Refrigerated Shipments
Do you like ice cream? Do you ever wonder how these large amounts of ice cream are being shipped around the world without even reducing its quality? This article can shed some light. These dairy treats are being shipped and stored inside extremely large shipping containers and are distributed in different countries. We call this type of delivery as refrigerated shipments. This type of shipping uses extremely large steel containers and play a major part in the shipping industry.
What is shipping?
Shipping is a process of transporting goods and products either by land, sea or air. Without these vessels it would be hard to transport cargoes from one country to another. The term shipping has originated from the “shipping trade of wind power ships” and is now referred to as delivering cargo of any sizes, from postcards to shipping containers.
- Shipping through Land
There are many ways to ship through land. It can be done through trucks, trains or vans. Land transport compared to air transport is more affordable but is more expensive than sea transport considering the cost of fuel and maintenance.
- Shipping through Air
Shipping through air is extremely expensive. This type of shipment is only used for extremely important cases like transporting human organs.
- Shipping through Sea
Most of the cargos are done through sea transport. This type of shipping is essential to the world market. Reefer or refrigerated ships are responsible for shipping cooled containers and transporting them to different areas.
Containers for refrigerated shipments
Either by land, sea or air, refrigerated containers are used to keep the goods or cargos in the right cooling temperature. Aside from dairy products like ice cream, they also provide refrigerated shipments for fish, meat, vegetables, medicines, chemicals and others.
Some refrigerated shipping containers use different types of cooling systems. They are;
- Water cooling system – This type of container has a separate vessel located below the container. Water is stored inside the vessel and with the absence of air circulation it helps capture the heat and causes it to retain a cool temperature. These containers are mostly stored at the decks of some ships.
- Cryogenic cooling system – This is an advanced type of cooling system. Frozen carbon dioxide ice is used for cooling. It is kept and stored inside the container and once the ice evaporates, the cryogenic gas keeps the container in a cool temperature. To keep the cooling temperature running, enough frozen carbon dioxide should be stored.
- Redundant refrigeration system – Among the different types of cooling systems, this type is the most reliable one. It uses a temperature correction unit that automatically adjusts when the desired temperature is not reached. This system also comes with a backup refrigeration unit that includes a power generator set to guarantee continuous cooling.
Refrigerated shipments are very important to the world’s economy. Importing and exporting temperature-sensitive goods in the world market has been made possible through refrigerated shipments. People now have the opportunity to enjoy and be delighted by the sweet taste of ice cream, all thanks to refrigerated shipping.