|
Dry future for container ships
2009/3/17
Empty box ship tonnage continues to fill up the world’s anchorage. The number of laid-up box ships at the beginning of this month exceeded 400 for the first time, the Hindu Business Line reported.
Figures from AXS-Alphaliner, the Paris-based consultancy firm, suggest that 453 container vessels totalling 1.35 million TEUs were laid up at the beginning of this month, up from 303 ships totalling 800,000 TEUs a month before.
The present situation brings to the fore the most obvious question: What happens to mega carriers, ie, the ultra large container ships, on order. The last decade saw the relentless pursuit by shipowners and the lines for achieving economies of scale through acquisition of large-size vessels and 12,000 TEU-types were ordered en masse despite doubts expressed in many quarters about the viability of such vessels. After all, filling 12,000 TEU vessels every week is not child’s play.
More important, not many ports around the world will be in a position to handle such monsters, mainly due to the lack of landside infrastructure for handling them.
|
2009/3/18