With the ever-increasing demand for year-round fresh fruits and vegetables, refrigerated containers full of perishable produce are hitting US ports at staggering rates. The need for ports to accept these reefers is demanding. But will this flood of reefers swamp terminal operators?

Why are refrigerated containers stuck in port?

In some cases, container ships arrive into port with more reefer to off-load than initially forecast, putting an incredible strain on the port operator to round up enough reefer receptacles for a load of containers.

Under normal times this may not be a problem.  But these are not normal times.

Increased refrigerated container traffic combined with multiple ships arriving back-to-back allows little time for some port operators to move reefer off the terminal before the next ship arrives.  Compounding these challenges is the decreased availability of truckers due to COVID. Without truckers to haul this cargo, everything sits – preventing terminal operators from moving reefer out of the port quickly.

But unlike dry containers that can be stacked and positioned just about anywhere in the yard, refrigerated containers require a constant supply of electricity to keep the perishable goods within temperature specs. Every reefer unloaded onto the terminal needs to quickly find an available electrical connection.  The financial risk of cargo spoilage is real and is a challenging responsibility for port operators.

Here’s a solution.

Ideally, moving these perishable loads out of the port as quickly as possible is the best solution. But when that’s not an option, diesel-powered generators, called Power Packs, offer port operators the flexibility to ramp up reefer capacity quickly to handle sudden increases in container throughput.  Power Packs uniquely accommodate thirty to fifty or more reefer cord connections.  And because they are diesel-powered, they can be positioned anywhere space is available.

• Through short term rentals, terminal operators can quickly add capacity during traditional spikes in reefer throughput.
• Longer rental terms can help operators mitigate the disruptions from lengthy port construction projects.
• Custom designed power packs configured to meet an operators’ unique requirements can be purchased for a permanent reefer power solution.

To weather the flood of reefer hitting your dock, Power Pool Plus maintains a fleet of power packs and their highly versatile cousin, PortaPacks^TM, to help manage and keep the refrigerated containers safe while under the terminal operator’s care.

How many reefer plugs do you need?

Contact Power Pool Plus

 

Ted Shelson
VP Marketing
Power Pool Plus