A study comparing the environmental impact of the two main methods of shipping fresh produce has revealed that container ships produce 27 per cent higher emissions of greenhouse gases than specialised reefer ships.

The research, carried out by the Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit of Lincoln University in Christchurch, New Zealand, set out to assess more fully the shipping emissions generated in fresh produce supply chains - which has received less attention in previous studies.

Using the kiwifruit industry as an example, the study focused on shipping emissions and measured greenhouse gases (GHGs) on outward and return journeys, while accounting for different shipping routes, ship utilisation, and the volume and weight of cargo.

When the emissions of port activities, refrigerant losses and transport of fruit from orchard to port are included, the 27 per cent greater GHGs produced by container shipping increases to 36 per cent higher than by specialised reefer shipping.

Walter Wildöer, chairman of the 360 Quality shipping association, said: “This report clearly demonstrates that shipping fruit in specialised reefer vessels creates a significantly smaller carbon footprint than shipping with container lines.

“A specialised reefer service picks up its perishable cargo and heads directly for its destination port, with limited port calls only scheduled en route to add further cargo. A container ship, meanwhile, makes far longer round trips, with frequent stops. It is the same difference as between a taxi, which picks up from origin A and drops at destination B; and a bus, which takes an indirect route and stops many times. However, as this report shows, the carbon footprint of the taxi per unit is also demonstrably smaller than that of the bus.”

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