INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A survival of the fittest as carriers face huge losses

With deficits of US$20bn forecast this year, lines are struggling merely to survive, writes JANET PORTER

Top lines opting for diverse strategies to tackle challenge

SURVIVAL is the name of the game for the world’s big container lines as losses mushroom to almost unimaginable proportions.

Overcapacity fuels further rate fears

NEVER before have liner shipping companies earned so little from transporting containers around the world.

Finding the optimum speed for box ships

 

New generation needs to be more flexible

Industry looking for solutions that will better ‘future-proof’ the fleet in years to come, writes DAVID TINSLEY

Box trade slump is laid bare

NEW analysis has quantified the decline in monthly container capacity on the Asia- Europe and Transpacific trade lanes since 2007, with the number of monthly vessel strings in August down 22% and 26% respectively, year on year.

Maersk threatens rivals with price war

AP MOLLER-Maersk chief executive Nils Andersen says that Maersk Line is ready to lower prices to retain market share in its container business.

September deadline for Hapag-Lloyd rescue

THE BERLIN government will decide on Hapag-Lloyd’s application for state guarantees by mid-September, the country’s maritime coordinator Dagmar Wöhrl told journalists last week.

Maersk slips into the red for first time with huge losses

SHOWING the full effect of the global shipping crisis on its bottom line for the first time, AP Moller-Maersk lost US$540m in the first half of 2009, down 122% from the same period a year ago.

War of words over Dublin strike action

IRELAND’S biggest trade union has insisted that the seven-week dispute at Dublin’s Marine Terminals has cut traffic in and out of the facility by a third, flatly contradicting the company’s earlier insistence that it has been business as usual since pickets were mounted at the start of July.

Ray of light for US box volumes

US IMPORT container volumes destined for North American retailers in 2009 are forecast to hit their lowest level since 2002 to be down 18.8% on last year. But major retailers report “light at the end of the tunnel”.

LA-Long Beach ports face loss of market share

A VERY different competitive landscape at the end of the recession might make it impossible for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to retain their imposing market share, a new report has suggested.

Owners warned on do-it-yourself repair

SHIPOWNERS are risking machinery failure and damage as they attempt to cut costs by having crew carry out repairs on shipboard machinery.

Boskalis to cut ahead of dredging downturn

ROYAL Boskalis Westminster is looking to scrap its oldest vessels in preparation for a downturn in dredging projects.

MISC boxship ‘Achilles heel’ is bottom line

MISC, the world’s largest owner and operator of liquefied natural gas carriers, reported a RM315m (US$89.3m) loss for its liner business in the first quarter.

Irish ports continue to experience slump

THROUGHPUT at Irish ports continued to fall in the first half of 2009, according to figures produced by the Irish Maritime Development Office (IDMO).

Surge in lay-ups causes a shift in risk landscape

Owners are faced with numerous decisions when deciding to lay up their vessels, writes SANDRA SPEARES

Correct anti-fouling paint is essential to preserve idle ships

SHIPOWNERS preparing for short-term lay-up should make sure they have the right anti-fouling paint or face substantial drydocking and hull cleaning costs when they reactivate their vessels.

Scrapping spree leaves MSC with no idle ships

AN AGGRESSIVE scrapping campaign by Mediterranean Shipping Co, the world’s second-largest container line, has left none of its fleet of over 400 vessels idle.

Hong Kong container traffic moves up

HONG Kong container port posted a modest recovery in box throughput last month to 1.9m teu, the highest this year, buoyed by an increase in traffic at the nine box terminals.