Maersk Ship Plastic Balls as Fruit

Maersk Container Industry (MCI) purchased 116,000 plastic balls for a trial to test & increase the effectiveness of its refrigerated containers in delivering fresh produce.

The balls were adapted so they would respire in much the same way as fresh fruit and vegetables do, enabling MCI to assess various improvements to its reefer box service.

MCI's container technology manager Lars Lübker explains why the company opted to run such a large trial: "The challenge by transporting fruits and vegetables is that they respire. They are living organisms and they need to be taken special care of. That means we need to control the environment inside the container with perfection." 



"In order to improve the performance of a container we had to develop a specific artificial fruit. We did that by purchasing 116,000 plastic balls. We modified the plastic balls so that they can respire much in the same way as fruits and vegetables do." 

According to Lübker, the improvements mean that products shipped in Maersk containers will be perfect "even after several weeks of transportation." 


Containers make a difference to billions of people around the world, but how can these building blocks of global trade be improved? And how can they help offset future energy cost increases? Maersk Container Industry’s film depicts crash tests where MCI seeks to ensure its containers stand up to the harshest of handling in the roughest environments.

Watch the movie here .