Cool Cargo News

Market share remains in the single digits —both as a percentage of overall reefer imports and exports in the US and overall volumes within the individual ports — but the port authorities of Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia say the US Department of Agriculture clearance will open the door to even more business opportunities.

Every year, the expectation regarding “free” is that “free” gets faster and faster, and e-commerce players are a major factor. Thus, two-to-three-day click-to-delivery expectations are now the norm. And that’s upping delivery pressure on shippers.

The Lineage Cool Port Oakland cold storage facility offers direct access for up to 36 refrigerated rail box cars and also features 90 truck doors.

At issue is an effort by port employers to have deskbound longshoremen monitor the temperature of each reefer twice a day to ensure that it is at the correct temperature, instead of longshoremen physically walking up to each box, checking, and documenting the temperature on an iPad.

The new terminal gates at the Port Newark Container Terminal at the Port of New York and New Jersey have helped decrease turn times for trucks moving dry containers by 20 percent, and for refrigerated containers by 50 percent.

Gulftainer has big plans for its Wilmington, Delaware facility. And although port competition abounds, if lower costs and a quick rail or truck trip from Delaware to the New York-Washington, DC hinterlands ensue, shippers would no doubt take notice.

The International Air Transport Association said this slowing growth was coming against a backdrop of rising trade protectionism measures, and wider momentum in global trade was weakening.

A series of factors have coalesced, and a key research analyst notes that shippers should not expect price relief soon in this in-demand cargo segment.

Cold chain means much more than storage. The Global Cold Chain Alliance has catalogued more than 75 different value-added services currently offered by cold storage providers. And those services represent a substantial revenue stream that would surprise many.

After being shut down for a week and a half, the Port of Wilmington reopened its gates to truckers on Monday, and the work to reduce and eliminate the backlog of containers from before Hurricane Florence and from vessels discharging since last Thursday continues.

The reality of constant change presents opportunities and obstacles in the global reefer market. One example: new markets jockey with trade tensions. How can stakeholders capitalize on market dynamics while mitigating exposure to risk?

Revenue from 53-foot trailer-on-flat-car (TOFC) moves in the North America is up in a big way this year, so far, through August. But is 53-foot TOFC revenue an accurate leading indicator of overall domestic intermodal demand?

Electronic seals are considered tamper proof and, as such, the new process enhances supply chain security. In addition, as the process eliminates the need for physical, on-site inspection by customs officials, it can reduce shipper logistics costs.

Maersk, which transports roughly 20 percent of India’s containerized freight, said three factors have essentially combined to drive that impressive, steady growth.

The world’s largest ocean carrier has reopened shipping connectivity to the Maldives with a direct, weekly feeder link between Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Male, which it believes will prove to be a boon for trade to/from South Asia.

Shippers will likely see a substantial benefit from a new refrigerated container option for a peel-off pile program at the Port of New York and New Jersey.

“Trade wars never produce winners. Governments must remember that prosperity comes from boosting their trade, not barricading economies,” the International Air Transport Association said.

After a mixed performance in 2017, Europe’s top breakbulk ports face a complicated 2018, despite above-trend European GDP growth, due to the threat posed by tariffs and the reinstatement of sanctions against Iran.

With supply and demand in more of a balance, sector analysts say shippers should expect higher reefer rates.

Better tech and service may be up ahead. A global head of reefer management for a major ocean carrier predicted that shipping is moving toward a “new era of customer focus” with an emphasis on “creating products that actually add value to customers’ supply chains.”

The Europe-based ocean carrier has created another specialized, end-to-end cold chain logistics operation, as it works vigorously to establish a stronger foothold in the emerging market economy.

Nova Scotia-based Tangier Lobster does not cut corners nor does it nickel and dime transport providers. “We will pay extra for the very best logistics options because we have extremely valuable cargo and do not want to disappoint our customers,” Owner Stewart Lamont said.

The synchronized, regional recovery that’s boosted global container shipping has also ramped-up short-sea container volumes to the benefit of Europe’s feeder ship sector. Still, the good times are hardly problem-free and there are hurdles ahead.

With cool cargo volumes increasing, sensors are performing a function beyond temperature monitoring for product quality’s sake.

Air cargo is changing — no longer is tonnage the sole, ultimate metric. Air cargo companies and the airports that serve them must be entrepreneurial-minded to meet the needs of transit-time, cost-sensitive shippers with their high-value cargo, and so far, three key Canadian hubs are meeting the bill.

Port managers want to re-brand the locale in a new, distinct role, with an eye toward two key markets.

The transportation giant this week inaugurated a new cold storage center within its container freight station site at Ponneri, on the outskirts of Chennai in South India.

The year is off to a good start in terms of air cargo volume, but the trade dispute between the United States and China is making confident predictions for 2018 difficult.

Yilport, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mississippi State Port Authority in February, is promising to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the state’s Port of Gulfport, which it says has the potential to feed volume, particularly refrigerated goods, between Gulfport and Yilport terminals in Ecuador and Peru.

Maersk India has substantially expanded its end-to-end cold chain service to and from India, which has enabled domestic reefer shippers to venture into new locales.

An end-to-end protective service for perishable, refrigerated goods and seafood in natural-water-environment containers is the cold chain railroad model, and its deployers argue they can grab reefer market share from other transport modes.

<p>The emerging digital supply chain is offering shippers improved reefer container tracking, as well as better control / management of the cargo's condition. But a decade of reefer underinvestment and an accelerating global economy has led to a shortage of reefer containers.</p>

Maersk initially set up the program for its own needs and used it to, for example, monitor the temperature of each box and change it if it was too low or high, and also to track the maintenance needs.

Wilmington is the first to be able to accept goods that are still midway through the refrigeration process.

“We have seen freight rates remain fairly steady over the past year.”

Virginia joins Miami, South Carolina, Port Everglades, Tampa, Jacksonville, Port Manatee, and Savannah in the program.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout in July dampened growth in the first half.

Since mid-2016, when PortFresh Logistics opened a 100,000-square-foot cold-treatment facility, chilled imports through the port have surged nearly 300 percent.

Wine shipping and proper handling with regard to cold chain integrity remains fragmented, presenting challenges and opportunities for the wine industry and consumers alike.

A scarcity of refrigerated containers has helped push up average temperature-controlled freight rates, which are set to rise further once peak season begins in the final quarter of the year.