Frequently asked questions

GoReefers is a South African logistics provider offering end-to-end cold-chain and general freight services — bookings, container transport, cold storage, airfreight, export documentation, customs clearance and real-time shipment tracking — moving perishable and dry cargo from origin to destination worldwide.

GoReefers is based in South Africa and operates from the Western Cape, moving cargo from South African origins to markets worldwide.

Yes. GoReefers is a key pillar within the GoGlobal Group, which also provides international freight and related business services.

GoReefers was founded in 2001 and has been operating in perishable and general cargo logistics for more than -31 years.

GoReefers operates as a one-stop hub rather than a single-service provider: bookings, container transport, cold storage, cold chain monitoring, export documentation, customs clearance, airfreight, finance and shipment tracking are delivered by one company working from one set of shipment data. For temperature-sensitive cargo this matters, because the handovers between separate providers are where the cold chain usually breaks.

72% of GoReefers' shipping volume comes from customer relationships of ten years or longer.

Root2Go is a centralised logistics platform from GoReefers that provides real-time shipment visibility, consolidated sailing schedules, container tracking, documentation management and industry analytics in one system.

On Premium subscriptions and above, Root2Go tracks containers on the ocean in real time, records tracking events as they occur, and updates estimated arrival times using daily vessel position data.

Lite gives a bookings overview and shipper documentation portal. Basic adds live South African sailing schedules, a bookings portal, exception management and transport tracking. Premium adds live container ocean tracking and transshipment expediting. Ultimate adds international sailing schedules, a receiver documents portal, packing lists and destination dashboards. Ultimate+ adds document handling for non-GoReefers shipments.

Live sailing schedules are daily-updated vessel schedules across shipping lines. Stacks are the windows during which containers can be delivered to the terminal for a particular vessel. Root2Go combines the two, so planning accounts for both when a vessel sails and when cargo can physically be delivered.

They are stock and financial management solutions that integrate with GoReefers. iRoot Stock covers stock management with integrated bookings and commercial invoicing. iRoot Fruit Essentials adds debtor management. iRoot Premium is a full ERP covering inventory control, financial reporting, grower payments and audit support.

Container Connect is GoReefers' container equipment access solution. It secures priority allocation of reefer and dry containers for South African exporters during periods when equipment is short, so booked shipments still sail on their intended vessel.

Peak export season concentrates demand for reefer equipment into a narrow window. When more exporters need containers than the shipping lines have positioned in the region, equipment becomes the constraint on the whole programme rather than vessel space.

Cargo rolls to a later sailing, which extends cold store dwell, adds storage cost, consumes shelf life and can put a delivery commitment to your buyer at risk. Container Connect exists to prevent that sequence starting.

Yes. Priority allocation covers refrigerated and dry equipment, so both temperature-controlled and general cargo programmes can be protected.

Destination+ is GoReefers' fully managed destination logistics solution. It brings customs clearance, destination transport, cold storage and final delivery under one accountable provider, with predictable costs agreed in advance.

Destination+ currently covers India, the United Kingdom, and Europe through Rotterdam. Each regional offering is built around the local regulations, infrastructure and customer requirements of that specific market rather than being a single generic service.

Standard destination handling typically means coordinating a customs broker, a haulier and a cold store separately, each holding part of the picture. Destination+ replaces that with one provider holding the whole shipment record, which is what makes fixed pricing and end-to-end visibility possible.

Yes. Each regional variant includes approved cold storage and reefer handling, because maintaining the cold chain after arrival is the main reason destination logistics matters for perishable cargo.

Fix them in advance. Destination+ India uses fixed door-to-door pricing, so destination charges are agreed before the cargo sails rather than presented after arrival. Verified receiver checks and transparent cost validation remove the two most common sources of unexpected charges.

Yes. Customs clearance is one stage of the Destination+ India solution, alongside trucking, handling, cold storage and final delivery, all managed by one provider.

Delay insurance covers loss arising from qualifying delays at destination. It applies to shipments meeting the policy conditions — confirm the qualifying criteria for your cargo and route with the GoReefers team when arranging the shipment.

Yes. Controlled reefer handling with storage and plug-in rates is part of the solution, so temperature-sensitive cargo stays at its set regime rather than losing the cold chain while clearance completes.

Yes. Destination+ UK combines UK customs clearance, destination transport and approved cold storage under one provider, so cargo moves from arrival to storage without changing hands between separate companies.

Cargo moves into approved UK cold storage facilities under managed reefer handling, and the same provider coordinates clearance and transport. The risk in UK destination logistics is the gaps between providers, so removing the handovers is what protects the chain.

Destination charges are set out in advance rather than accumulating as separate invoices from customs brokers, hauliers and cold stores after the cargo has arrived.

Under Destination+ EU, GoReefers coordinates customs clearance, reefer handling and movement into approved cold storage from the point of vessel discharge, so the cargo stays under temperature control and under one provider throughout.

Rotterdam is a major European entry point for perishable cargo, and the discharge-to-storage window is where the cold chain is most exposed. Coordinating customs, handling and specialised storage across separate providers is where the delays and temperature excursions occur.

Yes. Approved cold storage for temperature-sensitive cargo is part of the solution, along with the reefer handling that gets cargo there from the quay.

Delivery Direct is GoReefers' port-to-door container delivery solution. It moves containers from the arrival port or terminal to the final destination, with customs clearance, destination transport and final-mile delivery handled by one provider.

Delivery Direct currently covers the United Kingdom and Europe through Rotterdam.

Destination+ is built around destination cost control and cold storage, for cargo that needs holding at destination. Delivery Direct is built around movement — getting the container from the port to the receiver without it stopping. Cargo that needs both can use them together.

Yes. Delivery Direct UK covers the full port-to-door journey — UK customs clearance, destination transport and final-mile delivery — managed by one provider with one point of accountability.

GoReefers does, as part of the same managed journey. Clearance is not handed to a separate broker, which is what removes the most common delay point between arrival and delivery.

Shipment visibility runs from port arrival through to final delivery, so the container can be located at each stage rather than only at the port and on arrival at the receiver.

Yes. Delivery Direct EU coordinates destination documentation, road transport and final delivery from Rotterdam to receivers across the European supply chain.

Delivery Direct EU is container delivery — moving the container from the port to a receiver. Transport Solutions is a managed road freight lane from Rotterdam to Spain for temperature-sensitive cargo, including cold chain handling in transit.

Yes. Destination documentation is coordinated as part of the managed journey rather than being handled separately by the receiver or a third-party broker.

Citrus Black Spot is a fungal disease of citrus that produces lesions on the rind. It is a regulated phytosanitary concern in several import markets, most notably the European Union, where its detection in a consignment can result in the shipment being held or rejected.

Recovery+ is GoReefers' cargo recovery solution for consignments held or rejected for Citrus Black Spot. It segregates affected product, holds cargo under controlled cold store conditions and manages re-export to alternative destinations, so commercial value is recovered rather than written off.

Affected product can often be segregated from unaffected product, and the sound cargo re-exported to a market with different phytosanitary requirements. The alternative — treating the whole consignment as a total loss — is usually avoidable if the cargo is handled quickly and stored correctly while options are assessed.

As early as possible. Recovery outcomes depend on product condition, and a consignment sitting outside controlled storage while decisions are made loses the shelf life that any re-export option depends on.

Yes. Transport Solutions is a managed refrigerated road freight service running from Rotterdam to Spain, including cold chain handling in transit and customs support.

Rotterdam to Spain. For other European lanes, contact the GoReefers team — routes outside the standard lane can be quoted on request.

Temperature is held throughout the journey under professional cold chain handling, so the product arrives in the condition it departed in rather than losing shelf life in transit.