Ro-Ro Mode For Banana Trade

D4R₂ Shipping has been set up by the Danish maritime equity fund Dee4 Capital and Swiss-based Reefer RoRo AG, using a versatile new vessel design concept addressing what are seen as the shortcomings of specialised reefer ships.

Four such vessels are sought. The proposed D4R₂ newbuild class is fully self-sustaining in cargo handling terms, incorporating a heavy-duty quarter ramp for trailer-borne freight and three side-mounted cranes for lo-lo handling of containers.

The four 4.5m-high cargo decks offer a combined ro-ro capacity of more than 4,000 lane-metres, fitted for temperature-controlled shipments such as pallets of bananas carried on cassettes, and capable of taking other types of freight. With the ship’s forward bridge and superstructure configuration, weatherdeck space and access is maximised and laid out for 268 FEU boxes.

The patented ro-ro/container vessel solution confers dual load and discharge modality and the flexibility to improve the economics of the eastbound reefer traffic while affording scope for a wide mix of return cargoes.

The interests behind the new company allude to the industry’s low levels of investment in specialised reefership since the turn of the millennium, and that sector’s reduced competitiveness and high average vessel age of 29 years. The perceived drawbacks of such ships are relatively small loading capacity, slow load and discharge operations and manpower-intensive nature of stevedoring.

By contrast, the D4R₂ con-ro is advocated with substantial savings, of the order of 25% or more, in operating costs, and considerable reduction in turnaround time. Improvements associated with the ro-ro working of cassette-borne banana cargoes are a key contributor to overall efficiency gains.

Moreover, and although no technical details have been released, the vessel type is said to offer a 40%-plus reduction in CO₂ emissions, and to represent a decisive step towards the decarbonisation of banana transportation. The introduction of the new shipping concept would require only minimal changes to current logistics, according to D4R₂.

Founded by Carsten Mortensen and Freddie Lee in 2019, investment firm Dee4 Capital’s portfolio features modern, medium-range product tankers.