Sado Kisen (Sado City, Niigata Prefecture) will launch a new refrigerated transportation service. In cooperation with ITE (Chiyoda, Tokyo), the company will transport products at different temperatures (room temperature, refrigerated, and frozen) by sea in a single container. The company will set up a highly efficient cold chain (low-temperature logistics) between Niigata and Sado, which will lead to the revitalization of logistics.

Sado Kisen, Sado Kisen Transport, and ITE will collaborate to start full-scale service in July. Until now, refrigerated transportation between Niigata and Ryotsu has only been transported by refrigerated containers or trucks using dry ice. Separate containers and trucks are required for frozen and refrigerated goods, and there have been issues with the carbon dioxide emissions from dry ice and how to deal with the “2024 problem.”

The new service will store four pallets in a single container. The pallet is box-shaped to prevent cold air from escaping, and inside is a high-performance icebattery that can be used repeatedly, developed by ITE. By placing eight pre-cooled icebattery in the container for refrigerated goods, or 12 for frozen goods, different temperatures can be maintained for each pallet even within the same container.

Pankaj Garg, CEO of ITE, said, “It will also help us respond to the 2024 problem and reduce CO2 emissions, and if logistics become more active, it will also be an opportunity to revitalize the economy and the flow of people on Sado Island.“