PSA Corporation Ltd (PSA) and Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd (ONE) have deepened their collaboration on sustainability initiatives by working together to recover and recycle refrigerant gas from refrigerated containers (reefers).

PSA is the first in Southeast Asia to commence trials on the use of reclaimed refrigerant gas for reefers, with ONE being the first shipping line to successfully complete the trials using their reefers with PSA.

Reclaimed refrigerant gas initiative

In a joint statement, the companies noted that recycling refrigerant gas effectively saves about 4,000kg of carbon emissions per reefer, which is equivalent to the emissions from driving a normal internal combustion engine car for close to a year.

Refrigerant gas, or Hydrofluorocarbons, are potent greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.

"As part of its drive towards building a sustainable supply chain, PSA initiated the use of reclaimed refrigerant gas released from the cooling systems of reefers. The refrigerant gas is recovered, cleaned, processed, and certified before it is re-used and pumped back into the reefers," the statement said.

Last month, ONE validated the quality of the reclaimed refrigerant gas and will be PSA's first customer to use it for their reefer repairs in PSA moving forward.

Following the successful trials with ONE, PSA looks forward to extending this green initiative to other shipping lines and partners.

To further support the industry's push towards sustainability, PSA will recover the commonly used refrigerant gas that is being released during the maintenance and repair works of reefers.

"Close collaboration with a shared purpose is key to achieving a resilient and sustainable global supply chain ecosystem. PSA is delighted to have ONE coming alongside us in our strive to minimise the environmental impact of our operations," said Ong Kim Pong, regional CEO Southeast Asia, PSA International.

"With the strong and steadfast support of our customers and partners, PSA is one step closer in 'greening up' supply chains and shaping the future of Singapore as an innovative and sustainable global maritime hub," he added.

Yasuki Iwai, managing director of Product and Network Division, Ocean Network Express, commented that the success of this trial is another important milestone in the strong partnership between PSA and ONE.

He also adds that open collaboration with reliable partners is an important factor in the success of ONE’s green strategy and as such, ONE will continue with the best practice and strive to establish a collaborative community ecosystem to better support the growth of a sustainable maritime supply chain.