as coronavirus container dislocation timeline lengthens

Gregory Tuthill, chief commercial officer, SeaCube Containers | Feb 27, 2020, 8:02 AM EST

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak will distort container flows and global equipment fleet balance for at least another 90 to 120 days, according to Gregory Tuthill, chief commercial officer at SeaCube Containers.
Container linesCool Cargoes

China looks to jump start post-coronavirus reefer shipments

Lara L. Sowinski | Feb 24, 2020, 1:22 PM EST

The Chinese government says it will take “strong measures” to ensure supply chain fluidity for refrigerated (reefer) food products, but US exporters must wait for factories to reopen and ships to begin leaving China again.
Container linesCool Cargoes

Perishables shippers report improving container service

Lara L. Sowinski | Feb 14, 2020, 6:07 PM EST

US refrigerated (reefer) shippers reported improved service from ocean carriers in 2019, but equipment issues and other uncertainties could impact cold chains this year.
Container linesCool Cargoes

PortMiami wins $44 million federal grant for perishables

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor | Feb 14, 2020, 1:56 PM EST

PortMiami won a $44 million federal grant which will be used to improve the cold chain cargo facilities to handle temperature-controlled food, and perishables such as flowers.
North American portsCool Cargoes