QUEST (Quality and Energy efficiency in Storage and Transport) is a software solution, providing a new temperature control regime, thereby cutting the energy consumption used for cooling by up to 50% without impacting the quality of refrigeration solutions. Maersk Line estimates that QUEST will lead to CO2 emission reductions of 325,000 tonnes annually when fully implemented during 2008.
"While the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly mode of transportation is by sea, our aim is for continual improvement in our environmental performance. We are therefore particularly pleased to be able to start the use of QUEST. It marks a new milestone in our continuous effort to develop and implement ever cleaner and more fuel-efficient solutions," says Thomas Eskesen, senior director and responsible for reefer management in Maersk Line.
Traditionally, a constant supply air temperature in the reefer container is maintained, a process that uses high amounts of energy. QUEST on the other hand focuses on the temperature of the transported commodity.
"With QUEST, our customers and their commodities will benefit from all the usual features provided by our refrigeration solutions and in the same time we all benefit from lower energy consumption and reduced emissions," says Eskesen.
The solution is the result of a joint development project sponsored by the Dutch Government, and involving amongst others Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands, and Maersk Line.
