Cold Chain Strategies for Seaports: Towards a Worldwide Policy Classification and Analysis

The reefer container market and global cold chains present several opportunitiesfor seaports. This high-value market grows rapidly, but also places demands on ports’ logistics processes, infrastructure, and energy provision. The current academic literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of the policy options available to port authorities to address these types of challenges and opportunities. Based on a survey of the world’s 50 largest container ports, this study presents a new dataset of policies ports implement in the area of reefer transportation and cold chain logistics. The policies are analyzed in terms oftheir content, goals and scope. Most commonly, the scope is limited to the port cluster, where ports often (co)-invest in or aim for cluster formation around cold stores within the port.When a port broadens its strategic scope, this is aligned with policy goals formulated at higher levels of governance, such as modal shift goals or the development of domestic postharvest distribution systems. There is little evidence that port authorities pursue policies in line with an overarching strategy, taking into account the logistics, marketing, technology,and sustainability dimensions of cold chains. The paper outlines the general tenets such a strategy should contain as a consideration for policymakers.Transport and Logistic