UASC Expanding its Reefer Business
United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has confirmed that its reefer business will continue to expand.
Following several initiatives including investment in new reefer units, and a cooperation agreement with Hamburg Süd opening up new services to South America, UASC said it aims to highlight its growth during WOP 2015, the international perishables expo for the Middle East being held at Dubai World Trade Center from October 5-7.
A second batch of reefer units delivered in May this year supports the growth of existing services and enhanced geographic access following a partnership with CMA CGM and Hamburg Süd to enter the North Atlantic trade, linking Northern Europe with the United States East Coast.
Gareth Madsen, head of reefer management at UASC said, “At 2014’s WOP, we announced our expansion plans for 2015; phase one of a longer term reefer growth strategy. We have completed what we set out to achieve and to date have taken delivery of a total of 5,500 new reefer units. These new units are largely to cater for the increased capacity from South America and United States East Coast.”
UASC said its expanding reefer fleet is one of the youngest in the industry, with an average reefer container age of three years. Approximately 60 percent of UASC’s current reefer fleet has the ability to measure the CO2 levels of the cargo and automatically ventilate as required, enhancing both product quality and environmental performance.