Refrigerated Containers News

PIL Names LNG Dual-Fuel Container Ships

Pacific International Lines (PIL) has named its first two 14,000 TEU container vessels in a ceremony at Jiangnan Shipyard in China. They are the largest vessels in PIL’s fleet as well as the first to fully run on LNG.The vessels have been named Kota Eagle and Kota Emerald, conveying PIL’s aim to be a sustainable shipping line which co-exists harmoniously with nature and the environment.The vessels will sail from the Far East to Latin America on PIL’s West Coast Central and South…

US' MARAD Announces Grants to Boost Supply Chain Efficiency

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). The funding will improve the movement of goods along our navigable waterways and expand existing waterborne freight services in Alaska, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin, which will strengthen supply chains and ultimately cut costs for consumers.“Our country has always relied on American waterways to get vital goods where they need to go,” said U.S.

Crowley Launches Multimodal Service Between Mexico, US and Canada

Crowley announced it will launch an end-to-end, integrated ocean and rail service between Mexico and the U.S. Midwest region and into Canada. Featuring Crowley’s new Mexico-U.S. ocean route in the Gulf, the service will leverage the inland rail network of Canadian National Railway Company and its U.S. rail subsidiaries (CN). The companies’ combined network provides broad reach across the Midwest and into Canada to increase solutions for global customers in North American market…

Shipping Container Suppliers Abandon $987 Million Deal After US Probe

Global shipping container suppliers China International Marine Containers and Maersk Container Industry in a joint statement on Thursday said they have abandoned a merger plan, citing significant regulatory challenges.China International Marine Containers (CIMC) in September had agreed to buy the Danish shipping company AP Moeller - Maersk's refrigerated containers maker for $987.3 million.The U.S.

New Container Barge Launched for Matson

Matson's new flat-deck container barge was christened and launched during a ceremony at the Greenbrier Gunderson Marine shipyard in Portland, Ore. on Saturday, April 23, 2022.The new barge, christened Haleakala, will be deployed in Matson’s Neighbor Island service in Hawaii starting this summer, connecting cargo to and from the U.S. West Coast through its hub terminal in Honolulu.With a carrying capacity of 620 TEU and room for 72 refrigerated containers, the new Haleakala is…

Port of Mobile Posts Record Container Growth

The Alabama Port Authority said calendar year 2021 containerized cargo volumes climbed to a record 502,623 TEUs up nearly 19% from 2020 volumes. To date, the terminal has handled over 3.6 million TEUs since containerized operations began in 2008. Since, 2015, the Port of Mobile’s volume has grown by 120% making the gateway one of the fastest growing container ports in the United States. “Mobile continues to perform, attracting new customers seeking out terminal efficiency, services and inland connectivity to key U.S. markets,” said John C.

St. Louis Container on Barge Project Moves Forward

Key stakeholders behind the efforts to launch innovative container-on-vessel (COV) service to the Midwest on Firday announced that Hawtex Development Corporation is signing on as the lead developer for a new COV port facility in Jefferson County, Mo. to be developed in collaboration with Fred Weber/Riverview Commerce Park LLC and integrating a 300+ acre adjacent parcel owned by The Doe Run Company. The new port will be a critical link on the new, all-water, north-south trade lane connecting the Midwest and the St. Louis region to the lower Mississippi River and on to worldwide destinations.

German Regulators Probe Sale of Maersk Container Maker to China's CIMC

Germany's Federal Cartel Office is taking a closer look into the planned sale of Maersk's refrigerated containers maker to China International Marine Containers, a spokesman for the office said on Thursday.The office has opened an investigation into the effects the takeover of Maersk Container Industry by CIMC could have on the affected markets, it said.The Danish shipping company signed an agreement to divest its container manufacturer to CIMC in September for $987.3 million.However, regulatory authorities still need to approve the plans.

Port of Mobile Reports Record Growth

Containerized cargo volumes through Alabama's Port of Mobile continue to climb in 2021 as shippers seek uncongested gateways servicing key North American markets. In August, container volumes increased 34% over August 2020 volume, while year-to-date volume posted 27% over the same period last year, the port said Thursday, attributing part of that success to a 37% increase in refrigerated containers due to nearly $74 million in refrigerated facilities investment at the port to support cold cargo supply chains.

Global Ship Lease to Acquire Four Containerships

Global Ship Lease announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to purchase four 5,470 TEU Panamax containerships with an average age of approximately 11 years for an aggregate purchase price of $148 million.The ships are scheduled for delivery during the third quarter of 2021. The Company expects to fund the purchase price with cash on hand and senior secured debt.On delivery, the ships will be chartered to a liner operator for a firm period of three years each, with a charterer’s option for a period of an additional three years.

Ardmore Shipping Announces Hydrogen Joint Venture

Tanker owner and operator Ardmore Shipping Corporation said it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Element 1 Corp. (E1) and Maritime Partners, LLC (MP) to establish a joint venture for delivering E1's methanol-to-hydrogen technology to the marine sector.Ardmore, E1 and MP will establish "e1 Marine," each owning 33.3% of the joint venture. e1 Marine will have a worldwide mandate for the marketing, development, licensing and sale of E1's unique hydrogen generation systems for application to the marine industry, including shipping, refrigerated containers, offshore energy, renewable energy, passenger and leisure, and certain port infrastructure…

Nevsky Shipyard Launches New Ferry Pavel Leonov

Russia's Nevsky Shipyard has launched the second and final cargo-passenger vessel as part of the PV22 project.The newbuild Pavel Leonov, launched on August 6, is the second vessel in the series of two dry cargo-passenger vessel carriers ordered by Sakhalinlizingflot in August 2018. The series' lead vessel, Admiral Nevelskoy, was launched in May.The 75-meter-long vessels are each designed to transport 146 passengers, general cargo, containers (including refrigerated) and cars between…

China's Reefer Situation Improving

Chinese port workers have made progress to move a logjam of refrigerated containers that has disrupted supplies of fresh and frozen food and pushed up freight rates outside China amid the coronavirus outbreakFrench container carrier CMA CGM told customers on Friday that the reefer plug utilization has improved in Chinese ports, and almost all reefers diverted to other ports are in the process to be loaded back to their final destination.CMA CGM said it would cancel the port congestion…

China's Port Jam Eases, But Reefer Rates Soar

Severe congestion at Chinese ports is easing, say officials and industry participants, although a logjam of refrigerated containers has disrupted supplies of fresh and frozen food and pushed up freight rates outside China.Thousands of refrigerated containers carrying meat, seafood and fruit from around the world to China have been stuck for weeks at the country's ports after Beijing extended its Lunar New Year holiday and cities around the nation restricted free movement to curb…

Maersk Moves Indian Grapes to Europe

The global container company A.P. Moller – Maersk has started end-to-end cold chain logistics solution for its customers exporting grapes from Nashik and Sangli in India to North Europe.With this new offering, Maersk is enabling the exporters from the region to supply high quality Indian grapes to global market and helping fetch higher returns for the farmer community in and around the Nashik district. Leveraging its variety of services throughout the supply chain, Maersk is improving the overall turnaround time to North Europe by 4 days.Gearing up for the peak grape season and helping exporters based in Nashik, ‘The Grape Capital of India’…

Loggers, Food Exporters Impacted From China's Virus

The economic impact of China's coronavirus lockdown is being felt across the globe, with exporters, miners and manufacturers of everything from coal and timber to meat and fruit facing delays and potential shipment cancellations.As the most populous nation and factory floor for most of the world's manufactured goods, China is normally the largest and most voracious consumer of a slew of global raw materials, fuels and foods.But the combination of an extended Lunar New Year holiday…

Dunkirk Port Switches on Cold Ironing

French container line CMA CGM announced that its ship APL Singapura has inaugurated the cold ironing facilities of the Terminal des Flandres in the Port of Dunkirk.By plugging into an onshore electricity supply (also known as "cold ironing"), container ships calling at port can shut down their auxiliary engines while still getting the power they need, particularly in order to maintain controlled temperatures in refrigerated containers (Reefers).This innovative technology has significant environmental benefits, including: Zero emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides and fine particles while ships are at berth, and significantly reduced noise pollution.The cold ironing system installed at the Terminal des Flandres will become fully operational during the first half of 2020.

MSC Isabella, Largest Boxship to Call in Singapore Port

The 23,656 teu MSC Isabella became the largest containership to call the Port of Singapore when it berthed on 10 November 2019.The MSC’s Gülsün-Class of container vessels is currently the world’s largest series of container ships.To date, MSC Isabella is the biggest container ship to call at Singapore, the world’s top transshipment hub. Measuring around 400 meters long and 61 meters wide, the ship can carry up to 24 rows of containers, with a height of 13 tiers on deck. Its total capacity is 23,656 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). Its length exceeds that of the Eiffel Tower and it can transport the equivalent of about 384 million pairs of shoes.Singapore is the ship’s first port-of-call in Asia after sailing back from Europe. The ship was delivered to MSC in August 2019.

ONE Expands Reefer Fleet

Container line Ocean Network Express (ONE) is adding another 6,000 refrigerated containers (reefers) to its fleet as the trade continues to outperform that for conventional boxes.The new Reefer would expand its current refrigerated container (reefer) fleet of 240,000 TEU. Reefers include 500 units equipped with advanced Controlled Atmosphere (CA) technology which slows down the respiration and ripening process to maximize the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.These reefer containers will be made available for accepting new bookings towards end of the year to meet reefer peak season global demand around the world.ONE has one of the largest…

World’s Largest Box Ship Visits Rotterdam

World’s largest container ship MSC Gülsün will visit port of Rotterdam. The ship will be calling on the APMT2 terminal at Maasvlakte 2 in Rotterdam on Tuesday, 3 September, between 2 and 3 p.m.With a length of 400 meters and a width of 62 meters, this vessel has a capacity of 23,756 TEU (20-foot standard containers), making it the largest container ship in the world.MSC Gülsün is the first vessel of its kind that can transport 24 containers side by side across the breadth of its hull.Until recently, the 21,413-TEU OOCL HongKong, which was taken into service two years ago, ranked as the world’s largest container ship.MSC Gulsun is 400 meter long and 61.5 meter wide ship can carry 23,756 standard containers (TEU), including 2,000 refrigerated containers.

World's Largest Boxhip's Asia-Europe Maiden Voyage

Swiss-based global container shipping company MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company announced that MSC Gülsün, the world’s largest container ship, has arrived in Europe after completing its landmark maiden voyage from the north of China.MSC Gülsün is the first of a new class of 23,000+ TEU vessels to be added in 2019-2020 to the global shipping network of MSC, a world leader in transportation and logistics.According to a press release from the world's second-largest shipping line in terms of container vessel capacity, built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) Geoje shipyard in South Korea, MSC Gülsün sets a new standard in container shipping…

Hapag-Lloyd Orders 13,000 Reefers

German-based cargo container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd AG has placed a record order for 13,420 refrigerated containers, known as reefers, which are set for delivery in November 2019.A statement from the fifth biggest container shipping line in the world by market share said that production of 970 20-foot containers and 12,450 40-foot containers is already scheduled to commence as early as July.Delivery of the refrigerated containers, which have traditionally been white as opposed to Hapag-Lloyd’s orange standard containers, is set for November 2019 – or right in time for reefer season, as that is when harvest season begins in countries in the southern hemisphere.It will primarily be fruits and vegetables – such as blueberries…

Successful Sustainability Starts with … Lubricants

Unappreciated, but heavily used by operators and closely regulated by the authorities, lubricants can also be a welcome part of your environmental and sustainability program. That’s right: lubricants.When it comes to the ideal operating scenario on any marine platform, the challenge of balancing sustainability with maximum operational performance and arriving at a healthy bottom line has never been more difficult. That said; the arguably perfect solution involves using on board consumable product(s) that contribute to sustainability, operational, and energy efficiency goals.