Hapag-Lloyd has ordered 7,700 refrigerated containers (reefers), including 7,000 x 40-foot and 700 x 20-foot units.
1,000 of the new containers are equipped with the company's controlled atmosphere technology, which slows down the ripening process of various types of fruits and vegetables, allowing them to be transported for longer periods of time while maintaining a consistent quality.
For the first time, 1,000 of the new 40-foot containers will be manufactured in a plant in San Antonio, Chile, a region in which they are in high demand. As a result, it will be possible to reduce the necessary shifting of empty containers from alternative production sites, which saves both time and money in terms of empty transports, says Hapag-Lloyd.
“After the merger with UASC this past May, Hapag-Lloyd has once again significantly grown in the reefer market,” says Anthony J. Firmin, Chief Operating Officer at Hapag-Lloyd. “With these new orders, we are further expanding this position and investing in an efficient and modern fleet as well as in the expansion of our most recent product, ExtraFresh Plus.”
ExtraFresh Plus technology allows extremely sensitive fruits, such as blueberries and lychees, to be transported at the desired level of quality and degree of ripeness.
Source: maritime-executive.com
