The reefer was set correctly. The temperature display was normal. The refrigeration unit was running. But was the cargo itself at the correct temperature?
In refrigerated cargo operations, this difference is often overlooked. A reefer container may be set to the required temperature while the cargo inside has already warmed up, partially thawed, or was loaded before reaching the required temperature. On the display, everything may appear normal. Inside the cargo, the reality can be different.
Before loading begins, a surveyor should look beyond the reefer display and verify the fundamentals:
• Is the declared cargo temperature consistent with the actual condition?
• Has the cargo been properly pre-cooled before loading?
• Are temperature readings taken at appropriate points?
• Is the cargo condition consistent with the declared requirements?
• Are there any visible signs of thawing, condensation, frost, leakage, or temperature exposure?
The set point is not necessarily the same as the actual cargo temperature. The reefer system controls the internal environment, but it cannot immediately change the temperature of cargo that enters the container above the required level.
This is why temperature evidence should be established as early as possible.
A proper reefer survey is not simply about recording the number shown on the reefer display. It should establish an objective record of the cargo condition, temperature information, reefer setting, operating condition, and relevant observations at the time of inspection.
The condition of the cargo itself is also important. Packaging, cartons, pallets, wrapping, frost, condensation, leakage, or signs of thawing may provide valuable evidence. These observations should be recorded objectively, supported by photographs and relevant temperature readings where applicable.
Once the reefer container is closed and sealed, direct access to the cargo is no longer available. During transportation, temperature conditions may change, and it may become difficult to determine whether a problem existed before loading or developed later.
This becomes particularly important when a temperature-related claim arises. The parties may review reefer temperature records, data loggers, or monitoring systems. However, these records do not necessarily establish the exact condition of the cargo at the moment it was presented for shipment.
A surveyor’s role is therefore not to assume the cause of a temperature deviation, but to preserve evidence while it is still available.
Observe. Measure. Record. Report.
A reefer can be set correctly. The refrigeration unit can be operating normally. The display can show the required temperature.
But that does not necessarily mean the cargo itself was at the correct temperature when it was loaded.
That is why proper inspection and documentation at the beginning of the transportation process matter.
The reefer was set correctly.
But was the cargo temperature correct?
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