Many pharmaceutical products require a specific temperature to maintain their quality. At Port of Antwerp-Bruges, companies monitor the cold chain around the clock.
Pharmaceuticals are sensitive to heat and cold. Even a small difference in temperature can affect performance. Therefore, all links in the logistics chain follow the European Good Distribution Practice (GDP) directive. That dictates how to safely store and transport medicines, vaccines and medical equipment.
In the port, this takes place in GDP-certified refrigerated storage and refrigerated containers. Sensors continuously measure the temperature and humidity and immediately sound the alarm in the event of deviations.
One specialised player in the port is Yusen Logistics. Stefan Durt, sales manager at Yusen Logistics, sees more and more manufacturers switching from air freight to sea freight because they want to reduce theircarbon emissions.
Yusen Logistics uses a smart warehouse where unmanned trucks automatically put pallets in the right place. This allows them to completely unload a reefer in as little as 20 minutes.
Quality is key. As such, the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMHP) regularly monitors the warehouses. These checks are on top of those by the manufacturers, who frequently dispatch their own pharmacists to verify proper storage of their products.
Companies take a test sample from each incoming medicine. Only when that is approved may the product go to the European market. Reports are also sent to customers to confirm that the temperature remained steady during storage.
