Cool Cargo News

The Journal of Commerce’s reefer shipping news and analysis covers refrigerated cargo transportation, rates, reefer cargo weight capacity, technology, equipment, lessors and providers.

The latest Cool Cargo News News & Analysis

Panama Canal woes present nightmare for Latin American perishables trade: analyst

Richard Bright, Journal of Commerce analyst |
The phased reduction in the number of transits coincides with peak banana exports from Ecuador and the start of the deciduous fruit season in the southern hemisphere.
Cool Cargo NewsBreakbulk NewsBreakbulk carriers

Seaboard Marine includes Wilmington in new Central America service

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
The direct service that kicks off at the end of the month will add further options to transport apparel, textiles, poultry, pork and agricultural products between Central America and the US East Coast.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsCool Cargo News

Ports America, CN launch Gulfport intermodal service targeting perishables

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
The new north-south service will begin next week with trial runs transporting perishable goods out of Latin America to Chicago.
Rail NewsIntermodal providersNorth-American railCool Cargo News

Seatrade plays service card in latest container ship order: analyst

Richard Bright, Journal of Commerce analyst |
The Benelux-based reefer owner/operator says its fast, dedicated and direct model trumps the transshipments, transit times and indirect costs of the major carriers.
Cool Cargo NewsContainer Shipping News

New ZIM service takes advantage of Savannah’s expanding cold storage network

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Savannah attracted the new service due to its growing third-party logistics network and proximity to East Coast and Midwest markets, allowing for quicker and fresher imports.
North American portsContainer Shipping NewsContainer linesCool Cargo News

US cold storage supply struggling with costs, aging facilities amid high demand

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Investors aren’t lining up to sink money into aging facilities, given that warehouses built in the last 20 to 40 years require nearly 50% more energy consumption and double the maintenance costs than newbuilds.
Industrial Real Estate NewsNorth American portsCool Cargo News

CEVA expands India footprint with contract logistics takeover

Greg Knowler, Senior Editor Europe |
The CMA CGM subsidiary’s latest acquisition will significantly increase its presence in South Asia that is growing in importance as supply chain routes shift across the region.
Supply chainForwardingIndustrial Real Estate NewsLast Mile NewsCool Cargo News

Emerging from pandemic fog, global reefer market reverts to type

Richard Bright, Journal of Commerce analyst |
If the reefer mode can tough out the rest of 2023, next year should be better for operators largely because there will be more cargo, and therefore demand will be stronger, writes analyst Richard Bright.
Cool Cargo NewsBreakbulk NewsBreakbulk carriersSupply chain

Hungry domestic market driving US Southeast cold storage development

Teri Errico Griffis, Associate Editor |
Refrigerated warehousing construction is “exploding” in the US Southeast, as one port executive put it, thanks to a growing population and increased demand for imported produce and other food products.
Cool Cargo NewsContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

Increased vessel capacity, reliability key to 2023 reefer rebound

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
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 Cargo NewsContainer Shipping NewsNorth American ports

New IMO rules force global reefer fleet to confront uncertain future

Richard Bright, JOC analyst |
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 Cargo News

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

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
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 Shipping NewsCool Cargo News

Commodity, semiconductor crunch threatens reefer capacity 

Gregory W. Tuthill, chief commercial officer, SeaCube Containers |
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 Cargo News

Lineage buys cold storage near East, Gulf coast ports

Michael Angell, Associate Editor |
Lineage Logistics is acquiring MTC Logistics, a cold storage operator with warehouses at the ports of Baltimore, Wilmington, Delaware, and Mobile.
Cool Cargo NewsIndustrial Real Estate News

New funding, acquisition signal growing digital forwarder competition

Eric Johnson, Senior Technology Editor |
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 Technology NewsCool Cargo News

New devices, increased interoperability drive reefer tracking improvements

Lara L. Sowinski, Cool Cargoes editor |
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 Cargo News

Reefer shippers facing higher rates, equipment constraints beyond 2021

Lara L. Sowinski, Cool Cargoes editor |
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 Cargo News

COVID-19 testing delays Chinese imports of US perishables

Lara L. Sowinski |
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 Cargo News

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

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor, and Cathy Morrow Roberson, Senior Contributor |
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 Cargo NewsTrucking NewsAir CargoAir Cargo Carriers News

Reefer market resiliency defies broader COVID-19 impact

Lara L. Sowinski, Cool Cargoes editor |
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 Cargo News

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

Bency Mathew, Special India Correspondent |
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 Cargo News

Foodservice, cold storage sectors find new opportunities during pandemic

Lara L. Sowinski |
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 Cargo News

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

Lara L. Sowinski |
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 Cargo News

COVID-19 pain to reefer supply chain lingers after shock

Lara L. Sowinski |
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 Cargo News

Food shippers maximize opportunities in US, Asia

Lara L. Sowinski |
While food service and the retail grocery sectors adapt to new pandemic-linked realities, consumers’ food preferences remain unchanged.
Cool Cargo News

Mitigation key as coronavirus container dislocation timeline lengthens

Gregory Tuthill, chief commercial officer, SeaCube Containers |
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 Cargo News

China looks to jump start post-coronavirus reefer shipments

Lara L. Sowinski |
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 Cargo News

Perishables shippers report improving container service

Lara L. Sowinski |
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 Cargo News

PortMiami wins $44 million federal grant for perishables

Ari Ashe, Senior Editor |
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 Cargo News

Reefer surcharges rocket due to Chinese port plug scarcity

Lara L. Sowinski |
US exporters of refrigerated (reefer) cargo are facing costly delays in China and equipment shortages in the United States due to extended factory closures and limitations on worker movement caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Container linesCool Cargo News

Maersk unveils end-to-end logistics solution for Indian ag exports

Bency Mathew, Special India Correspondent |
Maersk, tapping its reefer capabilities, has linked up with an Indian ag group on a pilot program designed to boost the carrier’s integrated strategy.
Cool Cargo News

Startups partner to automate global cold chain

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
Chicago-based startup Transship is teaming with TradeLens and other tech companies to create an automated shipping and forwarding platform for containerized perishables shipments.
Logistics Technology NewsMaritimeTrucking NewsCool Cargo News

Lineage Logistics expands at US ports, Asia-Pacific markets

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The acquisition of Emergent Cold gives US-based Lineage Logistics greater access to Asian markets and facilities at three US ports.
Logistics Technology NewsNorth American portsCool Cargo News

Lineage Logistics adds cold-storage space in Europe

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor |
The acquisition of two Van Soest Coldstores facilities complements Lineage’s existing network of refrigerated sites across Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK.
Logistics Technology NewsCool Cargo News

Indian digital forwarder capitalizes on reefer push

Bency Mathew, Special India Correspondent |
An Indian tech startup is luring reefer shippers with a digital platform as refrigerated cargo volumes in the country are on the upswing.
Cool Cargo News

Reefer shippers willing to pay for improved service

Lara L. Sowinski |
Continued depressed pricing has caused service levels in the refrigerated cargo market to deteriorate, but BCOs say there are other issues that need addressing as well.
Cool Cargo News

Service cools Mexico’s refrigerated rail potential

Hugh R. Morley, Senior Editor |
Security and service problems face Mexico's intermodal sector as it seeks to expand its share of the reefer market.
International railCool Cargo News

Congestion clogs port of Manila

Keith Wallis, Special Correspondent |
Truck shortages, warehouse closures, and too many empty containers have exacerbated terminal and landside congestion.
International portsCool Cargo News

Lack of air cargo surge marks weak trans-Pacific

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor |
After a subdued end to 2018 and trade and with economic hurdles stacking up, there are relatively low expectations for the trans-Pacific air cargo market in 2019.
Air Cargo Forwarder NewsCool Cargo News

CMA CGM ships first locally-booked India smart container

India Special Correspondent |
CMA CGM (India) said the smart container was loaded onto the CMA CGM Tosca at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust on Nov. 30, destined for Marseilles, France.
Logistics Technology NewsMaritimeContainer linesCool Cargo News