Cool Cargoes

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

The latest Cool Cargoes News & Analysis

Rising demand to ramp up reefer box capacity, Drewry says

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor | Sep 14, 2014, 11:34 PM EDT

An estimated 300,000 40-foot reefer containers are expected to be added to the global fleet by 2018 as strong demand for perishables drives the business and improving technology enables their long distance transport.
Container linesCool Cargoes

Reefer volumes on the rise as Asia fills its fruit basket

Greg Knowler, Senior Europe Editor | Sep 4, 2014, 7:00 PM EDT

Blueberries, strawberries, cherries, avocados, durian — markets across Asia are filled with fruits regardless of the season, serving a fast-rising demand that is being driven by urbanization, increasing wealth and improving refrigeration technology.
Cool CargoesMaritime

Baltic Reefers acquires NYK’s reefer division

Grace M. Lavigne, Associate Web Editor | Aug 27, 2014, 5:01 PM EDT

Baltic Reefers will acquire NYKCool from NYK Reefers, the refrigerated shipping segment of Japanese shipping giant NYK Line on Sept. 1.
Breakbulk carriersCool Cargoes

Portland to end reefer agreement with ILWU

JOC Team | Aug 23, 2014, 7:07 PM EDT

The Port of Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 22 announced the cancellation of a contract covering two reefer jobs with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, citing dips in productivity at its Terminal 6 facility.
Longshore laborCool Cargoes

Ryder Europe adds refrigerated trailers in Europe as demand rises

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Aug 15, 2014, 8:17 AM EDT

As global demand for refrigerated transport service rises, Ryder Europe is adding more temperature-controlled trailers to its rental fleet in the United Kingdom.
TruckingCool Cargoes

Drewry: Container ship reefer capacity up, specialized fleet down through 2018

Grace M. Lavigne, Associate Web Editor | Aug 14, 2014, 11:12 AM EDT

Refrigerated capacity in the container ship fleet is expected to surge around 22 percent through 2018, at the expense of a declining specialized reefer fleet, according to Drewry’s latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review & Forecast.
ForwardingCool Cargoes

US refrigerated rail operators confident despite Cold Train’s death by rail delays

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Aug 12, 2014, 6:19 PM EDT

Despite the loss of a refrigerated rail pioneer, other operators say they are still growing and that they’re better shielded from poor rail performance than Cold Train was.
RailCool Cargoes

Cold Train ends intermodal service, citing poor BNSF performance

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Aug 7, 2014, 4:16 PM EDT

Cold Train, a provider of refrigerated intermodal transport from Washington state throughout the rest of the country, has ended service, citing poor BNSF Railway performance.
Intermodal providersCool Cargoes

Online grocery sales whet appetites; high costs curb growth

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Aug 6, 2014, 10:55 AM EDT

A number of new online grocery ventures are now available, using a variety of logistics models. "They all understand that there is a cost to same-day delivery," says Satish Jindel, president of SJ Consulting Group.
Cool Cargoes

Infrastructure program could heat up India’s cold chain growth

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Aug 5, 2014, 8:44 PM EDT

More than $15 billion will be spent on expansion of India’s cold chain during the next five years, according to a study by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Cool CargoesIndustrial real estate

US fruit imports moving south

JOC Staff | Aug 5, 2014, 5:12 PM EDT

With the pending expansion to the Port of Savannah of a U.S. Department of Agriculture pilot program, three southern U.S. ports will be able to receive South American blueberries and grapes.
North American portsCool Cargoes

US states target cold-chain transport violations

JOC Staff | Aug 5, 2014, 4:27 PM EDT

Some U.S. states aren’t waiting for federal rules but are increasing inspection and enforcement actions related to temperature-controlled transport on their own.
Transport, trade and regulationCool CargoesTrucking

Weekly freighter service flies live lobsters to Korea

JOC Staff | Aug 4, 2014, 8:59 PM EDT

An increasing Asian appetite for live lobster is being met with a weekly shipment of live lobsters from Nova Scotia to South Korea.
Air cargo carriersCool Cargoes

Researchers target ways for world’s farmers to stem food loss

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Aug 4, 2014, 11:05 AM EDT

According to the U.N.’s Food and Agricultural Organization, enough food is grown worldwide to feed everyone on the planet. The trick is to make sure food doesn’t disappear before consumption because of waste or post-harvest loss, that it can be transported where it’s needed and that the population with the food deficit can afford to pay.
Cool Cargoes

Wal-Mart turns attention to reducing food waste

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Aug 4, 2014, 10:52 AM EDT

As the world's largest corporation, Wal-Mart holds hefty leverage over its vendors. Its next mission is to eliminate waste within its massive system, even on food, and vendors are taking note.
Cool Cargoes

Breakbulk carrier Seatrade orders container ships

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Aug 2, 2014, 2:50 PM EDT

A specialized reefer carrier is taking steps to renew its aging breakbulk fleet by purchasing two new container vessels.
Container linesCool Cargoes

DHL, Cyroport chase hot demand for deep-frozen shipping

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jul 16, 2014, 5:53 PM EDT

Refrigerated just isn’t cold enough for some shippers, especially those moving extremely temperature-sensitive life sciences or medical products.
Logistics technologyCool Cargoes

Yusen Logistics launches Indochina LTL service

Grace M. Lavigne, Associate Web Editor | Jul 14, 2014, 8:41 PM EDT

Yusen Logistics has expanded its cross-border trucking services for Indochina with the launch of a temperature-controlled less-than-truckload service for food products moving between Vietnam and Cambodia.
Logistics technologyCool CargoesLTL

AGRO targets reefer expansion

Joseph Bonney, Senior Editor | Jun 16, 2014, 1:39 PM EDT

AGRO Merchants Group has been building its portfolio of temperature-controlled warehouse and distribution facilities at nine U.S. and European locations, and CEO Neal Rider says there’s more to come.
Cool Cargoes

Charleston adds cold-storage capacity

Joseph Bonney, Senior Editor | Jun 13, 2014, 3:35 PM EDT

Three companies this month have announced investments in temperature-controlled facilities near the Port of Charleston.
North American portsCool Cargoes

With Eye on Meat Imports, New Orleans Cold Storage Expands in Charleston

Grace M. Lavigne, Associate Web Editor | Jun 3, 2014, 9:56 AM EDT

New Orleans Cold Storage has plans to more than double the size of its existing storage space at the Port of Charleston, South Carolina.
Industrial real estateCool Cargoes

Produce Demand Powers Reefer Trucking Rate Increases

JOC Team | May 22, 2014, 4:23 PM EDT

Dry van and flatbed spot market truck rates remained steady this week, while refrigerated trucking rates continued their upward trend.
TruckloadCool Cargoes

Cold Storage Expanding by Leaps and Bounds

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | May 22, 2014, 3:44 PM EDT

Growth at North America’s two largest cold storage companies has mushroomed in recent years, with both looking at overseas opportunities.
Industrial real estateCool Cargoes

Reefer Trucking Remains Province of Small Carriers

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | May 19, 2014, 4:43 PM EDT

Trucking is a notoriously fragmented business. The Department of Transportation estimates there are 500,000 trucking companies in the U.S., with 97 percent of them operating 20 trucks or less.
TruckloadCool Cargoes

Warehouse Choice? It’s Personal

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | May 19, 2014, 2:59 PM EDT

While some cold storage companies are growing rapidly, the head of one midsize warehouse company says that doesn’t apply throughout the industry.
Industrial real estateCool Cargoes

Aggressive Marketing Puts Latin Foods on Asian Tables

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | May 15, 2014, 9:57 AM EDT

The world’s economic focus during the 1980s and 1990s was trained on the Asian Tigers of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Now Argentina’s top agricultural official says the focus is about to shift south.
Cool Cargoes

Reefers on Barges? You Bet, in California

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | May 14, 2014, 10:57 AM EDT

Meat and produce exporters looking to bypass California’s 22-metric-ton weight limit on over-the-road shipments soon may be able to ship overweight containers to the Port of Oakland by barge.
Container linesCool Cargoes

Shifting Tastes, Politics Challenge Fast-Food Chains

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | May 13, 2014, 4:17 PM EDT

In 1988, when the Berlin Wall was still standing and Russia was still a part of the Soviet Union, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in Moscow. The first of the chain’s restaurants to open inside a communist country, it drew crowds and global attention. Today, McDonald’s has 35,000 restaurants in more than 100 nations.
Cool Cargoes

US Meat Exports Lifted by Growth in Mexico Trade

Grace M. Lavigne, Associate Web Editor | Apr 9, 2014, 2:43 PM EDT

Despite growing concerns about tight supplies and rising prices, U.S. red meat exports performed well in February...
Container linesCool Cargoes

Orbcomm Buys Euroscan, Expands Reefer Business

William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Mar 13, 2014, 2:34 PM EDT

Orbcomm, a global wireless asset-tracking company, has acquired Euroscan, expanding its product line and ability to track refrigerated containers and trailers worldwide.
Logistics technologyTruckingMaritimeCool Cargoes

US Red Meat Exports Could Face ‘Challenges’ in 2014

Grace M. Lavigne, Associate Web Editor | Mar 12, 2014, 10:21 PM EDT

U.S. red meat exports kicked off 2014 on a “positive note,” although market conditions suggest the year ahead could be “challenging,” according to statistics...
Container linesCool Cargoes

Overcapacity a Prospect for Reefer Container Shipping in 2014

Lara L. Sowinski | Mar 10, 2014, 4:13 PM EDT

Overcapacity is a threat to container lines’ refrigerated cargo segment this year, despite projected growth in the global reefer market, according to Peter Frederiksen, a member of the executive board of Hamburg Süd.
Cool Cargoes

Global Food Supply Chain Impacted by US Safety Legislation

Lara L. Sowinski | Mar 10, 2014, 10:03 AM EDT

The U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act has impacted the global food supply chain and, by extension, global reefer carriers too.
Cool Cargoes

Acquisition Will Fuel Cold Train Reefer Fleet Expansion

Mark Szakonyi, Executive Editor | Mar 4, 2014, 3:13 PM EST

A Michigan-based company has acquired the operator of a refrigerated intermodal rail service, known as ColdTrain, and plans to at least triple Rail Logistics’ container fleet over the next five years.
Intermodal providersCool Cargoes

Slight Growth Forecast for Reefer Container Cargo

Joseph Bonney, Senior Editor | Mar 3, 2014, 9:02 PM EST

Forecasters expect modest growth in U.S. and global shipments of refrigerated cargoes in containers.
ForwardingCool Cargoes

Airports Boosting Investment in the Cold Chain

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Feb 28, 2014, 11:17 AM EST

On a recent day in mid-December, two 747 freighters flew into MidAmerica St. Louis Airport loaded with 250,000 pounds of Chilean blueberries. Just days later, another 160,000 pounds of the fruit landed at the airport.
Air cargo forwardingCool Cargoes

New Rail Services Give Perishables Shippers Options

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Feb 28, 2014, 10:35 AM EST

New and expanding refrigerated rail services are delivering new options for smaller food shippers who soon could be left out in the cold by western railroads as thousands of 50-year-old mechanical boxcars are retired in the coming years.
Intermodal providersCool Cargoes

Technology Helps Combat Effects of Slow-Steaming on Perishables

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Feb 27, 2014, 10:22 AM EST

Container carriers and shippers of refrigerated cargoes, facing slower transit times and more distant markets, are looking to high-tech solutions from container manufacturers.
Cool CargoesForwarding

Reefer Shippers Stress Over Slower Ship Speeds, Fewer Port Calls

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Feb 24, 2014, 11:14 AM EST

Following a frenetic decade of ups and downs in volumes and rates, the steamship industry is seeking stability through alliances and cost-cutting that has lengthened voyage transit times. While many shippers don’t see much of a problem in slow-steaming, exporters of refrigerated goods have more reason to be concerned.
ForwardingCool Cargoes

Reefer Ships, Expedited Service Could Add Speed to Perishables

Stephanie Nall, Cool Cargoes Editor | Feb 20, 2014, 10:15 PM EST

Westwood Shipping has found new use for its fleet of four BulkCon ships. The carrier, which has specialized in transporting forest products since 1892, added refrigerated cargoes to the mix in the summer of 2013.
ForwardingCool Cargoes