Hapag-Lloyd has promised to make investments to maintain and expand its container fleet by ordering a total of 7,700 refrigerated containers, or ‘Reefers’, of “the latest generation”.
The order from the shipping line is for 7,000 40-foot and 700 20-foot units, with 1,000 of the new containers equipped with “Controlled Atmosphere” technology, which slows down the ripening of fruits and vegetables.
This transportation process allows perishable goods to travel for longer periods of time while keeping a consistent quality.
Working together with suppliers, Hapag-Lloyd has refined its “Controlled Atmosphere” technology.
Read the 'Keeping Cool: Challenges for Containerised Reefer Trade' technical paper to learn how temperature control is a component of containerisation that has continued to rise in importance with international trade
Its “ExtraFresh Plus” technology allows even extremely sensitive fruits, such as blueberries and lychees, to be transported at the desired level of quality and degree of ripeness.
A plant in the region of San Antonio in Chile will, for the first time, manufacture 1,000 of the new 40-foot containers as there is a strong demand for the service of moving perishable cargo in the country.
Anthony J. Firmin, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Hapag-Lloyd, said: “After the merger with UASC this past May, Hapag-Lloyd has once again significantly grown in the reefer market.
“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,’ in order to meet the needs of our customers worldwide.”
