Cargo Business Techwire

Friday, April 17, 2015

Samskip transports plants in reefer containers by rail

Dutch logistics company Samskip has completed the first rail freight transport of plants using reefer containers from the Netherlands to Sweden.

Developed by Unit45, the flora container allows the sustainable transportation of plants and flowers through multimodal rail. It guarantees a fast leadtime, high payload and cost-efficient pricing, the company stated.

Samskip said they completed the project with the support of the Dutch Association of wholesalers in Floricultural products, VGB.

"Samskip Van Dieren Multimodal's rail network and

Samskip Coolboxx expertise in temperature-controlled shipments ensure a value-added, reliable service of specific interest to flowers and plants retailers, saving CO2 emissions at the same time," said Johan Vogelaar, Samskip’s reefer trade/multimodal services manager.

The flora container features real-time tracking and temperature monitoring. With an internal width of 2.50 meters and internal height of 2.78 meters, the container can accommodate 43 flower trolleys. An integrated diesel generator supported active temperature control of the plants during its journey from Duisburg to Sweden.