Saf predicts major increase in containerised reefer by 2010

RAY SMUTS CONTAINERISED REEFER shipping has become more than a buzzword, increasingly part of Safmarine’s core business as the South African born and bred carrier expands its reefer services across more continents. Latest industry information to hand suggests around one half of the world’s perishable products transported by sea are shipped in containers, and all indications are that the containerised share of sea reefer shipments will increase 65% by 2010. Proponents of conventional, underdeck reefer shipping have maintained that the balance between conventional and reefer containers will ultimately level out at 50% each but the Safmarine experience indicates otherwise. An increasing number of perishable producers and exporters are turning to reefer containers as the answer. Safmarine’s fleet has undergone a good measure of modernising over the last few years, fielding new, energy-efficient container ships with a vastly increased number of plug points. The line’s latest newbuilds – Safmarine Mafadi, Mulanje and Meru – deployed on the Safari I service between the Far East and South Africa, are perfect examples of state-of-the-art vessels, says the carrier’s reefer executive, Jan Kruger. The newbuilds offer just under three times the number of reefer plug points compared to the original Big Whites, which are now deployed on the Safari II service. According to Kruger, shippers of fastdeteriorating, high value commodities who opted for airfreight in the past are now choosing to go the refrigerated container route as their preferred mode of transport. “Recent innovations and improvements in post-harvest treatments and refrigeration technology have helped to extend the shelf-life of a significant number of perishable products which, in turn, has made these items suitable for transportation by sea.”