Cold Shipment Preparation

Owned by jr_novak
Last updated: May 29, 2022
5 min read

When scientists request temperature controlled shipments (refrigerated and frozen) of their samples, it is the responsibility of the ALOs and Curators to prepare the samples for shipment prior to arriving in port.  This is especially important if the on-coming crew will be sending the shipment.  

For information on preparing the cold shipments in AMS, see Shipping on the JR,  Appendix A: Temperature Controlled Shipments.

Inform scientists that customs duties and fees must be paid by the recipient and will not be covered by IODP.

Prior to Arrival in Port

The marine logistics coordinator (MLC) will need an accurate estimate of the number of coolers and boxes to be shipped to ensure enough dry ice is ordered and that our third party shipper, generally World Courier, is prepared to handle the shipment. The ALO will coordinate with the Curator to generate a "Cold Shipments Inventory" file that will be provided to the MLC.  

Inventory of Sample Locations:

The cold shipment inventory file can be found in the ALO notebook on Confluence under the Shipping heading (Location Summary Cold SHIPMENTS.doc).  This document is two fold.  It contains 1) a list of scientists, their samples, and the shipping requirements (Frozen or Refrigerated) and 2) sample location diagrams for tracking where samples are stored.   It is critical that the sample location maps in this document are kept up to date.  This document will be critical for the crew that is packaging the shipment to ensure they know exactly where all of the samples are stored and how many samples to be looking for while packaging the shipments.  The MLC will use the first page to coordinate the cold shipments with World Courier.

Estimating Sample Quantities:

To get an accurate estimate for the shipment, samples should be bagged and grouped as they are collected.  Samples are generally placed in trash bags in the freezers to keep the samples organized.  As a bag fills up, do a 'dry run' with the shipping container (cooler or insulated box) to see how the samples fit.  There should be room left in the box or cooler for dry ice or blue ice. Add blue ice around the sides and top of the samples and keep track of how much blue ice will be used in each box.  Once it is determined that the box is 'full' then the bag should be sealed and labeled with the scientists request code and the bag number.  See photo example below.  By labeling the bags (1 of 3, 2 of 3, etc.) the technician packaging samples at the time of shipment will know how many bags of samples to look for and how many boxes to package.  To prevent issues with samples being sent to the wrong locations if they are repacked after leaving the ship, each box/bag of samples should include the recipients address. (see below) 

Samples packaged with Address Label attached.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samples must be properly prepared prior to the day of shipping.  The goal is to make the shipping process as easy as possible when the World Courier or other third party arrives to pick up the samples.  Proper packing will depend on the type of samples being sent. 

  • Solid sediment samples can be gathered in bags, sealed, and labeled.  Each labeled bag will be one box or cooler.

  • Liquid samples should be sealed with parafilm to prevent leaking.  Glass bottles need to be packaged to ensure they will stay secure during shipping.  Often vials are packaged in the boxes with ampule foam or other packaging material. Bottles and vials of water should be secured in boxes so they will not move around or spill.  These boxes should then be sealed and labeled.

The day of the shipment, technicians should only need to locate the samples, set them in the shipping box or cooler, and add dry ice or blue ice to the package.   

Prepare boxes and coolers:

Prior to arrival in port, all of the boxes and coolers should be prepared for the shipment.  Dry ice shipments require that a trained technician properly label each box as dry ice is a hazardous material.  Typically dry ice shipments are sent in igloo coolers and refrigerated shipments are sent in insulated cooler kits.  See Labeling Dry Ice Shipment on the ALO Lab Notebook.

Each box should have the shipping address on the outside to ensure it is sent to the proper location.

Packing Shipment in Port

  1. Have a print out of the sample location diagrams available.  The ALOs and Curator should familarize themselves with the sample locations before the day of the shipment.

  2. Place each box or bag of samples in the prepared shipping container.  Make sure the sample labels match the package labels!

  3. Add the blue ice or dry ice 

    1. For refrigerated samples, add the frozen blue ice blocks to the box and seal the box shut with tape

    2. For Dry Ice Shipments, add dry ice on top of and around the sample bag or box.  We estimate about 13 kg of dry ice per cooler.

      1. Have PPE and the scoops for transferring the dry ice prepared

  4. Minimize the air space within the packages by adding more blue ice or dry ice or add more packing materials (bubble wrap, foam wrap, etc.)

          5. Use filament tape to seal the coolers shut after the dry ice has been added.

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