Container ships see major growth in reefer trade

Worldwide perishable reefer trade increased by 1.8% in 2014 – reaching almost 190 million tonnes.

Although this was barely half of the growth seen in 2013, it nevertheless represented a continuing growth pattern, said Drewry Maritime Research in its latest Container Insight report, noting that it expected container carriers to continue to increase their share of the seaborne reefer trade.

Drewry data revealed that the seaborne trade growth of perishable reefer cargoes was particularly strong in 2014 – increasing by 4.9% year-on-year, with only the citrus trades failing to perform.

The fish/seafood trades had an exceptional year in 2014 – with seaborne cargo growth in excess of 2 million tonnes, according to Drewry.

The share of cargo between the reefer container ship mode and the specialised reefer mode continued to grow in favour of the former – with over three-quarters of the perishable reefer seaborne trade being shipped by reefer container ship services in 2014.

By 2019 reefer container ship services are expected to carry over 23 million tonnes more cargo than they did in 2014.