Hapag-Lloyd will be investing in its container fleet this year. The shipping company has orders for the latest generation reefers and refrigerated containers. A total of 5,750 reefers have been ordered, including 5,000 x 40-foot and 750 x 20-foot units. Furthermore, 1,000 of the new containers are equipped with “controlled atmosphere” technology, in which various types of fruits and vegetables can be transported for longer periods of time while maintaining a consistent quality.
Hapag-Lloyd does not only transport temperature-sensitive goods such as fruits, vegetables, meat and fish in these reefer containers but also pharmaceuticals. The delivery of the new refrigerated containers is already planned for the beginning of October and then the containers will be gradually integrated into the existing container fleet. The order coincides with the delivery of five new 10,500 TEU vessels, which Hapag-Lloyd ordered last April. The new container ships of the class “Valparaíso Express” are currently being built in South Korea and the ships are scheduled to connect South America and Europe by the end of 2016. Each of these ships has an especially high reefer capacity of more than 2,100 units.
“Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s biggest suppliers of reefer shipping and is one of the market leaders in South America,” states Anthony J. Firmin, Chief Operating Officer at Hapag-Lloyd. "With the recently ordered reefers, we are able to continue to offer state-of-the-art equipment to our customers while, at the same time optimising the efficiency of our container fleet. We want to be optimally equipped, especially for the South America traffic, which is an important part of the reefer business.”
Hapag-Lloyd already has one of the largest and most modern reefer fleets in the world. Currently Hapag-Lloyd is testing the new generation of refrigeration equipment together with the cooling-technology specialist Carrier Transicold. The equipment uses the natural and environmentally friendly refrigerant carbon dioxide and this could replace, in the long run, the chemical refrigerants now standard in the sector.