Cold Chain Technologies (CCT) has played a role in demonstrating the viability of ocean freight for high value temperature sensitive pharmaceutical shipments, through a project with logistics companies Kuehne + Nagel and Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Cold Chain Technologies
The project, which validated the transportation of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals on one of the world’s most demanding sea routes - from Germany to Australia - has shown that sea freight can offer a viable, cost-effective and more sustainable alternative to air cargo.
Despite facing a series of extreme logistical setbacks, the shipment arrived in perfect condition, thanks in part to Enshield, a high-performance, reusable PCM thermal blanket from Cold Chain Technologies.
Qualifying the route meant meeting the challenge of maintaining quality and compliance over the longer distances, and durations, associated with sea travel. Given the rigid quality and regulatory requirements, all partners agreed that the approach had to be approved on a live test, rather than digital simulation.
This led Kuehne + Nagel and Teva to establish a rigorous testing process, using the hugely challenging Germany to Australia route to put the shipment through its paces. “This is a long journey with significant seasonal and temperature variations, which meant that a successful test would allow us to qualify many lanes in a single study,” explained Judineth Miranda, Sr. Dir. Key Account Management Healthcare at Kuehne + Nagel.
Kuehne + Nagel and Teva initially relied only on traditional thermal covers to complement the active containers being used, but identified the need for additional protection against an increasing number of power outages occurring at sea in recent years. To enhance temperature stability during transit, they tested the Enshield passive thermal blanket, which demonstrated significant advantages over other available options.
“Traditional blankets are flawed – because once hot air gets inside, it can get trapped. Enshield is designed to keep products within 2 and 8degrees C – if the temperature rises above or falls below that, the phase-change material slows down the thermal exchange to keep things balanced and consistent,” said Kristian Williams, Senior Director of Sales – EMEA & APAC at Cold Chain Technologies.
Enshield uses leakproof Koolit Advanced gel, a form-stable PCM that never turns to liquid. It is also highly flexible, which means Enshield can be wrapped around the pallet for a snug fit and enhanced protection.
The ship set out from Germany in November 2023, with an estimated journey time of about 60 days. However, circumstances would determine that the shipment would arrive on land a full 10 days late – but with no impact on the target temperature range of 2-8 degrees C.
“Pretty much everything that could go wrong did so, in terms of putting pressure on the integrity of the cargo,” confirmed Fabian Reitmeier, Project Manager Logistics Integrity at Teva Logistics.
The first challenge came with the closure of the Suez Canal due to increase risk to ocean vessels, meaning the journey was rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, extending the journey by a week.
Secondly – although this was not discovered until later due to being out of GPS range – there was a power outage in the Indian Ocean.
Finally, due to the previous delay, the ship arrived in Sydney Harbour during Australia Day, when the port was operating only a skeleton crew and further delaying the unloading process. The cargo remained in Sydney Harbour for a further four days, in ambient temperatures approaching 40 degrees C.
Remarkably, thanks to the additional support provided by Enshield, the temperature remained stable over the 10 weeks the cargo was in transit. Temperature loggers recorded two minor spikes (during the power outage and upon arrival in Australia) but still remained well within the acceptable parameters and safe to use by end patients.
“This was the most challenging run we did, but the one that performed best – and it’s clear that Enshield was crucial to this success,” confirmed Judineth Miranda.