Service — Cold chain
Pharma · Seafood · Vanilla · FMCG
Cold chain logistics, Madagascar — continuous temperature, continuous chain of custody.
Madagascar has functioning cold-chain capability — but the quality varies by operator and the binding constraint is continuity, not capability. We design the route, book the reefer slots, manage the customs window, and monitor the temperature from origin loading point to final destination. Pharma, seafood, vanilla, and halal FMCG flows handled in that order of strictness.
Verticals
Four cargo profiles, four different cold-chain regimes.
Pharma — chilled and ambient-controlled
+2°C to +8°C · +15°C to +25°C
GDP-compliant cold chain for finished pharmaceutical product into Madagascar. Reefer-container management on the inbound vessel leg, qualified destination cold storage at Toamasina and Antananarivo, and route qualification for onward distribution to provincial dispensing points.
Seafood export — frozen integrity
-18°C and below
Frozen shrimp, lobster, prawn, and processed seafood exports from Mahajanga and Toamasina processing plants. Origin-side cold storage staging, carrier reefer booking with pre-trip inspection, and through-logger monitoring to destination.
Vanilla & high-value agriculture
+10°C to +20°C, humidity-controlled
Cured vanilla, premium spice exports, and high-value processed agriculture requiring controlled-environment shipping. Temperature and humidity-controlled containerised export from Madagascar harvest regions.
FMCG & retail food cold chain
-18°C · +2°C to +8°C
Imported chilled and frozen food, dairy, and ready-to-eat product into the Madagascar retail market. Halal-certified flows from UAE and Turkey via the Jebel Ali corridor are a core specialism.
How we run a cold-chain move
The chain that doesn't break.
1
Pre-shipment route qualification
Map the full origin-to-destination route. Identify cold-chain break points — port-side reefer plug availability, customs hold windows, inland transfer dwell, last-mile vehicle capability. The job is to know where the risks are before the cargo moves, not after.
2
Carrier reefer slot & pre-trip inspection
Book the reefer slot on the carrier rotation matching the cargo profile. Pre-trip inspection (PTI) verifies refrigeration unit function before loading. For pharma flows, PTI documentation forms part of the GDP chain of evidence.
3
Through-logger temperature monitoring
Active temperature loggers travel with the cargo from origin to destination. Real-time or download-at-arrival depending on cargo profile. Excursions trigger an immediate cargo-segregation protocol at destination pending consignee disposition.
4
Destination clearance & cold-storage transfer
Customs clearance at Toamasina prioritises reefer cargo to minimise unplugged dwell. On release, immediate transfer to qualified destination cold storage. Time on the apron unplugged is the operationally controlled risk.
5
Onward distribution & last-mile
Refrigerated inland transport to Antananarivo (RN2 corridor) or other provincial endpoints. Pharma distribution to dispensing points requires route-qualified vehicles and trained handling. Domestic infrastructure varies by region — route mapping is per-engagement, not generic.
Operator FAQ
Cold chain Madagascar — questions we get.
- Does Madagascar have functioning cold-chain infrastructure?
- Yes — Toamasina and Antananarivo have reefer container handling, cold-storage warehousing, and refrigerated inland transport. Quality is variable by operator. Pharma-grade GDP-compliant cold chain is provided by a smaller set of qualified operators; food-grade cold chain is more broadly available. Continuity is the binding constraint, not capability.
- What temperature ranges do you handle?
- Frozen (-18°C and below), chilled (+2°C to +8°C — pharma and most fresh-product applications), and ambient-controlled (+15°C to +25°C — pharma stability range). Each range has different reefer-container configuration, warehousing, and last-mile vehicle implications.
- Which carriers carry reefer containers to Toamasina?
- CMA CGM, MSC, PIL, and Maersk/Safmarine all carry reefer containers on services calling Toamasina. Reefer slot availability varies by lane and season — Madagascar export-season peaks (vanilla harvest, seafood) compete with inbound pharma and food cold-chain for the same allocation.
- Is GDP-compliant pharma cold chain available in Madagascar?
- Yes, for inbound cargo, through qualified operators handling international pharma flows. Domestic distribution to provincial hospitals and pharmacies presents more variable infrastructure — pharmaceutical principals planning Madagascar distribution should map the route from international point-of-entry through to final dispensing point as part of a route qualification.
- How do you handle cold-chain breaks?
- Pre-shipment route qualification identifies break points. Active temperature loggers travel with the cargo. At-destination protocol covers verification on discharge, immediate cold-storage transfer, and a documented chain-of-custody. Where a temperature excursion occurs, the affected lot is segregated pending product-stability assessment by the consignee.
- What seafood cold-chain support do you offer?
- Frozen shrimp, lobster, and prawn exports from Madagascar require continuous frozen integrity from processing plant through carrier reefer to destination. We manage origin-side cold-storage staging, carrier reefer booking and pre-trip inspection, customs export clearance, and through-logger temperature monitoring.
Cold-chain move into or out of Madagascar?
Send the cargo profile — product, temperature range, origin, destination, indicative volume. We'll come back with a route qualification view, carrier reefer shortlist, and temperature-integrity protocol.