Refrigerated Containers

Demand Rising to Keep Stuff Cool on Ocean Voyages

Søren Skou, CEO of container shipping giant Maersk Line is keynote speaker at the 4th Cool Logistics Global conference, 24-26 September in Antwerp, Belgium. Mr. Skou will outline Maersk’s position on the critical actions now needed to sustain the future of global refrigerated transport. Over the past decade and more, expansion of refrigerated container ocean services has underpinned growing world trade in an ever-widening range of perishable commodities, from super deep-frozen tuna to exotic fresh fruit. The refrigerated container is now by far the dominant transport mode for the complex movement of chilled and frozen cargoes across the globe. Volumes of global refrigerated container shipments are tipped to rise still further over the next few years on the back of world population growth, new demand from China, India, Russia, Middle East, Africa and other developing economies, and on-going conversion of reefer cargoes from other transport modes, including air. However, the reefer trades have not been immune from the general volatility in world container shipping. This year has seen a number of prominent carriers, Maersk included, warning of the dangers of rate erosion and spiralling costs to reposition reefer containers to demand locations, among other concerns. With little sign of significant new investment in conventional reefer tonnage, refrigerated container shipping is clearly now the linchpin for world perishables trade. Mr

Strachans Launches Alternative to Refrigerated Containers

Strachans, a specialist distributor of food and chandlery supplies to the offshore and marine industry, announced the pilot of a new container capable of maintaining product integrity for up to four days. The Strachans icebox uses a eutectic system, whereby eutectic beams full of gel are connected to a power supply that charges them down to temperatures far lower than the product prior to leaving the ship supplier’s warehouse

Crowley Adds Third Weekly Sailing

Crowley Liner Services announced that beginning the week of March 17 it will launch a third, weekly, fixed-day sailing from Gulfport, Miss. to serve Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador in Central America. With the addition of the Crowley Roll On / Roll Off (Ro/Ro) ship Siam to the service, the company will now offer southbound sailings every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Gulfport. The other Ro/Ro ships in the service include the Crowley Express and Mar Caribe.

World’s Largest Containership Delivered

On September 1, Maersk Line took delivery of M/S Emma Maersk, built by Odense Steel Shipyard. The Emma Maersk is the first in a new series of PS-class vessels and is one of the most environmentally friendly container vessels ever built. The 397x56m Emma Maersk is able to carry 11,000 20-ft. containers (TEU). Other features include: High-scale automation and complete monitoring by advanced computer systems, enabling the vessel to be operated by a crew of just 13; Waste heat recovery system

New Containership Deployed

The German containership newbuild Cap Gabriel recently made its first visit to when it docked at the HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB).  The CAP GABRIEL is operated by the Hamburg Süd shipping company and, together with vessels of the Hapag-Lloyd shipping company’s tonnage, is being deployed in the Indian Ocean Service (IOS) linking Europe, the and the Indian subcontinent. The port rotation in the IOS service is: , Tilbury,, Gioia Tauro, Jebel Ali, , Mundra

Georgia Port, Emissions Reduction Grant

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has been awarded a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant. The $250k award will retrofit GPA-owned equipment with devices that reduce air emissions. “As an integral part of GPA’s ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, reducing consumption and emissions is a top priority,” said GPA’s Executive Director Doug J. Marchand.

Langh Ship Orders Containerships

The Finnish shipping company Oy Langh Ship Ab in Pikis has ordered two container ships for delivery in February and March 2007 from the German shipyard J.J.Sietas Schiffswerft in Hamburg. The ships will have a cargo capacity of 907 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units), which means that they will be among the biggest ships of this kind in Finland. The ships under construction are typical container ships for feeder traffic.

UASC Names Samsung Heavy Built Containership

United Arab Shipping Company increases its fleet with the naming of its ninth containership newbuild from Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard The United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has named it’s new 13,500 TEU containership Ain Snan at a ceremony in Hamburg, following a nine-month building phase. The last of a series of nine UASC newbuilds from the Samsung Heavy Industries Shipyard in Korea, the 366-metre-long and 48 metre-wide ultra large container ship (ULCS) has a loading capacity

Celebration on Reconstruction of Japan Earthquake Devasted Port

NYK Global Bulk hosts onboard get-together to celebrate reconstruction of Port of Ishinomaki NYK Group company, held a get-together on board its 58,000-ton bulk carrier New Pride with guests from the Ishinomaki area in Miyagi prefecture to celebrate the installation of a new mechanical unloader (cargo handling machinery) at the port’s No. 7 Hiyori wharf and to pray for the further recovery and development of the port. 

Eco-friendly Cranes for Georgia Ports Authority

The Georgia Ports Authority unveils four electrified rubber-tired gantry cranes (ERTG), claiming to be the first to introduce this type of crane in N. America. “This transition to electrified RTGs is an important milestone for the GPA and our industry,” said GPA Executive Director Curtis Foltz. “This project is the latest in a series of GPA initiatives designed to increase the productivity and capacity of the port in environmentally responsible ways.”