Africa Express Line purchases 500 reefers from Maersk Container Industry

Ocean carrier Africa Express Line will deliver the new Star Cool refrigerated (reefer) containers to its parent company, French fruit exporter Compagnie Fruitiere, for use on its Europe-West Africa service route.    Africa Express Line (AEL) has purchased 500 new Star Cool Integrated refrigerated containers manufactured by Maersk Container Industry (MCI), the ocean carrier said in a statement.
   According to MCI, the shipping line purchased the containers in order to “reduce operating costs and meet sustainability objectives through energy efficiency, effective cargo control and cold chain transparency.”
   In addition to being energy efficient, the Star Cool reefers utilize built-in digital features, including an energy meter to measure energy use in real time, either manually or via AEL’s full modem coverage.  
   Intelligent Trip Inspection (ITI) from MCI, a digital inspection system that now comes standard in all Star Cool reefers, removes the need for “timely and costly pre-trip inspections by self-diagnosing whether the container is ready for the next trip and highlight if steps in the ITI process need further investigation,” the company said.
   “We set out to invest in containers that would protect the high-value produce we transport while saving energy,” says Mathew Shed, technical director at AEL. “After comparative field trials, the controlled atmosphere technology clearly demonstrated its ability to help ensure the produce arrives at its destination in optimal condition. We will also take advantage of the energy saving applications and remote monitoring capabilities of Star Cool. Not only will they help us optimize operations, but they will also help us stay true to the CSR commitments we share with our owner, Compagnie Fruitiere.”
   Soren Johannsen, chief commercial officer of MCI, noted that, “The integrated Star Cool 2017 model provides a whole suite of new efficiency-enhancing features to support the needs of modern container operations – from monitoring and controlling the atmospheric conditions on the inside of the container to digitalized solutions that allow for transparency and expanded data access.”
   MCI, part of the Transport and Logistics division of A.P. Moller-Maersk, manufactures refrigerated containers as well as dry containers at its facility in Qingdao, China.
   Once completed, the containers will be deployed on Europe to West Africa routes by AEL’s owner, French fruit exporter Compagnie Fruitiere. AEL will charter the 2,345 TEU-vessel Mimmi Schulte, a new-build equipped with high reefer plug capacity, to carry and deliver the Star Cool reefers, the company said.