Reefer ships

A reefer ship is a type of ship typically used to transport perishable commodities which require temperature controlled transportation, mostly fruits, meat, fish, vegetables, dairy products and other foodstuffs.

Reeferships may be split into two categories:

1. Sidedoor vessels have sidedoors that are lowered to the quay and serve as loading and discharging ramps for the forklifts. In the rear of the sidedoor there is a double pallet elevator, which brings the cargo to the respective decks. This special design makes the vessels particularly well suited for short distance trade.
2. Conventional vessels have a traditional cargo operation with hatches and cranes/derricks well suited for the handling of palletized and loose cargo.

A major use of refrigerated cargo hold type ships was for the transportation of bananas but has since been partly replaced by refrigerated containers that have a refrigeration system attached to the forward end of the container. While on a ship this is plugged into a 380 VAC outlet that ties into the ship's power generation. Many ships are limited by the amount of refrigeration containers they can carry due to the lack of refrigeration outlets or insufficient generator capacity. Each reefer container has its own breaker switch that allows it to be connected and disconnected in adverse weather with the power off.

Read more