Reefer Vessels News

Tersan Shipyard in Turkey has signed a contract to build a new 108-meter freezer stern trawler for one of Russia's leading fishing companies. OKEANRYBFLOT's new trawler is slated for delivery in mid-2022 and will be the sister vessel to newbuild no. 1096 planned to be launched in June this year.The ST-191L design from Skipsteknisk is a 108- by 20-meter factory trawler, with accommodation for up to 150 persons on board. The vessel will be equipped with two main engines, each 4,060 kW, driving one CP propeller.

Spanish shipbuilding and ship repair company Zamakona Yards reached a new milestone with the launching of the first of two new 69-meter reefer vessels to be built for the Greenlandic shipowner Royal Arctic Line A/S. Launching will take place February 4.The vessel will be named as Siuana Arctica and will replace the existing vessel Pajuttaat built in 1979. Conceptual design is being carried out by the Norwegian company Havyard Design & Solutions.The ship is designed to operate in northwest Greenland and have greater capacity than current ship. The ship will have the flag of Greenland and outfitting works will continue afloat being delivery expected to be by summer 2020.Zamakona Yards have closely worked with the shipowner and designer to provide the vessel with best performance at sea…

The oldest shipping company in Iceland Eimskip has made an agreement to sell two container vessels for USD 3.9 million (EUR 3.5 million).The Icelandic Steamship Company (Eimskipafélag Íslands hf.) said in a press note that the 1457 TEUS container vessels Godafoss and Laxfoss are 24 years old and have been operated by Eimskip for nearly 20 years.Eimskip has parallel to the sale made an agreement with the buyer to charter the vessels back, it said.The sale of these vessels is a part of Eimskip’s vessel fleet renewal, but the company is building two 2150 TEUS container vessels in China.Godafoss and Laxfoss will continue to service the Red line…

Icelandic container line and a logistics company Eimskip has made an agreement to sell three of its reefer vessels in Norway for USD 12 million (EUR 10.9 million).The vessels, Langfoss, Stigfoss and Vidfoss, are 30 years old and have been operated by Eimskip in Norway for 20 years and owned by the Company for the last 8 years. Eimskip has parallel to the sale agreed to charter one of the divested vessels for the next two years.Eimskip is currently operating six reefer vessels but following the sale it will operate four, of which three are owned by Eimskip. This decrease in number of vessels will not affect the liner services in Norway…

Despite moderating perishable seaborne trade growth, continued modal shift will sustain expansion in the containerised reefer trade and so support freight rate development, according to Drewry’s latest Reefer Shipping Annual Review and Forecast 2018/19 report, by global shipping consultancy Drewry.Global seaborne reefer trade continues to expand, posting a gain of over 5% in 2017 to 124 million tonnes, a big improvement on trend growth over the past 10 years of 3.6% a year. Underpinning this progress was strong growth in banana, meat and fish trades.Drewry estimates that containerised reefer traffic expanded by 8% in 2017, outpacing the growth in overall seaborne reefer trade.

European multimodal transport provider Samskip said it will acquire activities associated with Nor Lines AS, marking a major expansion of its shipping, transport and logistics businesses in Norway. Subject to approval by Norway’s competition authorities, Samskip has agreed with the DSD Group to acquire the activities of Nor Lines, which generate an average annual turnover of €110 million ($128.2 million). With its head office in Stavanger, Nor Lines is a diversified logistics business offering domestic and international services.

Eimskip has entered into an agreement to acquire the Norwegian shipping and logistics company Nor Lines. The business, with about 200 employees and an estimated annual turnover of approximately EUR 110 million, will be restructured in order to be aligned with Eimskip’s current operations in Norway. Ingvald Løyning, CEO of DSD, said, “DSD started the process of finding a strategic solution for Nor Lines early this year. We believe that further consolidation is needed in the logistics industry…

Silver Green AS, owned 50% by Samskip, is changing its name to Silver Sea AS to mark the finalization of a series of ownership changes. The new name reflects a consolidation by Samskip of its position in the reefer vessel segment, including the strengthening its ownership in the company and direct investment in reefer vessels. Silver Green AS, based in Bergen, Norway, operates a fleet of 14 reefer vessels. The company is a market leader within its segment, with its primary trading being in the North Atlantic, Baltic, North Sea and Black Sea. Samskip Logistics now owns five reefer vessels.

Samskip has completed the acquisition of Euro Container Lines AS, building on a strategy for growth in the Nordic area to make its largest ever acquisitive move in Norway. The ECL acquisition aims to strengthen Samskip’s position in the Norwegian market by enhancing the speed and frequency of services delivering a second-to-none value proposition for its Norwegian client base. In a significant enhancement for regional fishing industry exporters in particular, the acquisition will deliver a substantially improved Norwegian coastal service under the direct control of Samskip.

BMT Surveys (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group, the international maritime design, engineering and risk management consultancy, has been engaged by Friend of the Sea to investigate whether specialized reefer vessels comply with the broad set of requirements to qualify for certification. A nonprofit and nongovernmental organization (NGO), the primary goal of Friend of the Sea is protection and conservation of a sound, sustainable and eco-friendly marine habitat in the oceans of the world. To help deliver its mission, the NGO introduced a certification project, the Friend of the Sea eco-label, for companies that demonstrably operate sustainably and eco-friendly in the worldwide fishing sector including cargo vessels.

Norwegian liner Siem Shipping Inc. has won a one-year contract renewal for a regular weekly service from Ecuador to St. Petersburg, Russia. The contract extension for the service covers seven reefer vessels. The service, which employs seven vessel, is largely for banana trades and has been renewed for an additional year. The company did not, however, disclose any further details on the value of the contracts or expected start date. Star Reefers has been operating between Ecuador and Saint Petersburg for years and recently introduced an interim stop in Vlissingen, Netherlands. The  Oslo-listed reefer player has started 2016 strongly with a near eight-fold increase in first quarter net profit. Net income for the quarter was $3.9m versus the $500,000 seen a year ago.

The Port of Hueneme launched the second phase of its Grid-Connected Shore Power System, celebrating another next step forward in reducing air emissions and minimizing environmental impact. Among the community leaders attending the ribbon cutting were Congresswoman Julia Brownley, County Supervisor Kathy Long, Ms. Sabiha Khan with Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office, Port Hueneme Mayor Douglas Breeze, and VCTC chairman Keith Millhouse. By connecting to the Port’s Grid-Based Shore Power System, refrigerated cargo vessels calling the Port can shut down their auxiliary marine engines and operate on shore power in lieu of diesel fuel dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

APM Terminals and GF Group are pleased to announce the acquisition of 100% of Reefer Terminal S.p.A. by APM Terminals has been completed today. Terms and price were not disclosed. Reefer Terminal, the largest refrigerated terminal in the Mediterranean for more than thirty years handling 600,000 pallets per year, is also a world-class terminal for the handling of containers (275,000 TEU, 510 reefer plugs, 14.5 meter depth and 465 meter of quay) and general cargo. APM Terminals has acquired the Vado Ligure Reefer Terminal as part of the port master plan to create new supply chains to markets in Northern Italy, Southern France, Switzerland and Bavaria.

Though specialized reefer fleet is shrinking and shows no signs of reversing in the future, the reefer containership fleet has increased by 15 percent year-on-year and is set to grow 20 percent by 2018, according to maritime research and consulting services provider Drewry’s latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review & Forecast. Consequently, with a capacity restricted specialized fleet, there is no alternative but for cargo to be shipped by reefer containership, a trend Drewry says is accelerating with continued cargo growth.

Davao International Container Terminal, Inc.(DICT) located in Panabo City, Davao Del Norte, on the south eastern coast of the Philippines, has bought state-of-the-art Super Cone fenders and Tee Head bollards from Trelleborg. Berths 1 and 2 at the Breakbulk Terminal are old concrete structures that require the installation of a superior fender system as part of the upgrade works. DICT discovered that another port in Davao had upgraded their berth using low quality fender systems that cracked within just months of installation and the frontal frames began to corrode too.

Despite growing competition from container lines, specialised reefer operators can still thrive, according to Drewry’s latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review & Forecast, referred to here in an extract from DMR's latest 'Container Insight Weekly'. Specialised reefer operators peaked some years ago in terms of cargo volumes and are now having to contend with falling volumes and market shares as container lines move further into their territory. However, this does not necessarily mean they cannot survive and looking at the limited number of public companies reporting financial returns, profitability is indeed achievable. To protect their future viability, specialised reefer companies must now reinvent themselves to protect their undoubted expertise in this field.

The Port commissioned the Hamburg Sud’s M/V Cap Palmerston, carrying fresh fruit for Chiquita Brands of Charlotte, North Carolina during a ribbon cutting ceremony to introduce the Port of Hueneme’s recently installed Grid-Based Shore Power system. Community leaders were on hand to view this first vessel ‘plug in’. The initial test of ‘plugging in’ a vessel is critical to assessing the performance of this new and very high voltage shore power system. It is also vital to ensuring all trained units including ILWU and ship operators become comfortable with operating the gear.

The Port informs that it has conducted its first operational and safety vessel test of its recently installed Auxiliary Maritime Power (AMP) system. Port crews were on hand to view this first vessel ‘plug in’ by Hamburg Sud’s 'M/V Cap Pasley', carrying fresh fruit for Chiquita Brands of Charlotte, North Carolina. The Port of Hueneme explains that the initial test of ‘plugging in’ a vessel is critical to assessing performance of this new and very high voltage shore power system.

Port staff received news that the Port of Hueneme was among the awardees to receive funds through the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). The funds will be used to complete an enhanced phase II to the Port’s existing Shore Power Project that will allow additional vessels to simultaneously connect to the Port’s Shore Power system. Following passage of AB 32 by the state assembly, programs were put in place to allow ships at berth in California ports to turn off their more polluting marine engines dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Port of Hueneme conducted its first operational and safety vessel test of its recently installed Grid-Based Shore Power system. Port crews were on hand to view this first vessel ‘plug in’ by Hamburg Sud’s M/V Cap Pasley, carrying fresh fruit for Chiquita Brands of Charlotte, North Carolina. The initial test of ‘plugging in’ a vessel is critical to the assessing performance of this new and very high voltage shore power system. It is also vital to ensuring all trained units including ILWU and ship operators become comfortable with operating the gear. The process tests the vessel’s ability to synchronize with and connect to the Port’s grid-based system.

The Port of Hueneme informs that it has performed a load bank test of its recently installed substation making the Port ready to provide a reliable, steady source of shore-side power for ships at berth. With the passage of AB 32 by the California state assembly, programs were put in place to allow ships at berth in California ports to turn off their more polluting marine engines [cold ironing] dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Port’s just completed project “represents a giant leap forward for us and the community” said Port CEO and Director Kristin Decas.

Drewry’s latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review and Forecast reports that worldwide perishable reefer trade increased by 52.1 million metric tons between 2002 and 2012, which represents by a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.6%. Seaborne perishable reefer cargo has increased by a CAGR of 3.3% (25.6 million metric tons) from 66.8 million metric tons in 2002 to 92.4 million metric tons in 2012. The highest percentage growth continues to be seen in the exotic fruit category (pineapples, kiwifruit and avocadoes). Despite its relatively small volume of 4.5 million metric tons in 2012, this sector has grown by a CAGR of 9.1% since 2002. In terms of tonnage, the highest growth has been in the meat category (comprising poultry, pork, beef/veal, offal and sheep meat).

Reefer market dynamics continue to change. Drewry Maritime Research have just published their latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review and Forecast 2011/12, analysing the industries make-up including; leading operators’ profiles and fleets, perishable commodities, specialised reefer and freezer fleet capacity, containerised reefer vessels, ship economics and forecasts for the future. As the burgeoning containerised reefer market continues unabated, the specialist reefer fleet is feeling the strain. With twelve-month charter rates forecasted to continue sliding, scrapping levels gaining pace and for the first time an empty newbuild orderbook , the industry is changing quickly.