Dutch shipping company WEC Lines is entering the refrigerated container market with its first 50 brand new high-cut 45ft Pallet-Wide refrigerated containers (reefer) equipment to its large container fleet.

The carrier says the demand for reefer containers has been rising steadily across various industries, including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, driven by the need for reliable and secure transport of temperature-sensitive goods. In accordance with the predictions published in the Drewry’s 2023 Reefer Shipping Forecaster, containers are expected to see the number of reefer containers increase by an average of 4% per year in the period 2023 and 2028, as the trade in perishables is more resilient to recessions in the economy.

The 45ft refrigerated containers have a the latest (electric) cooling system that can ensure precise temperature control over the range of -30oC up to +30oC. This guarantees the security of temperature sensitive or perishable goods throughout the transport process, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh or processed foods, pharmaceutical and dairy items.

With the vessels it has short-sea equipped with reefer plugs, as well as enough slot for reefers, in the month of September WEC Lines launched a new direct connection that connects Agadir in Morocco as well as Portugal, Spain, and Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom as a fast and sustainable alternative for producers of fresh fruits and vegetables for overland trucking. This service offers onward links to the North-western part of Europe e.g. The Netherlands, France, and Belgium which is where Moroccan tomatoes and citrus fruits are being sold in European grocery stores.

“With this latest acquisition, WEC Lines is ready to satisfy the ever-growing need for refrigerated goods within Europe. The addition of new reefer units allows us to provide our customers with fresh and new stock as well as meet the huge need for fresh containers and equipment on the current market conditions,” stated Caesar Luikenaar the Managing Director of WEC Lines.

To meet WEC Lines’ commitment to reduce their environmental footprint to zero by 2050, each reefer is equipped with one of the least energy-consuming equipments on the market as well as a refrigerant that has an extremely low global warming potential (Global warming potential). Additionally the type of foam used will result in significant reductions in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, and also is Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP), that is, it’s not harmful to the Ozone layer.

These containers are expected to become part of the company’s rotation in the next few months, with likely to add refrigerated containers for its deep sea activities.

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Eva Rademaker-de Leeuw

WEC Lines

www.weclines.com