Climate Conditions in ISO Container Shipments from Hungary to South Africa and Asia

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide useful information about climate conditions of transcontinental shipments from Hungary and compare them to the climate profiles of conditioning standards. The climatic environments inside ISO intermodal containers carrying automotive products to three different destinations in India, China and South Africa were measured. All three recorded surveys contain temperature and relative humidity data while the containers were stored outdoors and indoors and travelled on truck, rail and ship. The measured data was analyzed and mean statistical values of daily temperature and RH shifts were determined for each route. The recorded data shows that 50 % of maximum temperature and RH shifts occurred in the EU continent. Temperature and relative humidity distribution as a function of cumulative percentages [%] of the duration of total shipping was also determined and compared to the climate profiles of conditioning standards. It shows that peak temperature and RH ranges occur mostly in the defined duration of conditioning testing time.