What Cool Carriers does

Cool Carriers AB is a privately held Swedish shipping company founded on December 19, 1984, that operates the world's largest fleet of specialized reefer (refrigerated) vessels, currently 50 ships, providing fast, dedicated, and direct maritime transportation of fruit and other perishable cargo. The company's vessels are equipped with advanced Controlled Atmosphere (CA) systems, high on-deck container capacity with cranes for self-sustained container handling, and — in its new Snow-Class builds — 2.50m under-deck height to accommodate high-cube pallets. Cool Carriers serves a defined set of seasonal trade lanes linking major fruit-producing regions to consumption markets: Chile-to-US (deciduous fruit: cherries, blueberries, grapes, stone fruit), South Africa to Northern Europe and Japan (grapes, citrus), Argentina/Uruguay to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe (citrus), New Zealand to the Western Mediterranean (kiwifruit), and Alaska/North Atlantic (seafood and frozen meat).

The company's commercial model is B2B contract-based freight, charging per cargo volume, route, and specialized handling requirements, with no public pricing. Customers are large fruit exporters, importers, and producers of frozen meat and seafood; Chilean fruit exporters are the most prominently disclosed segment, evidenced by 46.5% market share to Gloucester and 71.3% to Los Angeles during the 2025/26 season, moving 260,000 pallets. Cool Carriers operates a horizontal segmentation across perishable commodities, distributed through wholly owned subsidiaries in Chile (Cool Carriers Chile S.A.), the USA (Cool Carriers Shipping USA, Inc.), and Cyprus (Cool Carriers Ltd), supported by regional offices in Stockholm, Valparaiso, Ventura, Hollywood (FL), Cape Town, and a new Limassol headquarters under construction. The company is a founding member of the 360 Quality Association, which sets standards for food safety and quality in specialized reefer shipping.

Growth is being driven primarily through a fleet renewal and expansion program: seven new Type Reefer Carriers from Kitanihon Shipbuilding in Japan (first vessel Snow Flower delivered in 2026) plus 10–12 additional units of varying sizes scheduled through 2027. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company is privately held with no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no public listing identified. Active preparation for EU 2030 Emission Trading System compliance signals forward positioning on maritime emissions regulation.

Name

Cool Carriers

Legal name

Cool Carriers AB

Website

https://cool.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cool Carriers AB is a privately held Swedish shipping company operating the world's largest fleet of 50 specialized reefer vessels, providing dedicated maritime transport of fruit and other perishable cargo for exporters and importers across Chile, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, New Zealand, and Alaska trade lanes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Freight/Transportation Services: Cool Carriers generates revenue through providing specialized reefer vessel transportation services for perishable cargo including fruits (cherries, blueberries, grapes, stone fruit, citrus, kiwifruit), bananas, frozen meat, fish, and vegetables across global trade routes. Revenue is earned through freight charges based on cargo volume, distance, and specialized handling requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cool Carriers operates specialized reefer (refrigerated) vessels to provide fast, dedicated, and direct transportation of fruit and other perishable cargo on global trade routes. Its fleet of 50 vessels is equipped with Controlled Atmosphere (CA) systems, onboard deck cranes for self-sustained container handling, and specially trained crew. The service targets fruit exporters, importers, and other perishable cargo shippers across routes including Chile-US, South Africa, Argentina/Uruguay, New Zealand, and Alaska.

Product overview

Cool Carriers operates as a single unified service offering focused on specialized reefer vessel logistics. The company operates a fleet of 50 specialized reefer vessels as its core service, providing fast, dedicated, and direct transportation of perishable cargo including bananas, deciduous produce, citrus, kiwifruit, pineapples, frozen meat, and fish. The vessels are equipped with high container capacity on deck, cranes for self-sustained container handling, and advanced Controlled Atmosphere (CA) systems. The primary offering is the reefer transportation service itself, not a software platform with separate products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Specialized Reefer Vessel Transportation
• Snow-Class Reefer Vessel Series

Quantifiable outcome

• 46.5% market share to Gloucester (up 11% year-over-year) and 71.3% record market share to Los Angeles during 2025/26 season
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 360 Quality AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCool Carriers is a founding member of the 360 Quality Association, which develops guidelines for implementation of the 360 Quality Code - voluntary standards for specialized reefer shipping lines. This partnership establishes industry standards for quality and cargo care in the perishables supply chain.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Seatrade Reefer Chartering: Seatrade operates one of the larger specialized reefer vessel fleets globally, providing time-charter and voyage-charter services for perishable cargo across similar fruit and protein trade lanes. Directly comparable in vessel type, customer base, and specialized reefer positioning.
• NYK Line (Nippon Yusen Kaisha): Japanese shipping major with historical expertise in reefer shipping, operating specialized reefer services for perishables including South African citrus to Japan and New Zealand kiwifruit. Comparable in specialized reefer tonnage and customer overlap in similar trade corridors.
• K Line (Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha): Japanese ocean carrier with a dedicated reefer business servicing global fruit and perishable trades, including routes from Chile, South Africa, and New Zealand. Comparable in specialized reefer vessel operations and key lane overlap with Cool Carriers' trades.
• Great White Fleet: Specialized reefer operator focused on the banana and tropical fruit trade with services from Ecuador and Central America, sharing Cool Carriers' specialized reefer vessel business model and core perishable-cargo customer base.
• Fresh Carriers (Kambara Kisen): Japanese specialist reefer operator with deep experience in banana, citrus, and deciduous fruit shipping across Asia-Pacific and global trades. Comparable in specialized reefer tonnage, customer mix, and route coverage with Cool Carriers.

Broad incumbents

• Maersk Line: World's largest container shipping line with substantial reefer container capacity serving all major fruit and perishable trades. While not a specialized reefer vessel operator, Maersk is the principal alternative for perishable shippers and competes directly on Chile-US, South Africa, and NZ-Europe lanes.
• CMA CGM: Global container line with one of the largest reefer container fleets worldwide, serving perishables shippers on the same key lanes Cool Carriers operates (Chile-US, South Africa-Europe, NZ-Asia). Provides a containerized alternative that competes with specialized reefer tonnage.
• Hapag-Lloyd: Major container line with significant reefer container capacity, particularly strong on South America-Europe and intra-Europe trades. Competes with Cool Carriers for perishable cargo via scheduled container services on overlapping lanes.
• MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company): World's second-largest container line with extensive reefer container slots serving perishables trades globally. Offers an alternative service proposition to specialized reefer vessels on Cool Carriers' core Chile-US, South Africa, and South America-Europe lanes.

Emerging players

• ZIM Integrated Shipping Services: Container line with reefer capacity that has been expanding its perishables offering, particularly on Chile-USEC and South America trades. Represents an emerging container-based competitor for reefer shippers considering alternatives to specialized vessels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cool Carriers