U.S. shipper adds 220 NaturaLINE CO₂ containers to its fleet

U.S.-based shipping company TOTE announced this week that it is placing 220 NaturaLINE CO_2-cooled refrigerated shipping containers into service on U.S. domestic trade routes under its TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico division, according to a press release from Carrier Transicold on June 12.

TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico is the "first shipping line to place a sizable quantity of NaturaLINE units into service on U.S. domestic trade routes," the press release stated. NaturaLINE containers are manufactured by Carrier Transicold. 

The 220 units are being leased from SeaCube Containers LLC, a U.S.-based company that owns and manages dry and refrigerated shipping containers.

The announcement follows last year's news that Geneva-based Mediterranean Shipping Company would be leasing 2,000 NaturaLINE containers for its seafood and high-value frozen commodities shipping operations.

Excellent cooling performance, future-proofing, and sustainability are continuing to drive end user interest in the NaturaLINE CO₂ containers.

“TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico tested NaturaLINE units in our fleet and found that in all temperature ranges, its capabilities surpassed our expectations,” said Jim Wagstaff, vice president operations for TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico.

“TOTE’s commitment to Puerto Rico is about more than reliable deliveries and exceptional customer service,” said Chris Willman, vice president sales & marketing for TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico. “It’s about leading the industry with best-in-class, environmentally sustainable products, such as NaturaLINE refrigeration units and our emissions-reducing Marlin-class vessels, the first containerships efficiently powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), providing service to the island since 2015.”

In September of 2017, another of the world's largest shipping container shipping companies, Maersk Line, announced it was testing 100 of Carrier Transicold's NaturaLINE CO₂ shipping containers.