German shipping major Hapag-Lloyd has ordered a total of 5,750 refrigerated containers (reefers), including five thousand 40-foot and 750 20-foot units, as it prepares to take delivery of five new 10,500 TEU vessels.
The company said that 1,000 of the new containers will be equipped with ‘controlled atmosphere’ technology.
The new refrigerated containers are expected to be delivered beginning in October and to be gradually integrated into the existing container fleet, coinciding with the delivery of the company’s new containerships.
Currently under construction at South Korean shipyard Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, the Valparaíso Express class vessels, ordered last April, are scheduled to incrementally go to sea between South America and Europe beginning in late 2016.
Each of these ships boasts an especially high reefer capacity of more than 2,100 units, making them suitable for transportation of perishable goods such as fruit, vegetables, meat, fish or pharmaceutical products.