Seatrade orders four new multipurpose reefer ships

The vessel order is part of a larger deal that involves an additional six firm orders and options for ten more ships capable of carrying both breakbulk and containerized cargoes.    Seatrade, the largest operator and owner of fully refrigerated or “reefer” vessels, purpose-built ships for ocean transport of perishable and frozen cargo, has agreed to acquire four handy-size reefer new-buildings of 300,000 cubic feet.
   The company said in a statement the ships “are of an eco design and are equipped with an environmentally friendly refrigeration plant to cool the under-deck space whilst they are able to carry refrigerated containers on-deck.”
   The ships are being built by Guangxin Shipbuilding and Heavy Industry Co yard in Zhongshan, China and will be delivered beginning in the summer of 2017.
   Seatrade, which manages a fleet of about 100 reefer ships, said the purchase is part of a larger newbuilding program involving six reefer container vessels plus an option for six more reefer-container ships and an option for another four handy-size reefer ships.
   The handy-size reefer vessels will be employed in the GreenSea Reefer Pool, while the reefer container vessels will be employed in the Seatrade Pool in current and newly developed trades.
   “Transit times and associated indirect costs are increasing on services operated by larger container lines and there remains a clear demand for FDD (fast, direct and dedicated) services operated by specialized reefers, specialized containers vessels as well as hybrid vessels,” said Seatrade.