DFDS Logistics, Ltd. has enhanced its environmental profile by purchasing 50 Carrier Transicold NaturaLINE units, which are the industry’s only natural refrigerant-based container refrigeration system.
The NaturaLINE units use carbon dioxide, also known as R-744, a non-ozone depleting refrigerant with an ultra-low global warming potential (GWP) of 1. Its GWP ranks lowest among all current container system refrigerants, which have GWPs ranging from hundreds to thousands of times greater. DFDS considers deployment of the NaturaLINE unit complementary to its corporate social responsibility initiatives, which call for limiting the impact of its activities on the environment.
“The NaturaLINE units help reduce our environmental impact compared to other container refrigeration systems,” said Jack Hodgson, fleet manager, DFDS Logistics, part of DFDS Group, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Underscoring its commitment to the technology, DFDS has emblazoned each of its new 45-foot containers with the slogan “Naturally Chilled: No synthetic refrigerants – kinder to the environment.”
“We commend DFDS’ commitment to a more sustainable future through its selection of the NaturaLINE unit,” said Flemming Kuhl, sales director EMEA, Carrier Global Container Refrigeration. “As more shipping fleets are discovering, the NaturaLINE unit’s use of a natural refrigerant can also help to guard against regulations, environmental taxes and phase outs that other refrigerants may be subject to during the operational life span of units purchased today.”
Although the NaturaLINE unit’s environmental attributes are what first captured the attention of DFDS, Hodgson said it was the unit’s solid performance demonstrated through a rigorous six-month trial that sealed the acquisition.
DFDS Logistics provides door-to-door transport solutions to manufacturers of consumer and industrial goods supported by a European network of road, rail and container carriers and DFDS Group’s extensive ferry routes. Cold-chain services, including land and sea, make up about 25% of the business, and DFDS operates about 650 refrigerated containers. Unlike containers used in ocean crossings, those enlisted into short-sea service are subject to far more handling, meaning durability and reliability are critically essential, according to Hodgson.
“It’s a fast-paced turn-around, and the containers go through a lot in just one journey,” Hodgson said. The NaturaLINE trial delivered frozen potato products from the United Kingdom to Holland, a four-day round trip that required 16 crane handlings as the container moved from the food processor via barge, boat and truck, through ports and terminals along the way to its destination, and then back.
“Over the six months, we had not one issue with the NaturaLINE unit,” Hodgson said. “We were very impressed. We know that we can count on them to uphold our fast-paced business.”
R-744’s outstanding thermal characteristics also enable the energy-efficient NaturaLINE unit to achieve minus 40 degrees Celsius, which Hodgson said may open new opportunities for DFDS with its customers. The NaturaLINE units are additionally known for their quiet operation and tight temperature control with no operating restrictions. The refrigerant R-744 is also widely available, relatively inexpensive and classified as A1 for low-toxicity and no flame propagation.
