Reefer cargo is hot

Whilst the traditional perishable traders are withdrawing from the conventional segment, others still see a market for this specialised ship.

Mawani (Saudi Ports Authority) and Saudi Global Ports (SGP), which is a joint venture between the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), Singapore’s PSA International, and the Al Balagaa Group, are to invest US$266M in a new logistics park at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam.

The global pool of dry freight containers is expected to fall in 2023 as ocean carriers and lessors dispose of surplus units that have built up in the fleet since the end of 2020.

Hapag-Lloyd, which is leading the liner shipping industry when it comes to fitting smart devices to its dry freight containers, is pressing ahead with its installation programme. It expects the whole of its 1.6M TEU owned fleet to be smart early in 2024. Already more than 80% of its reefer containers are fitted with devices that in addition to tracking the container’s position, monitor temperature and humidity levels inside the equipment.

Carrier Transicold has launched its latest reefer machine, dubbed OptimaLINE. The company claims it offers customers an up to 15% saving on annual energy costs and a 40% reduction in CO2 compared with previous Carrier Transicold machines.

Lustenau (Austria)-based Identec Solutions, a leader in innovative monitoring solutions, has developed ‘Reefer Runner 5G’, a device that the company said will “revolutionise the way businesses monitor their refrigerated containers”.