French shipping giant CMA CGM has acquired 7,000 FEU high cube reefer containers including 6,000 low consumption engines, to transport perishables - flowers, frozen food, wine and pharmaceuticals.

These reefer containers are designed to reduce carbon 60 per cent compared to the first generation reefers. They also optimise the atmosphere control, and operate a phytosanitary cold treatment to lengthen the shelf life of perishables.

"These investments strengthen CMA CGM's leading position in reefer transport which will become the most important vehicle of sensitive goods transport in the following years to come," vice president Alexis Michel, reported New York's MarineLink.

The group said its investment in the new equipment enables it to increase reefer volume 13 per cent. With a reefer fleet of 185,000 TEU, the group has the second largest fleet of reefer boxes among the top shipping lines, and transports 850,000 TEU of refrigerated cargo annually.

The company said its objective is to transport one million reefer TEU this year.