Leader

Leader – Q1 2023 – Integrated Reefer News

By Søren Leth Johannsen
CEO of Maersk Container Industry

Dear reader, welcome to the first edition of 2023 Integrated Reefer News! As we kick off this new year, we are thrilled to announce the integration of our newsletter into our commercial website. This change reflects the digitization of our industry and our commitment to sustainability, reducing the amount of print material used.

We have published Integrated Reefer News since 2007, when it was first known as Star Cool News. Over the years, we have brought you over 250 articles in 60 newsletters, and we are proud to have reached so many of you. Our online PDF version has been opened over 65,000 times, and we have sent out more than 30,000 newsletters to our hardcopy receivers. The move to a website-based newsletter will help us reduce our environmental impact, while still providing you with the latest news, insights, and industry trends. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to keeping you informed!

After strong demand for reefers in 2021 that continued into 2022, the container market began to correct itself in the second half of the year, ultimately ending with low activity. Due to the market situation and the early Chinese New Year holiday, we chose to halt production throughout January to perform maintenance on our equipment and further train our production colleagues. This decision was made to ensure we were fully prepared to meet customer needs when reefers were once again in demand. We are pleased that our expectations proved correct and, following Chinese New Year celebrations, we resumed two shifts to accommodate increasing demand for reefers.

This year, the shipping industry is grappling with the IMO 2023 regulations, aimed at ensuring safe and environmentally friendly shipping practices. The focus of these regulations is to control emissions from ships and reduce air pollution. At MCI, we have always prioritized energy efficiency in reefer production and shipping for the sake of the environment and our customers’ footprints.

All reefer operators will strengthen the focus on monitoring the actual energy efficiency of their reefers. As a testament to our commitment, we have years ago already equipped all our reefers with a power meter, making it easier to measure the energy consumption. Read more about the Total Cost of Ownership in this edition.

Also related to IMO 2023 is our second story about Zespri International Limited, the leading Kiwifruit brand, who is taking significant steps to reduce its carbon footprint and become a more sustainable company.


Kiwifruit has a relatively low carbon footprint, with our total supply chain emissions accounting for approximately 2 kg of CO2-e emissions per kilogram of kiwifruit consumed. International shipping accounts for approximately 43 % of Zespri’s emissions footprint for fruit sold globally.

Developing viable zero and low emissions shipping options will be essential to our ambitions of being carbon neutral to consumers by 2035 and meeting the expectations of our communities, customers, and consumers.

– Rachel Depree, Executive Officer for Sustainability – Zespri International

From launching its Climate Change strategy to setting targets for reducing emissions, Zespri is committed to making a positive impact on the environment and communities where it operates. Discover how the company is leading the way in the kiwifruit industry’s transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future in this edition.

I hope you enjoy this first edition of 2023 Integrated Reefer News and continue to follow us on our new platform. Find all the articles in this edition below here. Wishing you a successful 2023!

Stories from Q1 2023:

Acting on reducing our CO2 footprint – Zespri International
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Acting on reducing our CO2 footprint – Zespri International

Energy efficiency
TCO vs CAPEX – Seeing the bigger picture of a reefer’s life
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

TCO vs CAPEX – Seeing the bigger picture of a reefer’s life

Energy efficiency
Star Cool
New animation on Star Cool ITI
Tuesday, February 28, 2023

New animation on Star Cool ITI

Star Cool ITI