Hapag-Lloyd announced plans to invest in its container fleet with an order of 6,000 FEU reefer containers to add to its existing stock. The company stated that this represents the largest reefer order in its history.
It is expected the investment will allow the company to benefit from increasing transport volumes on East-West trades as well as North-South and Latin American trades. As of April 2015, Hapag-Lloyd had already ordered five new 10,500 TEU ships, each of which could accommodate up to 2,100 reefers.
Rolf Habben Jansen, Chief Executive Officer of Hapag-Lloyd said, “With our enhanced reefer fleet, we are ideally positioned for the Latin American trade, which is an important part of the reefer business – right on time for the opening of the expanded Panama Canal next year.”
Hapag-Lloyd uses reefers to transport temperature-sensitive cargo such as fruits, vegetables and pharmaceutical products as well as meat and fish. Around 1,000 of the newly ordered containers are expected to be fitted with controlled-atmosphere technology, which prolongs the life of certain fruits and vegetables.
