Supply chain logistics for perishables is a growth industry facing many challenges. For starters, last November the world’s population hit over 7 billion. Half of that population was added in only a short 40 years, and 3 billion more people are expected to inhabit the earth by 2100, bringing population figures to 10 billion. That’s a lot of hungry mouths in need of fresh produce and perishables. If one takes into account the current and future economic shift where emerging economies will mature and global wealth will increase, this implies that the world needs to produce 70 percent more food than today. No doubt, balancing global food supply shortages and surpluses will be an ongoing challenge for logistics service providers. Capturing the Niche Heeding the call, transportation companies are escalating their business to meet the world’s growing needs. This includes the steamship lines, which are resizing their fleets to include post-panamax ships. Today a newly built Panamax containership of 4,600TEU, for example, will typically have capacity for 700 reefer plugs. Introducing even larger vessels, in February 2011, Maersk Line ordered 10 even larger container ships, the Triple E class, with a capacity of 18,000 containers. The first is to be delivered in 2014. There is an option of 20 more. “We believe the Triple-E ships with their record capacity and energy efficiency will enable us to deliver on the commercial and environmental expectations of our customers and also give us a significant competitive advantage in the market,” says Eivind Kolding, CEO of Maersk Line. For those who ship temperature-controlled cargoes, including fresh fruit and vegetables, chilled meat and fish, sensitive flower bulbs and high-value pharmaceuticals, on-time delivery is critical. “With global rivalry now the reality for many perishable trades, reliable transport and logistics makes the difference between success and failure in world markets,” says Rachael White, Joint Event Director for Cool Logistics, a London-based trade group. To stay competitive, steamship lines continue to add refrigerated equipment. Crowley Maritime Corp. of Jacksonville, FL, for one, has invested close to $240 million to modernize its equipment fleet by nearly 24,000 units since 2003. Last October, it added 400 53-foot (102” wide) containers and 375 53-foot chassis to meet the needs of customers in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. In early November, Crowley also added 222 new 40-foot, high cube refrigerated containers (reefers) to its fleet of some 45,000 modern reefers just in time for the peak perishables shipping season in Central America. In addition, the steamship line has 133 under-slung power generator sets (gensets). “Refrigerated cargo is a large part of our business in Central America and the Caribbean and we always want to provide our customers with not only clean, modern and reliable equipment, but also in the sizes and quantities that they need,” says John Hourihan, Crowley senior vice president and general manager, Latin America. Following suit, seaports are expanding their refrigerated container storage capacity. In September 2011, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) approved a $4.75 million project designed to expand the Port of Savannah’s refrigerated container storage capacity by 45 percent. To be completed in September, the project calls for installing 20 four-story steel-framed refrigerated container racks at a terminal container berth. The new racks will enable the port, which is served by CSX and Norfolk Southern, to accommodate 1,536 containers with a total of 64 racks versus the 44 racks currently in service. At the Port of Miami, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently launched the Enforcement Link to Mobile Operations (ELMO cargo) project to facilitate the fast movement of perishable imports. This technology allows CBP Officers and Agriculture Specialists to release inspected cargo in real-time. “Prior to ELMO cargo, CBP Officers an