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More sun hours, rising temperature and an higher percentage of rejected import containers. Every year EWS Group sees the rising percentage of containers with an excessively high gas value when the summer period begins. What is the exact reason behind the rising temperature vs. rejected containers? Will there be more gas added to containers? And what exactly does heat do?

Evaporation process
The answer to the question – “will there be more gas added to containers during this period?” – is no. About 90% of the rejected containers contain gases that arise from the evaporation process from the goods inside. After production, the goods are quickly placed in the container where the evaporation process continues. When the containers are in a cold environment and / or in an environment where there is less of sunlight, the temperature in the container would be lower. In the other way around, the container gets much warmer inside. Think about getting into a car that has been in the sun for several hours.

The result of more sun hours
What is the impact of heat in containers? When the temperature in containers will rise, the goods will evaporate more, which logically results in a higher gas value in containers. Below you’ll see a selection from our database to show the impact of more sun hours and warm temperatures.

Using this information to your advantage
So, now you know the gas value will increase when the temperature rises. Due to this reason, EWS uses Inland Terminals and the Drive-Through locations to perform gas measurements. Throughout the Netherlands EWS has collaborations with Inland Terminals and by having the gas measurements take place at one of these locations, the container can be directly connected to a ventilation system if the gas value is too high. This will prevent a unnecessary trip for your carriers because the container still appears to contain too high gas value on arrival. And don’t forget, you don’t have  to cancel the unloading team as well.

Ventilation without the desired result
However, ventilation can sometimes take longer than expected during this period. After disconnecting the ventilation, goods will evaporate in such a way that the gas value in the container increases again. There is also a solution for this case: EWS offers the possibility to unload the container at the customer’s location or an EWS location where we will use all necessary personal protective equipment. The container is a closed space with less air circulation. When the goods are unloaded safely with a mixture of “fresh” air, a high gas value is no longer measured. This means that the goods can still be delivered to the customer on time and the container can be returned to the terminal on time.

If you have any questions or problems regarding your measurements and ventilation, do not hesitate to contact us. We are pleased to assist you in your logistics process to offer the best solutions.

EWS Group – Our solutions, your sustainability