The German reefer fleet was one of the leading in the world for many years after the Second World War. The banana hunters” with their yacht-like appearance attracted special attention in every port. Today, reefer ships are in tough competition with the container lines, with good service and short transit times guaranteeing the reefers survival, at least in the medium term.
From the end of the 19th century until today, almost 400 of these ships were operated by German shipping companies. The authors are two proven shipping experts, Karl-Heinz Hilbig and Karsten Kunibert Krüger-Kopiske (K4), whose nine books that have been published so far have mainly, but not only, attracted attention with their perfect drawings. In this book the authors present each of the more than 400 German reefer ships with technical data, curriculum vitae, drawings and photos.
The history of each reefer shipping company and the biography of each ship are part of the book, as are texts on important historical, technical and economic backgrounds that contribute to understanding the industry.
More than 50 photos and reproductions of paintings, some of which have not yet been published, complete the work.