Reefer ships can save themselves from their recent decline in the face of reefer box competition by including a container capacity of their own, says Drewry's Container Insight Weekly.

Drewry gave the example of Seatrade, the world's biggest reefer operator, controlling 20 per cent of the bulk reefer fleet, which included a container hold on some ships and is ordering new ones that are specialised reefer box ships.

Antwerp's Seatrade, with a capacity of 100,000 cubic feet, is lengthening its vessels to include a container hold as well buy reefer box ships.

In July, Lloyd's List reported that the company had taken over two 2,200-TEU newbuilding orders for high reefer capacity box ships, each able to carry 12,000 pallets in reefer boxes on and below deck, using a water-cooling system.

A standard containership cannot do this as it does not have the ventilation capacity underdeck, said Drewry, also predicting that total sea borne perishable reefer trade will increase 17 per cent between 2013 and 2018.

"To protect their future viability, specialised reefer companies must now reinvent themselves to protect their undoubted expertise in this field," said Drewry.