ATO Certification of Reefer Containers

Organisation behind ATO certification

The ATO certification program for reefer containers is executed by the multidisciplinary research organisation Wageningen Food & Biobased Research, part of Wageningen University & Research (The Netherlands). The site www.reefertransport.nl is merely dedicated to the ATO-certification program. Visit our website to get a general overview of our activities in the field of post-harvest technologies applied to food produces and of refrigerated transport.

Objective of ATO certification

The purpose of ATO certification of reefer containers by Wageningen Food & Biobased Research is to improve the quality preservation of flower bulbs during shipment by means of classifying the suitability of reefer containers for the transportation of flower bulbs. ATO certification primarily serves the interests of flower bulb shippers, as it supports them in serving their customers optimally. For this purpose ATO certification works in closed collaboration with Anthos organisation (Dutch Royal Trade association for Nursery stock and flower bulbs).
Insurance company requires the shipment of flower bulbs within ATO-certified reefer containers.
The ATO certification of reefer container assures to the container owners the extension of their cargo volume by transporting flower bulbs.

Minimum requirements for full ATO certification

An ATO-certified reefer container with the qualification 'Suitable for all destinations' has met the following minimum requirements:

1. Fresh air exchange of empty container (at 380V/50Hz) at least 2.6 m³/h per m³ internal container volume.
2. Air circulation inside empty container (at 380V/50Hz) at least 40 m³/h per m³ internal container volume.
3. Height T-bars in 40 ft. containers at least 60 mm, in 20 ft. containers at least 30 mm.
4. Four drain holes in the corners. What will happen if a container has less than 4 drain holes?

The two possible procedures for getting your reefer containers ATO-certified

PROCEDURE A (most common for new containers):

Arrange that an approved classification society (e.g. ABS or Bureau Veritas) witnesses the ATO-tests on your new-built containers at the container manufacturing site. The classification society will submit the test results to our website. We check whether the received information meets the ATO-standards and, depending on the outcome, issue the ATO-certificates to:

1. Commissioning company (Box Manufacturer or Owner)
2. Anthos," the Royal Trade Association for Nurserystock and Flowerbulbs in The Netherlands
3. The classification society that witnessed the test

PROCEDURE B (most common for containers which are in service already):

Request us to perform the ATO-tests on your containers. We usually perform the ATO-tests in Rotterdam or Antwerp. If the test result meet the ATO-standards we issue the ATO-certificates to:

1. Commissioning company (Box Manufacturer or Owner)
2. Anthos, the Royal Trade Association for Nurserystock and Flowerbulbs in The Netherlands

For more details see our Explanatory notes to the ATO-certification of reefer containers

Additional information

Furthermore we place at your disposal several reports and tools related to reefer core-business that could be relevant for you and your industry. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any additional information.

• Optimizing shipment of lily bulbs in 40ft reefer containers
• Reefer units guide for flowerbulb shipment
• The effect of T-bar height on air distribution in reefer containers
• Reefer units guide for flowerbulb shipment: Power Point presentation
• Drain holes in reefer containers and the conflicting interests of controlled atmosphere and dehumidification
• Explanatory notes to the ATO certification of reefer containers (version 4.0)

• Reefer Settings Support Tool
• Check list for flower bulb shipment