According to reports, thirteen (13) explosions, three (3) of which involved fatalities, occurred over the past ten (10) years, leading to the grounding of hundreds of refrigerated containers worldwide. The causes of the explosions were investigated and thought to have been caused by contaminated or incorrect refrigerant being added to the refrigeration system while it was in service in Vietnam.
A shipper raised the alarm by informing the World Shipping Council of the incidents with four (4) of its refrigerated containers, which potentially had a contaminated gas system.
Three of these reefer units had exploded, causing three fatalities, the most recent being an engineer working on a unit in Brazil.
The company subsequently grounded approximately 800 reefers while investigations were being carried out.
The cause of these events is suspected to be the introduction of contaminated or otherwise unsuitable refrigerant gas into the system that causes a chemical reaction when it comes into contact with R134a, oil or air, creating a flammable/explosive mixture.
At least two (2) Carrier ThinLINE and one (1) Star Cool unit are reported to have suffered compressor ruptures in separate incidents in Brazil, China, and Vietnam. In contrast, refrigerant gas from a Daikin LXE10E unit is said to have spontaneously combusted when exposed to air.
On October 21, 2011, the world’s biggest reefer container machinery manufacturer sent an urgent safety bulletin to all its authorized service centers reporting that four (4) reefer units are now known to have experienced compressor ruptures.
Carrier said several shippers had identified at least 900 refrigeration units that they suspect might contain contaminated refrigerant and quarantined those units.