DREWRY Maritime Research says in its latest Reefer Shipping report that reefer capacity on the containership fleet is expected to increase 22 per cent over the next five years at the expense of a declining specialised reefer fleet.

Reefer box capacity is expected to grow from 1.6 million FEU slots in 2013 to 1.9 million slots in 2018. But this fleet growth is not expected to adversely impact vessel utilisation levels thanks to strong cargo growth.

Reefer container volumes are forecast to rise 20.5 million tonnes over this period, 16.5 million tonnes by organic growth and four million tonnes at the expense of the shrinking specialised reefer industry.

Overall seaborne perishable reefer trade will increase by 17 per cent during the same five-year period, providing an additional 16.5 million tonnes of cargo.