High tech blankets lower costs for temperature sensitive pharma ocean freight.
High tech blanket cover systems are making ocean freight an efficient, cost-effective way to ship temperature sensitive pharma cargo around the globe.
That’s the message from a leading manufacturer and marketer of passive thermal technology - Franklin, MA-based Cold Chain Technologies (CCT). In an exclusive interview with the American Journal of Transportation, Luiza Cervetto, CCT’s Senior Global Marketing Manager, said improvements in Phase Change Material (PCM) technology are making a huge difference in sea freight costs and sustainability goals for pharmaceutical manufacturers and shippers.
In October, a partnership between CCT, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Kuehne+Nagel announced a successful shipment of temperature-sensitive medicines from Germany to Australia using a passive thermal system designed by CCT. Facing an onslaught of challenges including rerouting, power outages, and extreme heat, the cargo arrived unaffected.
Keeping Temperatures Stable
Keeping temperatures stable has consistently been an issue for ocean reefer shipping that only intensifies with fragile life sciences cargo. However, advances in passive thermal technology coupled with better monitoring systems, are increasing the viability of ocean carriers for everything from medicines to vaccines to biotechnology.
The global cargo thermal blanket market was valued at $321 million in 2023 and is anticipated to reach $432 million by 2030, a CAGR of 4.3 percent, according to research firm Valuates Reports (VR). Although food is expected to drive a large portion of that growth, VR says healthcare and pharma are close behind.
CCT’s latest passive thermal system — the Enshield — is designed to keep products within 2- and 8-degrees C. If the temperature rises above or falls below that, the PCM slows down the thermal exchange to keep things balanced and consistent.
Cervetto said digitalization is a major factor in improving cold chain shipping, and for those looking to test ocean freight for pharma products, the additional monitoring capability and data modeling provided by digital capability can provide major support.
“Our simulation capability, for example, uses real-world data to forecast temperature change over the course of a delivery, allowing customers to plan in factors such as unplug time and mitigate against excursions. Our CCT Smart Solutions platform integrates carrier logistics data, cellular data loggers (IoT), real time thermal modelling and geofencing technology to provide a precise view of each shipment. This means that for suppliers looking to test the viability of sea freight, information can be gathered in real time, and should any problems arise, problems can be identified and resolved before excursions occur,” she said.
Solution for Unplugged or Open Containers
Cervetto said new passive thermal products are designed to solve this specific customer challenge, allowing containers to be unplugged or opened without compromising payload.
“Our customer had moved away from thermal covers, as traditional options were unable to offer adequate protection for temperature sensitive products during unplug times or in the event of power failure. But reliance on active containers was proving expensive. With the associated weight impacting freight costs, the customer needed a solution which would extend protection across long durations and provide a lighter and easier to operate solution. Utilizing advanced phase change material (PCM), the Enshield is reusable, rechargeable and self-reconditioning,” she said. “The Enshield recharges itself in transit, by using the containers 5°C set point, and deploys its thermal protection automatically. It can withstand thermal variances in ambient temperatures during transit, and once the container is plugged, the Enshield will start recharging automatically, reconditioning itself, and becoming ready to protect from the risk of any future excursion.”
“We found that during a forced unplug event pallets with no thermal protection would exceed -20°C in under 2 hours from the -35°C set point. A traditional insulating pallet was only able to offer an additional hour at below -20°C, but the -23°C refrigerant (our blanket) was able to maintain product temperatures below -20°C for over 20 hours. This highly substantial extension of product-safe unplug time was a game changer and secured the success of the shipment.”
Looking for Air Freight Alternative
Cervetto said life science product suppliers are seeking alternatives to expensive air freight.
“We’re certainly seeing a surge in queries. Given the financial and carbon use reduction benefits provided by switching from air to sea, it’s likely that the more data we gather around the successful transport of temperature sensitive payload via sea freight, the more confident the market will be, and the more we’ll see of the switch,” she said. “(There are) cost-effective solutions suitable for validated and predicted lanes as well as pharma corridors, providing the additional protection required during loading and unloading times to assure customers than high value shipments can be successfully transported by sea. However, we know that transporting temperature sensitive products by sea is still perceived as risky, so we will keep testing and learning in order to provide extensive data and total confidence for customers looking to switch from air to sea.”
The use of thermal blanket systems by the life sciences industry is bound to grow, Cervetto said.
“We believe (the partnership with Teva and Kuehne + Nagel) could be the catalyst for a major shift from air to sea...It offers a highly attractive solution. The success...proves that sea transportation of critical biopharma products can be safe, compliant and deliver cost efficiencies, and that a successful switch from active to passive can provide significant benefits,” she said. “It’s also worth noting that PCM thermal blankets are reusable, and we can run the conditioning and return logistics. The shift towards reusable solutions, which we’re also seeing in the rising utilisation of our reusable solutions is likely to be a long-term industry shift in-line with sustainability and waste reduction objectives.”
