Carriage of cocoa butter in containers

Cocoa butter is derived from whole cocoa beans which are fermented, roasted, and then separated from their hulls. The majority of cocoa butter is exported from equatorial and tropical countries, and transported along routes that are close to or cross the equator. Therefore, it can be expected that the container will experience long periods of high ambient temperatures.

Cocoa butter becomes soft and malleable at 30-32°C and can melt at 37°C and can retain the latent heat and remain in such a condition down to as low as 17°C. Upon heating, cocoa butter expands and may cause it to burst the packaging and seep out, staining adjacent cartons and possibly leaking outside of the container or causing damage to the container structure. There have been incidences of cocoa butter melting on board ships, resulting in the clogging of ships’ bilges.

To reduce the number of claims from the carriage of cocoa butter the Cargo Incident Notification System (CINS) has published a set of detailed guidelines to ensure that this type of cargo is properly packaged and carried.

Gard is an Advisory Member of CINS and is pleased to see that many of our Members and clients are also members of CINS.  We encourage other container line members and clients to enquire about CINS membership, the main purpose of which is to highlight and address risks posed by certain cargoes and/or packing failures in order to improve safety in the liner shipping industry.