Hamburg Süd Bolsters its Reefer Fleet

Press Release - Giving produce exporters a better way to maintain the quality of perishables in transit, Hamburg Süd, one of the top refrigerated container carriers worldwide, recently added 400 refrigerated containers equipped with Carrier Transicold’s XtendFRESH atmosphere control system. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

To slow ripening and help preserve produce quality, the XtendFRESH system actively manages oxygen and carbon dioxide levels within refrigerated containers and removes ethylene.

The new XtendFRESH systems have been placed into service in support of avocado exporters shipping from the west coast of South America to Asia, North America and Europe, according to Martin Schoeler, senior manager, Logistics-Technology, Hamburg Süd.

“Avocados are a significant market and initially will be the main target of utilization,” Schoeler said, adding that banana exports beyond 30 days will also be able to benefit from the XtendFRESH system’s capabilities.

“Ethylene removal is a unique feature of the XtendFRESH system that differentiates it from other systems and is definitely much desired by our customers,” said Michaela Steineker, global reefer manager, Sales & Marketing, Hamburg Süd, explaining that in collaborating with Carrier Transicold on operational tests, the shipping line stressed the importance of this capability in an atmosphere control system.

Prior to purchase, Hamburg Süd commissioned independent testing on the XtendFRESH system by Eurofins, using bananas in stationary trials and shipped from Latin America to Scandinavia, which verified the system’s ability to help preserve the quality of perishable items. The produce was analyzed for appearance, freshness, water content and other attributes.

The 400 new XtendFRESH systems were factory-installed on PrimeLINE refrigeration units equipped with Carrier Transicold’s energy-saving EDGE technology package, all of which were mounted to 40-foot high-cube containers. EDGE stands for Enhanced Digital for Greater Efficiency and includes a set of design enhancements that improve upon the PrimeLINE unit’s successful track record of energy efficiency. The EDGE option significantly reduces energy consumption for refrigeration beyond the low levels for which standard PrimeLINE units are known, helping Hamburg Süd achieve its sustainability goals.

The XtendFRESH system’s ability to remove ethylene, while precisely managing oxygen and CO2, is key to its performance and distinguishes it from other products for container atmosphere control. Ethylene is a hormone given off by ripening produce that accelerates ripening if left unchecked. A patented, self-regenerating activated-carbon scrubber assembly captures ethylene and controls CO2 levels. As oxygen is consumed by ripening produce, automated, on-demand fresh-air ventilation helps maintain the optimum level for the cargo inside.