Seatrade orders 4,000 reefers from MCI

News 19 Oct 2016 by WCN Editorial

In an order worth over US$55M, Maersk Container Industry will deliver the new Star Cool Integrated reefers from its factories in China and Chile.

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The order is an important one for MCI, which is emphasising that StarCool was selected on the strengths of its technology to protect perishable cargo during long-distance transportation and keep energy consumption at a minimum – rather than simply having the lowest price per unit. With a firm focus on the reefer business Seatrade is “a leader in specialised reefer services and the world’s largest specialised reefer carrier,” said MCI.

“Looking to source the best-performing reefer, Seatrade live-tested every relevant refrigeration unit option before deciding on Star Cool Integrated. Closely monitored shipments were carried out with chilled banana loads from Ecuador to Germany, during which energy consumption and cargo condition were measured. The results confirmed Star Cool’s higher performance, lower operating costs and CO2 emission levels,” MCI stated.

“It is essential that our reefer container equipment supports our Fast, Direct and Dedicated concept. Besides timely delivery, our customers need the longest possible shelf life for their produce. The vast majority of our cargo is perishable fruit and vegetables requiring chilled mode transportation with narrow variations in temperature and monitoring of food preservation”, said Yntze Buitenwerf, President and Chairman, Seatrade. “In addition, energy efficiency, whole life costs and long-term operational value are critical to our operations. To ensure these parameters are met, we carried out extensive field test trials and carefully analysed performance.”

All the new contaienrs will be the Star Cool Integrated version equipped with the Automatic Ventilation (AV+) system. “A large number of units will also be installed with the Controlled Atmosphere (CA) system, with the option of upgrading the remaining reefers if demand for longer transportations of certain types of perishable cargo increases. Energy efficiency is further enhanced with MCI’s StarConomy software. This solution significantly reduces energy costs without compromising produce quality,” MCI added.

“We are delighted to have been chosen by Seatrade to support their strong market position with reefer containers as a complement to their specialised reefer services. The results of their thorough testing confirmed that a reefer container is not a commodity. Innovation and cutting-edge technology is key to ensuring optimal cargo care and low energy consumption throughout the operational life of the reefer”, said Stig Hoffmeyer, CEO, Maersk Container Industry.

Given the importance of the export of perishable cargos from South America, a proportion of the 4,000 units will be manufactured in MCI’s new factory in San Antonio, Chile, ready for the fruit season in the southern hemisphere. The majority of the order will be fulfilled by MCI’s facility in Qingdao, China. The order was placed some time ago, and is expected to be completed by December 2016.