Transportation of Food: Ships: Container and Specialized Refrigerated Ships

The transport of food by ship had several problems. The first was that ships are the slowest mode of transportation. This was due not only to the slow speed of ships at sea, but also the slow on-loading and offloading of the ships in harbors. It often could take up to a week for the goods to be removed or loaded. For bulk cargoes, such as grains, this was a minor problem. However, for perishable cargoes such as fruits and vegetables, it presented a serious problem. Long transportation time meant greater spoilage and loss of revenue. Storms and ocean waves and currents also created problems for items transported on ships. The goods had to be well secured on board in order to prevent more spoilage. Finally, food cargoes on ships had problems with moisture, humidity, and temperature changes—all of which also caused spoilage.