Counterfeit gas could harm reefer sector for another five years

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First it was trademark designer watches, clothing and Hollywood films burned onto DVDs, but now the massive trade in counterfeit goods has moved onto the shipping industry itself, with a profusion of fake gases used in servicing reefer containers, with potentially lethal consequences.

The issue first came to light early last year, when three containers exploded in the Vietnamese deepsea export container terminals at the mouth of the Mekong River, followed by a later explosion in Brazil, resulting in the fatalities ...