Issue link: https://jocdigital.uberflip.com/i/470635
www.joc.com THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE 21A BRIEFS COOL CARGOES PORT OF ROTTERDAM ADDING MORE THAN 6,000 REEFER PLUGS THE PORT of Rotterdam is expanding its reefer plugs by 50 percent from 12,400 to 18,500 thanks to additional infrastructure contributed by Maasvlakte 2 — the west- ern expansion of the Rotterdam port area in the North Sea. With the peak export season for fruits from South America and South Africa get- ting underway, the additional reefer plugs is especially timely. Construction of Maasvlakte 2 started in 2008 and will eventually encompass 2,000 hectares (approximately 4,940 acres) of land reclaimed from the North Sea, half of which will consist of infrastructure such as seawalls, waterways, railways, roads and port basins, with the remain- ing land earmarked for industrial space. BLACKBERRY PLATFORM TARGETS SHIPPING INDUSTRY BLACKBERRY PLANS to offer a tracking and monitoring solution for the shipping industry supported by its new Internet of Things platform, which the Canadian company unveiled during the 2015 Con- sumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The solution consists of cloud-based communication boxes equipped with a cellular radio, Wi-Fi connectivity, a micro- processor and sensors that can be built into a shipping container to monitor the cargo, its location and other information. QNX Software Systems, owned by BlackBerry, is the other component of the solution and will provide machine-to-machine commu- nication over BlackBerry's secure network infrastructure. Shipments of perishables, controlled or dangerous substances are some of the cargoes that make a good fit for the solu- tion, according to BlackBerry. It said the platform could improve efficiency at ports and lower regulatory compliances costs. AG EXPORTERS ASSESSING EFFECTS OF WEST COAST PORT WOES CALIFORNIA'S AGRICULTURAL exporters are assessing the long-term effects of the U.S. West Coast port delays that started last year and continued into 2015. Grow- ers and shippers of nuts, citrus and hay are among those who lost millions of dol- lars because of canceled orders, spikes in demurrage charges and storage fees, cargo diversions and product that rotted at the ports awaiting transportation. The financial impact is huge, and the long-term effect could be just as big. Some California exporters worry they will lose customers and markets that took years to develop and secure. One citrus grower fears his navel oranges will be replaced with citrus from China and Egypt, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation. DHL'S NEW O'HARE FACILITY SUPPORTS COLD CHAIN CARGOES D H L G L O B A L F o r w a r d i n g 's n e w $35 million facility at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport ranks as the larg- est air export gateway in the company's network. Covering 24 acres and contain- ing two temperature-controlled chambers measuring 10,000 square feet, the facility is well-positioned to handle cold chain cargoes ranging from perishables to pharmaceuticals and medical devices. The facility's three-story office and warehousing complex is in the process of obtaining Leadership in Energy and Envi- ronmental Design certification. Some of its environmentally friendly features include energy-efficient lighting fixtures, high efficiency water fixtures, and the use of low emitting indoor air contaminants. ZIM UNVEILS REEFER TRACKING, SECURITY TECHNOLOGY ZIM INTEGRATED Shipping Services is offering a new monitoring, tracking and security solution aimed at high-value and sensitive cargoes shipped in reefer containers, such as pharmaceuticals, per- ishable foods, wine and spirits, artwork and antiques. The ZIMonitor solution complies with the EU's GDP (good distribution practice) regulations and offers features such as online alerts to mobile phones and e-mail; monitoring of temperature, humidity, route deviation and unauthorized door opening; and 24/7 professional response along the cargo route. In addition to closely monitoring cargo status, ZIMonitor allows customers to change settings remotely and intervene to prevent damages. ONLINE SHOPPING EXPOSES CHINA'S POOR COLD CHAIN CHINESE CONSUMERS are buying more fresh food online, but the country's inad- equate cold chain logistics is struggling to keep up. Greg Knowler, The Journal of Commerce's senior editor for Asia, reports that cold chain logistics services "outside the Tier 1" cities are a long-stand- ing problem. "Refrigerated trucks are expensive, as is track and trace or temperature monitoring, and the fragmented nature of the logistics industry in the country means only the large service providers, or Sino-foreign joint ventures, can afford to operate under best industry practices. The fiercely competitive area means the small operators cannot afford to pay too much attention to temperature require- ments, a nd sta nda rds va r y w i ld ly," Knowler says. China now ranks as the world's larg- est e-commerce market. Statistics from