SINGAPORE, Aug. 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, a global leader in transportation and logistics, will lease 2,000 containers chilled by Carrier Transicold's innovative, natural refrigerant-based NaturaLINE^® refrigeration system. The first of its kind, the NaturaLINE unit solves the problem of how to use refrigerants effectively and efficiently – to transport valuable items such as perishable food and pharmaceuticals – while helping to protect the environment. The system utilizes repurposed carbon dioxide (CO₂), the refrigerant with the lowest global warming potential (GWP) among all container refrigerants currently in use. MSC's new refrigerated containers – all 40-foot high-cube models – are being leased from SeaCube Containers LLC. Carrier Transicold is part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

"The NaturaLINE unit's innovative use of CO₂ is the first of its kind available on the reefer market," said Giuseppe Prudente, chief logistics officer, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company. "By providing higher level of performance in the minus 40 degrees Celsius deep-frozen range, we can add new capabilities for our growing customer base, particularly for seafood and other high-value frozen commodities. Moreover, shipping is already one of the most environmentally sustainable forms of cargo transportation, and we are pleased to continue to improve our environmental performance by equipping our fleet with the latest green technologies."

The ability to achieve minus 40 Celsius was previously only attainable in container systems using a refrigerant with a GWP nearly 4,000 times higher. The NaturaLINE unit has managed this, along with high efficiency, a quiet operation and tight temperature control.

"We commend MSC and SeaCube for their investment in environmentally sustainable refrigeration equipment," said David Appel, president, Carrier Transicold & Refrigeration Systems. "The NaturaLINE unit, with CO₂ refrigerant, takes users directly to an end state by guarding against regulations, environmental taxes and phase outs that other refrigerants will be subject to during their operational lifespan. In addition, CO₂ is non-ozone depleting, widely available, relatively inexpensive and nonflammable."

Carrier Transicold recognized the need for refrigeration technology that would neutralize concerns over GWP – in much the same way that it led the industry away from ozone-depleting refrigerants ahead of Montreal Protocol deadlines 25 years ago.

"In taking leadership to provide a natural-refrigerant solution, Carrier Transicold created what is perhaps the most sound investment a leasing company and shipping line can make – a refrigerated container that will not become obsolete in its lifetime due to pressures from environmental legislation," said Robert Sappio, CEO, SeaCube. "By fulfilling the NaturaLINE unit's first order of this magnitude, SeaCube is pleased to be part of this important development for the shipping industry."

MSC will begin taking delivery of its new containers from SeaCube later in the year. The NaturaLINE units will be supported by Carrier Transicold's global service network. For more information about the NaturaLINE refrigeration unit from Carrier Transicold, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.

About Carrier Transicold
Carrier Transicold commemorates its heritage of container refrigeration innovation and leadership in 2018 by marking the 50^th anniversary of its pioneering front-wall container refrigeration unit design. Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. Carrier Transicold is an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain.

About MSC
With global headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. is a privately owned global shipping company founded in 1970 by Gianluigi Aponte. As one of the world's leading container shipping lines, MSC operates 480 offices across 155 countries worldwide with over 70,000 employees. MSC's shipping line sails on more than 200 trade routes, calling at over 500 ports, with access to an integrated network of road, rail and sea transport resources that stretches across the globe. www.msc.com

About SeaCube
SeaCube Containers LLC, Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, owns and manages both dry and refrigerated shipping containers and generator sets used to power refrigerated containers when transported over land for prolonged periods of time while en-route to their final destinations. Providing global coverage, the company leases out equipment primarily under long-term contracts to the world's largest shipping lines.

SOURCE Carrier Transicold

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