Will ocean freight be the dominant mode of transport for pharmaceutical payloads?

Currently, around 20% of pharmaceutical payloads are moved via ocean freight however it’s forecast this will increase to approximately 75% within the next 10 years.  

Here is what Adam Tetz Peli, BioThermal’s director of worldwide marketing said about the shift towards ocean freight shipping:

“There will always be a need for air transportation when emergencies arise and there is the need to get products shipped more quickly. Some pharma products will always be in high demand or have a high enough value to only travel by air. There will always be emergencies and natural disasters that need pharmaceuticals quickly. Shipments sent over the water could be unavailable for four to six weeks, so air transport will be a valuable logistics mode when speed is called for. 

“The benefits of sea freight are the risk is lower, there are cost savings because less is paid per kilometre to ship by water versus aircraft. There is also an environmental component because less fuel is used and fewer carbon emissions are created along with fewer greenhouse gases.  

“Peli BioThermal is one of a select number of industry leaders hand-picked to join the recently launched sea-freight program, Poseidon, which is focused on improving collaboration and integration between pharmaceutical manufacturers and their logistics solution providers. 

“Poseidon is a sea freight model acknowledging and supporting the intimate interconnection of the entire pharma-logistics supply chain in order to better ensure the safe and secure transportation of health-giving and life-saving pharmaceutical products. 

“The pharmaceutical industry, as a whole, is looking to sea freight for a carbon-friendly, efficient use of fuels. Joining Poseidon allows us to work together with industry leaders to outline how ocean transport can best be utilised to improve the efficiency of that channel for the pharmaceutical supply chain. 

“Poseidon provides a sea-freight GDP compliant model, aimed at ensuring the safe and secure transportation of pharmaceutical products throughout the entire pharma-logistics supply chain. The program focuses on an ocean-going approach to temperature controlled pharmaceutical transportation, which offers low transportation costs, minimal environmental impact and minimised temperature excursions during long-haul logistics. It is part of a new effort, which aims to improve pharmaceutical supply chain efficiency for ocean logistics.