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The container carriers continue their fight for an extension of the unique consortia block exemption regulation, which allows competing shipping lines to cooperate. In a letter to the EU Commission, the association lists four arguments in favor of the regulation.
Several of the world's largest shipping lines, such as Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk, say that customers seem to accept the extra cost of low-sulfur fuel oil. ShippingWatch has spoken to one of the world's largest shippers, which far from agrees.
High fuel prices and the upcoming sulfur regulations mean that rates will need to go up even further if the container shipping lines are to become profitable in the years to come, concludes Seaintelligence.
Capacity will be reduced by around 200 containers when installing a scrubber on an ultra-large container ship, according to analyst firm Alphaliner's calculations.
The German shipping line has no ambitions to join the race to acquire logistics companies, says CEO Rolf Habben Jansen, who also does not believe in more consolidation among the biggest liner companies. But Maersk CEO Søren Skou does.
Maersk has a considerably more negative view of 2019 than Hapag-Lloyd. But Maersk's CEO, Søren Skou, does not understand why anyone is optimistic about 2019 and projects, among other things, that Europe could be the next party to a trade war, he says in an interview with ShippingWatch.
A majority of shippers have accepted the new bunker surcharges in contract negotiations, say the CEOs of Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, Søren Skou and Rolf Habben Jansen, in interviews with ShippingWatch. Maersk also heralds increased rates.
A circle of shipping lines is needed to create a strong cooperation on standards for the container sector, says Andre Simha, spokesperson for a new cooperation. However, the association intends to work close together with other actors, he says. Updated.
French container carrier CMA CGM posted a rise in volumes and a record revenue of nearly USD 23.5 billion. A new cost reduction plan of USD 1.2 billion has been launched.
The global sulfur cap and a surge in capacity will make 2019 another challenging year for the strained container shipping sector. The sulfur regulations in particular could "make or break" liner companies' profit margins, says Alix Partners. Find the report here.
The 2M alliance with Maersk and MSC deploys 11 megamax ships on the route between Asia and the Mediterranean. The ships have till now been sailing between Asia and North Europe. THE Alliance is also betting more on Asia-Mediterranean.
Shipowners are still taking their revenge after a 2018 when few container vessels reached scrapping yards. In the first two months of the year, almost half the number of container vessels were scrapped as in the full year 2018, shows a new report.
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The number of shipping lines has been reduced significantly since the turn of the millennium, reports Seaintelligence. Consolidation has contributed to the disappearance of 60 of the 100 biggest shipping lines – and the trend could very well continue.
Hapag-Lloyd finished 2018 with an operating profit in the high end of expectations, show the unaudited results published Monday. The German shipping line is more optimistic about the container market in 2019 than Maersk, says Clarksons Platou.
CEO Søren Skou thinks Maersk has a problem with earnings. And the rising oil price, an unpredictable US president and lower global growth in 2019 will only counteract the chief executive's important task of increasing operating earnings.
The container producers are losing upwards of USD 200 every time they send a new dry container into the market, according to a new study by Drewry. Maersk recently shut down two factories, though the shipping line and its peers could benefit from the development.
According to a survey by Seaintelligence, the fleets at 6 of the 12 largest liner shipping companies have grown less than the increase in general demand. Maersk and Zim have downright reduced their fleet size in 2018.
HMM, Maersk and MSC's South Korean partner, took a clear hit from increasing bunker prices this past year, shows the liner company's financial report for 2018. Global trade conflicts impact expectations for 2019.
The fronts between container carriers and shippers are not necessarily that fiercely drawn when it comes to the carriers' unique competitive edge, says Sea-Intelligence. Even the most ardent opponents of the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation do not want to get rid of alliances altogether, notes the firm.
Supporters and critics have submitted their arguments for either maintaining or discontinuing the liner shipping company's unique competitive edge, the Consortia Block Exemption Regulation. Read on to learn who says what.
The closure of Team Lines next week is just the latest example of the fact that the major liner companies have increasingly come to dominate the feeder market with their own carriers over the past ten years. Alphaliner has looked at this development over the last decade.
To understand the forces Maersk Container Industry is up against, and why MCI has shut down two of its three factories within just a few months, there is one competitor in particular, and one factory, that explains most of the story.
Cosco's Hong Kong carrier OOCL projects fierce competition to prevail in 2019, further consolidation to occur and some companies having to struggle desperately to survive, OOCL spokesman, Director of Trade Stephen Ng tells ShippingWatch.
With the exception of the 2M alliance, which consists of Maersk and MSC, all the competing alliances plan capacity expansions on the key Asia-Europe tradelane this year. This will put pressure on freight rates, says Alphaliner.
An increasing number of industry companies are experiencing declining sales in China, writes Wall Street Journal. "We had planned on an economic downturn in China, but it is actually worse than expected," says the former Caterpillar CEO.
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