Reefer box capacity forecast to grow, says Drewry

Reefer capacity on the containership fleet is expected to increase by 22% over the next five years, at the expense of a declining specialised reefer fleet, according to Drewry’s latest Reefer Shipping Market Annual Review & Forecast.

Reefer box capacity is expected to grow from 1.6 million 40ft slots in 2013 to 1.9 million slots in 2018. However, this fleet growth is not expected to adversely impact vessel utilisation levels thanks to strong cargo growth.

Reefer container volumes are forecast to rise by 20.5m tonnes over this period, 16.5m tonnes by organic growth and 4m tonnes at the expense of the shrinking specialised reefer industry. Overall seaborne perishable reefer trade will increase by 17% between 2013 and 2018, providing an additional 16.5m tonnes of cargo.