"After repeated MAGNUM orders throughout the past five years and investment in service optimization and other cutting-edge technologies, Hamburg Süd is able to offer its customers reliable, all-round logistics solutions now and well into the future," said Steen Ostergaard, Thermo King Sales Director.
Indeed, the transportation of temperature-controlled cargoes is a specialty field in which Hamburg Süd has consistently been at the technological forefront, and its know-how is unrivalled in the international shipping industry. Hamburg Süd has been accelerating the expansion and modernization of its reefer container fleet, which currently makes up around 15 percent of the total container pool, through:

• updated 20- and 40-foot High Cube containers for meat, fish, fruit and vegetables;

• special reefer atmospheric technologies such as Thermo King's AFAM+ (Advanced Fresh Air Management System) that controls the ripening process of highly sensitive fruits and vegetables for improved product quality and shelf life; and

• the MAGNUM, the only container reefer available with -35 degree C cooling capabilities, idealfor fish and seafood loads.
The multiplicity of Hamburg Süd's technologies allows the company to create optimum transport conditions for all products and open new markets for producers. At the same time, it ensures that the shipment of refrigerated commodities by sea becomes increasingly competitive to air transport with lower prices and environmental impact - aspects which are gaining worldwide attention.
"While common reefer containers reach their refrigeration limit at -30 degrees C, MAGNUM containers can be cooled down as low as -35 degrees C," explains Michaela Steineker, global reefer coordinator, Hamburg Süd. "This provides ideal transport conditions for high-quality products in the fish and seafood category. These commodities rely on the lowest-possible temperatures to retain taste, colour, texture, and valuable nutrients.
"The Asian market, and especially our Japanese consignees there, set a high value on the quality of fish and seafood. Accordingly, we transport these products in MAGNUM containers to align with their wishes," continued Steineker. "MAGNUM containers also lend themselves to the shipment of other temperature-sensitive products such as ice cream. In fact, some of our customers clearly insist in MAGNUM units when it comes to transporting ice cream to warmer, tropical regions."
Hamburg Süd likes MAGNUM's simple, straight-forward design, which makes for easy maintenance and provides good protection against corrosion. "It is also lighter than competitors' units, thus permitting a higher payload," said Steineker, "and MAGNUM exhibits the best energy efficiency, especially in chill range. Its powerful ventilator motors ensure good temperature distribution throughout the container. And its high refrigeration performance additionally allows faster cooling, particularly in the deep frozen range. The machine's low failure rate is, of course, a further benefit to our business."
In addition to ensuring improved transport quality and high reliability, the MAGNUM reduces energy consumption within the cold chain, especially on Hamburg Süd ships. "The high energy efficiency of the MAGNUM helps reduce the output of carbon dioxide, an important aspect of environmental protection we have long made an integral part of our business operations," said Steineker.
Since its formation in 1871, Hamburg Süd has evolved from a conventional shipping company into an internationally operating transport logistics organization. In addition to its tramp shipping activities, Hamburg Süd, today ranks among the world's 20 largest container shipping lines and is acknowledged as one of the leading providers in the North-South trades. The company offers its customers across-the-board door-to-door logistics solutions extending beyond pure ocean transport.
Thermo King is the global leader in solutions for temperature-controlled transport, supplying the world market from 11 production facilities and over 800 distributors world-wide. The company offers a wide range of refrigeration and heating units for vehicles of all sizes, from small vans to large trailers, as well as airborne and ocean-going containers. In addition Thermo King provides heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment for passenger buses and railcars.
Thermo King also offers service maintenance programmes and finance solutions as well as a range of accessories, temperature monitoring, and tracking equipment. For more information on Thermo King's products and services please visit www.thermoking.com.
Thermo King is a business unit of leading diversified industrial company Ingersoll Rand, a global provider of products, services, and integrated solutions to industries as diverse as transportation, manufacturing, construction and agriculture. Further information on Ingersoll Rand can be found on the company's website at www.irco.com.