Cold Room
A ship's cold room is a modular insulated enclosure built from prefabricated panels, holding provisions at a fixed setpoint for weeks between ports with no possibility of a same-day repair call if something fails mid-ocean.
Read more — Cold Room explained ▾
What makes a shipboard cold room different from ashore
A ship's cold room is a modular insulated enclosure, built from prefabricated panels bolted or cammed together, holding provisions at a fixed setpoint for weeks between ports - with no possibility of a same-day repair call if something fails mid-ocean. That drives design choices ashore cold stores rarely need: panels rated for a moving, vibrating structure, door gaskets that survive constant temperature cycling, and refrigeration plant redundancy the shore market treats as optional.
Main components
Insulated panels
Polyurethane or PIR foam core between steel or aluminium skins, cammed together at panel joints to keep the enclosure airtight and to stop thermal bridging at the seams.
Doors and gaskets
Heavy-duty hinged or sliding doors with heated gaskets on freeze rooms to stop ice bonding the door shut, plus an internal safety release so a crew member cannot be trapped inside.
Evaporator and defrost
Air-cooling evaporator unit inside the room with an electric or hot-gas defrost cycle, since ice buildup on the coil is constant in a freeze room and left unmanaged it blocks airflow and raises the room temperature.
Shelving and drainage
Corrosion-resistant shelving arranged for airflow around stores rather than against the walls, with a floor drain trapped and heated on freeze rooms to stop it icing shut.
Selection and sizing
Room volume is set against crew complement and expected voyage length between provisioning ports, split typically into separate chill, around 0 to 4 degrees C, and freeze, around minus 18 to minus 20 degrees C, compartments since they cannot share one setpoint. Panel insulation thickness is chosen against the ambient and hull temperatures the vessel will actually see, not a single global default - a vessel trading in the tropics needs more insulation thickness than the same room on a short coastal route.
Typical faults
- Gasket failure or door left ajar - lets warm, humid air in, which then frosts heavily on the evaporator coil and drives the room temperature up in a self-reinforcing cycle.
- Panel joint seal breakdown - moisture gets into the panel core over time, degrading insulation value gradually and invisibly until the room struggles to hold setpoint under any load.
- Defrost cycle malfunction - a stuck defrost timer either never clears the coil, icing it solid, or runs too often and wastes cooling capacity.
- Floor drain trap icing - in a freeze room, without a working heater, blocks drainage and lets meltwater refreeze into a slip hazard.
What to look for in a supplier
- Panel systems designed for marine vibration and hull movement, not a rebranded ashore cold store product.
- Documented insulation thickness and refrigerant charge sized against the vessel's actual trading route.
- Spare gasket, evaporator and defrost heater parts genuinely available for the installed model years after delivery.
Check door gasket condition before checking the compressor - most complaints that the cold room will not hold temperature trace back to a leaking door seal, not the refrigeration plant.
2 manufacturers · 2 models
Isotherm
1
- Heating, refrigeration or drive-component failure causes poor performance, slow cycles or inability to operate
- Temperature sensor, thermostat or control faults cause unstable operation or protective shutdown
- Door seal, hose, drain or valve deterioration causes leakage, heat loss or water accumulation
- Fan, pump, motor or bearing wear causes abnormal noise, reduced circulation or vibration
- Electrical, ignition or safety-interlock faults cause failed starts, nuisance trips or error indications
- High R-value per thickness, reducing energy consumption of refrigeration units
- Lightweight compared to steel or bulk insulation, aiding vessel weight management
- Pre‑finished panels with built‑in vapor barrier simplify installation and reduce moisture ingress
- Corrosion‑resistant skins suitable for the harsh marine environment
- Modular design allows quick replacement of damaged sections
- Joint seals can deteriorate over time, leading to thermal bridging if not maintained
- Floor panels are vulnerable to impact damage from forklifts or service trolleys
- Door gaskets may suffer compression set, reducing airtightness
- Ice can accumulate at panel joints if defrost cycles are irregular
- Requires regular inspection and maintenance of vapor barrier and seals
Westerqvist
1- Heating, refrigeration or drive-component failure causes poor performance, slow cycles or inability to operate
- Temperature sensor, thermostat or control faults cause unstable operation or protective shutdown
- Door seal, hose, drain or valve deterioration causes leakage, heat loss or water accumulation
- Fan, pump, motor or bearing wear causes abnormal noise, reduced circulation or vibration
- Electrical, ignition or safety-interlock faults cause failed starts, nuisance trips or error indications
- Marine‑grade stainless steel interior resists corrosion in harsh sea environments
- Integrated door gasket monitoring simplifies annual maintenance checks
- Compact modular design fits limited galley spaces on many vessel types
- Low power consumption compared with larger cargo refrigeration units
- Complies with IMO D-2 certification for marine refrigeration equipment
- Door hinges and magnetic gaskets are wear items that require regular inspection
- Floor drain can become blocked by defrost water if not cleared routinely
- Limited cooling capacity; not suitable for large cargo‑hold refrigeration needs
- Interior lighting may fail and requires spare bulbs or LED retrofit
- Initial cost higher than basic non‑marine‑grade cold rooms