The Journey of a Shrimp: How Lineage Handles Seafood from Port to Plate

Harvesting & Processing

Shrimp is harvested all around the world, from tropical oceans to colder northern seas. The race against time begins the moment the shrimp are harvested. Only those suitable for processing and consumption are sent to nearby processing facilities. At these facilities, the selected shrimp are cleaned, sorted and rapidly frozen to lock in freshness. At this stage, every minute counts.

Preparing Shrimp for Export

After being processed, the shrimp are packed into boxes, palletized and shipped to one of Lineage’s port-centric cold storage warehouses until they are ready for export. Our expert freight forwarding teams complete the necessary export clearance documentation for customers to help ensure a smooth journey. We secure space on the ship and even arrange for drayage of the containers. This allows customers to rely on just one logistics partner, minimizing potential downtime and helping preserve the quality and freshness of the shrimp.

Once an order for exporting the shrimp comes in, the pallets are floor loaded into a temperature-controlled container and shipped leveraging Lineage’s drayage to the port. These containers are specially designed to maintain the precise temperatures necessary to keep shrimp fresh throughout their maritime voyage. Specialized onboard sensors continuously monitor the containers to help ensure these precise temperatures are maintained throughout the journey.

Arrival at U.S. Ports

Once the containers of shrimp arrive at the destination port in the U.S., speed and accuracy is of the essence. That’s where Lineage’s dedicated customs brokerage team shines. They efficiently navigate the import process at the port, quickly guiding the shrimp through the complexities on their way to customs clearance. In many cases, these shipments have already been approved by the FDA before they even arrive, speeding up the process and providing a seamless transition into the U.S. supply chain.

From here, the temperature-controlled container of shrimp is quickly loaded onto a chassis and sent to one of Lineage’s nearby cold storage facilities. Port proximity of the Lineage warehouses helps keep travel time between warehouse and port to a minimum.

Cold Storage & Order Fulfillment

At Lineage’s temperature-controlled warehouses, the shrimp are sorted and labeled according to customer specifications. They are then palletized, shrink-wrapped and placed into the warehouse for safe storage. The temperature in the facility is precisely controlled to maintain optimal freshness and to lock in nutrition until customer orders are ready. Once in our network, customers can use Lineage Link® to get real-time visibility into their inventories, orders and shipment statuses.

Distribution & Last-Mile Delivery

When customer orders come in, the shrimp moves into its final logistics phase—distribution. Specialized refrigerated trucks safely and efficiently transport the orders to regional distribution centers, maintaining the optimal temperatures throughout transit. At these distribution centers, restaurants, grocery stores and food service providers either pick up their orders or receive them through Lineage’s dedicated last-mile delivery services.

Shrimp on the Plate

Finally, shrimp reaches the hands of chefs and consumers across the country, ready to be turned into a delicious meal. Whether grilled and served with garlic butter, sautéed with fresh vegetables, battered and fried or featured raw in sushi rolls, the shrimp arrives fresh and safe to eat because of Lineage’s precise logistics management through the cold chain.

Lineage’s network of cold storage warehouses, expertise in import and export services and suite of integrated transportation solutions help preserve quality, nutrition and safety throughout the journey of a shrimp, all the way from port to plate.