How International Refrigerated Cargo Transport Works

The international transport of goods involves a lot of work and particular care, even more so when the cargo requires special handling. That is the case of products that must travel in refrigerated containers to guarantee their integrity and freshness.

Which cargo must be transported cold?

Some products must travel at controlled temperatures, because if left in natural ambient conditions they can be damaged beyond repair. That is the case with:

• Fresh or frozen food: meat, fish, seafood and some vegetables may require the right temperatures to withstand long journeys and drastic temperature changes.
• Flowers: flowers are very delicate and must be carried at a suitable temperature. The right temperature must even be chosen for each species.
• Pharmaceuticals: some medicines, vaccines and other products must be kept at fully controlled temperatures; otherwise they risk being ruined or losing their effectiveness.
• Chemicals: some compounds are sensitive to certain temperatures and can react adversely when they reach certain levels. That is why they must be transported with great care, making sure they always stay within tolerable levels.

The cold transport process

When transporting products that must stay refrigerated, a strict process and essential rules must be followed to guarantee they arrive in perfect condition:

• A stable, constant cold chain: this is the essential part of refrigerated cargo transport. If temperature control is not strictly maintained at every stage of transport, the products can be seriously affected.
• Suitable transport: freight companies must have the vehicles, equipment and special reefer containers needed to always ensure the right temperatures throughout the move. These units must meet special thermal insulation conditions and have a refrigeration unit to control the refrigerated environment.
• Cold loading and unloading: to avoid breaking the cold chain, goods should ideally be loaded and unloaded inside controlled environments that maintain optimal refrigeration at all times. Where that is not possible, these operations must be done as quickly as possible and everything stored immediately in suitable facilities.
• Constant inspections: continuously checking that the temperature of the goods in transit stays at the required levels is fundamental. Fortunately, there are trucks and containers fitted with special equipment that carry out these checks automatically and even send alerts when there are variations outside the programmed parameters.
• Legal compliance: each country has its own legislation on refrigerated cargo transport, such as the rules on the conditions that food transport vehicles must meet. These rules must be followed to the letter to avoid problems and guarantee the integrity of the cargo.

Types of units for refrigerated transport

To make sure products stay in optimal condition, special vehicles and storage units are needed, which fall into two main types:

• Insulated: thermally insulated in the walls, floor and ceiling, to reduce as much as possible the transfer of temperature between the outside and the inside of the unit carrying the goods.
• Refrigerated: equally insulated, but with a refrigeration unit that can produce temperatures down to -20 °C (-4 °F) or lower.

When every precaution is followed correctly during a cold transport process, the goods will always arrive intact, without problems. That is the key.

At Econtainers we have a line specialized in refrigerated containers. Contact us.

You may also be interested in: Everything you need to know about industrial refrigeration

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