MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, a global leader in transportation and logistics based in Geneva, Switzerland, said it has won an order from US group SeaCube Containers to lease 2,000 containers chilled by Carrier Transicold's innovative, natural refrigerant-based NaturaLine refrigeration system.

Carrier Transicold is a key player in container refrigeration innovation and a part of United Technologies Corpoartion, a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide.

A first-of-its-kind, NaturaLine unit solves the problem of how to use refrigerants effectively and efficiently - to transport valuable items such as perishable food and pharmaceuticals - while helping to protect the environment.

The system utilises repurposed carbon dioxide (CO2), the refrigerant with the lowest global warming potential (GWP) among all container refrigerants currently in use.

MSC's new refrigerated containers – all 40-ft high-cube models – are being leased from SeaCube Containers.

"The NaturaLine unit's innovative use of CO2 is the first of its kind available on the reefer market," remarked Giuseppe Prudente, chief logistics officer, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company.

"By providing higher level of performance in the minus 40 degrees Celsius deep-frozen range, we can add new capabilities for our growing customer base, particularly for seafood and other high-value frozen commodities," noted Prudente.

"Moreover, shipping is already one of the most environmentally sustainable forms of cargo transportation, and we are pleased to continue to improve our environmental performance by equipping our fleet with the latest green technologies," he added.

David Appel, president, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems, lauded MSC and SeaCube for their investment in environmentally sustainable refrigeration equipment.
 
"The NaturaLINE unit, with CO2 refrigerant, takes users directly to an end state by guarding against regulations, environmental taxes and phase outs that other refrigerants will be subject to during their operational lifespan. In addition, CO2 is non-ozone depleting, widely available, relatively inexpensive and nonflammable," noted Appel.

Carrier Transicold recognized the need for refrigeration technology that would neutralize concerns over GWP – in much the same way that it led the industry away from ozone-depleting refrigerants ahead of Montreal Protocol deadlines 25 years ago.

SeaCube CEO Robert Sappio said: "In taking leadership to provide a natural-refrigerant solution, Carrier Transicold created what is perhaps the most sound investment a leasing company and shipping line can make - a refrigerated container that will not become obsolete in its lifetime due to pressures from environmental legislation."

"By fulfilling the NaturaLine unit's first order of this magnitude, SeaCube is pleased to be part of this important development for the shipping industry," he added.-TradeArabia News Service