A practical, verification-first playbook to confirm reefer plug availability and monitoring at Indonesia’s main export ports. Who to contact, the exact questions to ask, what proofs to request, and the fallback options that keep your tuna, shrimp, and whitefish cold and safe.
If you’ve ever had a reefer arrive at the yard and the only available plug was “tomorrow morning,” you know the sick feeling that follows. We’ve been there. Over the last few seasons we went from last-minute plug scrambles to 99% plug certainty by switching to a verification-first routine. Here’s the same week-by-week process we use at Jakarta (Tanjung Priok), Surabaya (Tanjung Perak), Bitung, Belawan, and Makassar.
The 3 pillars of reliable reefer plug availability
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Confirm week-specific terminal capacity with evidence. Don’t settle for “should be fine.” Ask for current reefer yard occupancy and plug counts for your specific vessel week. Get it in writing and attach screenshots when possible.
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Lock in monitoring and alarm response. Power is nothing without 24/7 checks. You want the monitoring frequency, escalation rules, and evidence logs. If you can’t see it, assume it won’t happen consistently.
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Pre-book fallbacks. Have off-dock plugs and clip-on gensets reserved before you hit the gate queue. When congestion hits, this is what saves product.
Practical takeaway: You’re verifying three things for your week. A live plug will be available. Someone is actually watching your unit. And you have a Plan B if the first two wobble.
Week-by-week checklist (works for Priok, Perak, Bitung, Belawan, Makassar)
T-14 to T-10 days
- Terminal verification. Ask the terminal or your forwarder for the reefer yard plan for your service week. Request a screenshot or PDF of the TOS showing reefer occupancy by stack, plus the number of live plugs available near your cut-off. Phrase it like this: “Please confirm plug availability for sailing [Service/Vessel/Voyage] during [Date–Date window]. Share reefer rack occupancy by stack and any planned maintenance.”
- PTI reefer Indonesia. Decide where your Pre-Trip Inspection will be done. We prefer PTI at the line’s depot closest to the terminal to cut transit risk. Ask for PTI report and stamp, setpoint confirmation, and probe test results. Typical PTI fees vary by line and city. Confirm lead time because some depots now require 24–48 hours booking before PTI.
- Genset reservation. If your lane or port has recent congestion, pencil in a clip-on genset. It’s easier to cancel than scramble. Confirm fuel level, run test, and return point. Ask your forwarder for “genset rental Indonesia port” options at Priok, Perak, Belawan, and Makassar.
T-9 to T-5 days
- Reefer cut-off Indonesia. Get the reefer cut-off time from the terminal and the line, by service. These differ. Ask for on-dock time needed before cut-off to secure a plug. At Surabaya Tanjung Perak in particular, we ask for the last safe gate-in without overtime.
- Monitoring procedures. Request the terminal’s 24/7 reefer monitoring SOP: check frequency (usually 4–6 hours), alarm thresholds, and response time. Ask who calls whom at 2am. Get a sample monitoring log from the previous week.
- Off-dock plugs or cold storage. If yard occupancy looks tight, book an off-dock plug or short-stay cold storage. In Makassar, you’ll often juggle on-dock vs off-dock for shrimp. Confirm transfer truck availability and fuelled gensets for the move.
T-4 to T-0 days
- Gate plan. Stagger arrivals. If you have 8 boxes of Yellowfin Saku (Sushi Grade) and Bigeye Loin, don’t send them all at once. Gate-in two by two, confirm plug assignment, then release the next.
- Verify plug assignment on receipt. Insist the terminal gate-in receipt shows plug/rack number or at least the yard location. Ask the yard controller for a photo of the unit connected with the plug ID visible. Keep these in your file.
- Final monitoring check. Ask for a live snapshot of your units’ temperatures and “time since last check.” Cross-reference with your setpoints for tuna, shrimp, or whitefish like Grouper Fillet (IQF) and Snapper Fillet (Red Snapper). For raw tuna, we’re strict about variance.
Port-by-port realities (and how to verify)
How do I check if there are enough reefer plugs at Tanjung Priok for my sailing week?
- Who to contact. Your forwarder’s port team plus the terminal’s reefer desk. Ask specifically for “Tanjung Priok reefer plugs by stack for [Service/Vessel/Voyage].”
- Proof to request. A PDF or screenshot of the reefer yard occupancy and planned maintenance for your date window. Ask for the earliest guaranteed plug time if gating in within 24 hours of cut-off.
- Fallback. Pre-book a genset for gate queues at Jakarta. Gate peaks still happen, and a 45–90 minute idle without power in afternoon heat is asking for trouble.
What should I ask my forwarder about reefer cut-off and on-dock time in Surabaya (Tanjung Perak)?
- Ask for “Surabaya Tanjung Perak reefer monitoring procedures and terminal contact.” You want the reefer desk’s direct line and after-hours escalation contact.
- Confirm the real cut-off. Many lines publish a generic cut-off but terminals throttle reefer intake earlier. Ask for “last safe gate-in” for your service.
- Request a monitoring log sample from last week. We’ve found this single page predicts 80% of trouble. If logs are messy, alarms get missed.
Do Bitung or Belawan have enough plugs on-dock, or do I need off-dock before gate-in?
- Bitung port reefer capacity. It’s grown, but tuna peaks still tighten plugs fast. For tuna exports to the US West Coast, you’ll likely feeder to a hub before the long-haul leg. We’ve had success booking off-dock plugs as a buffer in Bitung and only moving on-dock once the terminal confirms the stack assignment.
- Belawan reefer container power. During peak weeks to Singapore feeders, we see rationing near cut-off. Ask for “Belawan reefer container cut-off times to Singapore feeder” and the number of spare plugs in your stack 48 hours prior. Off-dock is your safety valve.
Makassar: on-dock vs off-dock for shrimp
- Makassar port cold storage isn’t always aligned with sailing windows. If your Frozen Shrimp (Black Tiger, Vannamei & Wild Caught) production finishes late, hold at off-dock cold store with genset-equipped transfer. Confirm the cold store’s plug map and monitoring SOP just like a terminal.
Who to contact and the exact questions to ask
Terminal reefer desk
- “Please confirm live reefer plug availability for [Service/Vessel/Voyage] arriving week [dates]. Share occupancy by stack and earliest guaranteed connection time.”
- “Do you provide 24/7 reefer monitoring? What’s the check frequency and alarm response time? Please share last week’s anonymized monitoring log.”
Forwarder/line ops
- “What’s the real reefer cut-off and last safe gate-in for my service? Any yard throttling expected?”
- “Where will PTI be done? Please send PTI report with setpoint and probe test. Is pre-cooling required?”
Off-dock cold storage or depot
- “How many plugs are free next week? Can you send a plug map? What’s your monitoring SOP and escalation?”
Email script you can copy
Subject: Reefer plug and monitoring confirmation – [POL] – [Service/Vessel/Voy] – Week [Dates]
Hello [Name],
We plan to gate in [X] x 40’RH set to [Temp/Commodity] for [Service/Vessel/Voy] during [Date–Date].
Please confirm:
- Live reefer plug availability and earliest guaranteed connection time by stack
- 24/7 monitoring frequency and alarm response time, with last week’s sample log
- Reefer cut-off and last safe gate-in for this service
- PTI location and availability; please share PTI report upon completion
If plugs look tight, please advise off-dock plug options or genset coverage for gate queues.
Thanks, [Your Name] / [Company]
Can I rent a genset to cover queues or plug shortages?
Yes. “Reefer container genset rental at Jakarta port” and the other main ports is standard through forwarders or equipment providers. In our experience, you want the booking made at T-7, with written confirmation of fuel level, runtime test, and on-terminal return points. Agree who pays if the genset must ride the box into the yard overnight. Stock does run out in peak weeks, so reserve early.
How long can a reefer wait unplugged at Indonesian terminals?
Short answer. Don’t rely on unplugged time. Tropical heat accelerates temperature creep. We aim for zero unplugged minutes by using clip-on gensets from factory gate to terminal plug-in. If you’re caught without power, keep it under 30 minutes and only with well-frozen core product. For sashimi-grade tuna or delicate items, treat any unplugged window as unacceptable.
Do Indonesian terminals offer 24/7 monitoring and alarm response?
Most major terminals say yes, but performance varies. In the last six months, we’ve seen solid logs at Priok and Perak on calm weeks and patchy logs during congestion waves. That’s why we always ask for a sample monitoring log and an escalation contact. If no log is available, we assume monitoring is manual and inconsistent.
Which Indonesian port is most reliable for powering reefers with tuna or shrimp?
For nationwide reliability, Tanjung Priok and Tanjung Perak generally offer the strongest reefer infrastructure and staffing. Bitung is practical for tuna origin but we treat plugs as tighter, so off-dock buffers help. Belawan can be tight when Singapore feeders bunch. Makassar works well with a split plan using off-dock cold storage then quick gate-in. Your best lane to the US West Coast will usually transship via Singapore or Busan, so plug discipline at origin matters more than the brochure map.
Common mistakes we still see (and how to avoid them)
- Accepting a generic “plenty of plugs.” Always get stack-level availability and a screenshot.
- Gating all boxes at once. Stagger gate-in and verify each plug assignment on the gate-in receipt before releasing the next truck.
- Skipping PTI verification. Ask for PTI report and photo of the controller with setpoint. For high-value items like Bigeye Steak or Grouper Fillet (IQF), we require this before loading.
- No pre-booked fallback. Reserve off-dock plugs or gensets by T-7. Cancel if unused. It’s cheaper than a claim.
Final takeaways you can use this week
- Ask for stack-level plug availability with evidence for your exact vessel week.
- Verify 24/7 monitoring with a real log sample and an escalation contact.
- Book PTI close to port, keep the report, and confirm setpoints.
- Pre-book off-dock plugs or gensets if occupancy looks tight or your cargo is high risk.
Need a quick, week-specific check on plug availability for your lane? We’re happy to sanity-check your plan or help line up off-dock coverage. If it saves you one temperature deviation, it’s worth it. You can Contact us on whatsapp and we’ll confirm the steps for your port and service. And if you’re reviewing product specs while you plan, you can also View our products.