MSC and ONE Lead in Fleet Growth for Refrigerated Containers

Alphaliner’s report revealed that MSC experienced a significant growth in its fleet last year, with a nearly 20% increase in the number of refrigeration connections installed on its ships. Ocean Network Express (ONE) also saw substantial growth in cooling ports, with a 23% increase. However, South Korea’s HMM was the only liner to reduce its refrigeration capacity by just over 1% due to a decrease in its overall fleet size after returning some chartered vessels.

The ranking of the top 10 carriers by refrigeration connections closely aligns with their total fleet capacity. The only exception is the ZIM line, which ranks tenth but has the eighth largest number of cooling connections. European shipping companies tend to have a larger proportion of their fleet available for refrigerated cargo, with MSC having 20% of its slots dedicated to connected coolers, Maersk Line at 23%, and CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd falling in between with 22.5% and 21.2% respectively. In comparison, their Asian counterparts have a lower percentage of their fleet available for refrigerated containers, with ONE leading at 17.5% and HMM at the lower end with 15.7%.

The numbers of Alphaliner refrigerated containers highlight the differences between European and Asian carriers in terms of their capacity for refrigerated cargo. European companies have a higher percentage of their fleet dedicated to refrigerated containers, while Asian carriers have a lower percentage available for this type of cargo. MSC’s growth in refrigeration connections and ONE’s increase in cooling ports indicate a growing demand for refrigerated cargo transportation in the shipping industry.

Source .