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01 July 2025 - Year XXIX
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FORUM of Shipping
and Logistics


Shipping and Shipbuilding Markets in 2002

I N D E X




The containership market in 2002


The freight market
 
Fleet growth versus demand
The operators
The fleet
The second-hand market

 

The year 2002 can be summed up as a year of convalescence, after the 2001 traumas, while 2003 is hopefully to see full health recovered ' at least in the absence of any unpredictable event.

Indeed, 2002 has been also a transitional year on another front, as new, stringent rules on container content monitoring and cargo manifests have been elaborated by the U.S. administration to prevent unwanted weapons entering the U.S. The year 2003 will see these rules coming into force.

During the implementation phase, hiccups will surely occur, resulting in ship delays. Carriers said that they will have to pass the costs of these measures onto shippers, although it is not yet clear if it will be through rate increases or through a 'U.S. cargo manifest' surcharge.
 
The freight market

2002 has been a mixed year, with varying fortunes witnessed by operators. Some of them expected to close the year with comfortable profits while others are deep in the red.

Charter rates for containerships have increased by around 75 % on average since the January 2002 lows. At least the rise lasted until November, when the winter season and its lower volumes of cargoes started to take effect.

Rates eased slightly during the last weeks of 2002, but were expected to rise again in the first quarter of 2003. Relatively strong rates can be anticipated for the next summer season, boosted by traditional high seasonal volumes and a well-balanced supply / demand ratio.

The larger the ship, the more volatile the rates. This is well illustrated by the fluctuation in rates for modern 3,500 teu ships, which plunged from $ 25 / 26,000 in the Summer 2000 to $ 10,000 in January 2002. They have recovered month after month in the first part of 2002 to stagnate around $ 17,500 in the second part of the year. Meanwhile, rates for 1,100 teu ships went down from $ 9,500 (summer 2000) to $ 5,250 (January 2002), and $ 7,000 / 7,500 during the last quarter 2002.

Having plunged under the $ 6,000 mark in January 2002, the rates for 1,700 teu ships -such as the B-170s- have risen to reach $ 9,500 in October 2002 before easing just under $ 9,000 at the year end. There is some way to go before flirting again with the $15,000 figure of the summer 2000.

The fleet of cellular ships over 1,000 teu identified as idle (not including those which underwent routine general repairs) has decreased from 160,000 / 180,000 teu during the first four months of 2002 to around 60,000 teu during the summer. Is was expected to increase slightly after the summer season, but it did not, thanks to the lock-out in the USWC ports, which has prolonged artificially the demand for 1,000 to 2,500 teu ships in order to scoop up the boxes left in Asia by delayed main-line ships. At the beginning of 2003, the idle fleet stood at 65,000 teu. Interestingly, there were no large ships identified as mothballed. The situation is indeed very different from one year ago.

Industrial production is rising again in most south east Asian countries while the export boom in China seems endless. As this region of the world generates high containerised cargo volumes, it governs the supply/demand balance in container transportation more than other regions.

In 2001, the world seaborne trade contracted by 1 %. It is now growing again. After a period of stalling during the winter 2001-2002, the demand in container transportation has, surprisingly, recovered above all expectations. The volume of containers carried at sea is expected to grow by 7 or 8 % in 2003, in line with growth rates observed in the 1990s.

The demand in container transportation may even surpass these figures. The cellular fleet has risen by 10.8 % per annum over the past 7 years. The way the market has absorbed this extra capacity is remarkable. So, with an expected cellular fleet growth of 'only' 7.5 % per annum for the years 2003 and 2004, the market will be on the owners side.

Another factor which may have a strong impact on rates is the trend of East Asian-U.S. cargoes shifting from the U.S. West Coast ports to the U.S. East Coast, to the detriment of rail 'landbridges'. The Panamax ships of 4,000+ teu are much sought after for the Far East-USEC services that have to transit the Panama Canal.

The longer transportation distance means that eight or nine ships are needed on such services instead of five or six for the Far East-USWC option. Assuming that, say, four new Far East-USEC routes are launched, it means that a dozen supplementary Panamax ships are needed. This can be sufficient to create a shortage of such ships, and could send the charter rates soaring for 4,000 teu ships.
 

Fleet growth versus demand

The fleet growth is expected to match the rise in demand, at least during the years 2003 and 2004. A tight market may well even develop if the 10 to 11 % growth in containership demand observed since the mid-1990s is to continue.

This spectacular growth rate of the cellular fleet will not be repeated in the two years to come. It will hover around 7.5 % (see accompanying table). This will lead to a fleet of 7 million teu in January 2005, up from 6 million teu in January 2003 and 3 million teu in January 1996.

In fact, to keep up with the average yearly increases of 7 % in the seaborne container trade observed during the past decade, the cellular fleet should have grown from 3 million teu in 1996 to 4.8 million teu in early 2003 (notwithstanding the increase in average ship speed and box handling productivity).

So, the extra 1.2 million teu of on board capacity added to reach the 6 million teu figure has been filled with goods which were either already containerised, but were moved on general cargo vessels or simply not containerised half a decade ago. Breakbulk liner services continue to fade away as the cargoes they carry shift to the box (see inset).

This leads to think that, in the first instance, owners and operators were right to invest so massively in container tonnage. However, the balance is fragile. Most operators are struggling in trying to make profits, and economic accidents are catastrophic for the bottom line.
  

The dwindling breakbulk services

As the container continues to make inroads into the breakbulk sector, the surviving regular conventional services see their volumes dwindle year after year, vanishing like fading stars. Each year brings it examples. In 2002, the U.S. Gulf-Brasil service operated by Brasilian operator Global Transporte Oceanico (GBTO) was closed. This service used to be run with up to five 17,000 dwt / 500 teu ships in the mid 1990s (mostly Astrakhan tonnage), then lost progressively its grip on the market as competitive container services were incessantly upgraded, up to the unavoidable weekly frequency and with unbeatable transit times. High volumes of specific cargoes (such as CKDs - Cars Knocked Down) and the boxes still carried on these multipurpose ships were more and more siphoned off by full container ships, while cheaper box rates helped to attract low value 'breakbulk' cargoes. And as the cargoes flee the conventional ships, less and less sailings were offered. Eventually, these services lost their remaining appeal with regular shippers.
 

As for the non-cellular fleet deployed on liner trades, it includes multipurpose cargo vessels, ro-ro ships and a few conbulkers. Some of these non- cellular ships are currently deployed on liner trades, and as far as they can be identified they total some 1,550 units of 100 teu and over, representing around 800,000 teu.

By comparison, in early 1996, the figure for these ships stood at around 2,600 units for almost 1.1 million teu. Thus, the non cellular component of the liner fleet has lost 1,050 ships for some 0.3 million teu in 6 or 7 years, which can be assumed to have shifted to cellular ships (and this is a maximum figure as many general cargo ships and ro-ros do not make full use of their teu capacity).

This still leaves us with a differential of almost 1 million teu, which can be assumed as having absorbed cargoes not yet containerised in the mid-1990s as well as empty boxes carried in larger quantities than ever before.

In addition, it can be said that these massive investments spurred competition so that box rates reached such low figures that the container sector now attracts low value cargoes or goods of a certain value, which were until recently cheaper to carry in conventional or bulk carrying tonnage, such as steel products, forest products or bagged sugar.
 

No reversal expected in the box rates downtrend

Should this trend continue, as there are still a lot of goods that could be containerised, container tonnage could be ordered massively and yet be filled. The question is of course the cost for carriers' It is a nonsense to carry waste paper on ships plying at 25 knots but such low value cargoes make a few bucks when repositioning otherwise empty boxes, which is better that nothing at all. Conversely, a lot of not so cheap consumer goods are carried at a cost representing a tiny fraction of their prices as displayed on the retail shelf.

The industry is still fragmented, with the 'Top 10 carriers' controlling roughly 50 % of the market. So there is room for bitter rivalry. Intense competition between carriers and the race for market share have driven rates down over the years, and there are no signs of a reversal of this trend. Instead, the container shipping industry is under constant pressure not only from shippers -which is natural- but also, more artificially, from regulators, which suspect every form of alliance or sharing agreements to generate cartel-like behaviour.

And with 4,000+ teu ships starting to find their way on North-South trades, the box rates are expected to plunge further in the long term on these trades, in corollary to the economies of scale that these large ships allow.
Fragmentation, competition pressure and the race to market share are powerful incentives for mergers and acquisitions. On the other hand, the destruction of value, which has followed large mergers in the recent past (in sectors ranging from the automotive industry to the telecom and steel industries) appears as a strong deterrent. There has been a lull in the consolidations since the late 1990s. A new round of mergers is inevitable. But who can dare say when it will happen, and in what context ?
 

The deadweight comes back in vogue

The cargoes which have shifted to the container over the recent years are generally significantly heavier than the cargoes traditionally stuffed in boxes. The deadweight capacity of containerships now takes on a greater significance than ever before. With most liner statistics focusing on teu, the deadweight capacity has been forgotten. It is now time to reinstate it. After all, the cellular fleet nom reaches 85 million dwt, which represents roughly 10 % of the deadweight tonnage of the world merchant fleet.

The traditional items carried by containers are light ones, both in their own nature (think of the volume to weight ratio of a TV set) and because of the packing used (think of the super light polyester pads which protect this same TV set in its bulky cardboard box) ' not to mention boxes full of Christmas balls which flow periodically out of China. Light boxes have now to share ship slots with boxes fully laden in weight.

Modern cellular ships are designed in such a way that the average load of teu carried stands at around 12 to 13 tons per teu, which leaves roughly 10 tons of cargo per teu after subtraction of the box tares, and allowance for bunker supplies.
Most of the time, ships are today fully laden in weight well before deck cargoes are complete. Fortunately, empty boxes have often to be repositioned on the legs where the average loaded box weight is high. Thus, deck cargoes are topped up with these empty boxes, provided that allowance has been planned to take their light weight into account.

The operators

The liner shipping industry is not as concentrated as other industrial sectors. It is scattered among some 300 operating groups operating 4,650 ships deployed on liner trades worldwide, representing 6.3 million teu at the closure of the year 2002, of which only 1 % were inactive, according to BRS-Alphaliner data.

The largest of them, Maersk-SeaLand, operates a capacity of 825,000 teu, representing 12 % of the global active capacity in teu terms. The next in size is MSC, with 6.8 % of the global capacity.

There have been only minor transactions in 2002. The most significant ones have been the sale by Andrew Weir & Co of most of its services to Hamburg-S'd (which bought the Ellerman Line) and CMA CGM (which bought MacAndrews and UBC), the sale by D'Amico di Navigazione of Italia Line to C.P. Ships and the sale by CSX of its container shipping activities to US investors. Interestingly, the ships owned by the sellers were not involved in the Andrew Weir and D'Amico deals, and were merely chartered in. Other transactions are summed up in the accompanying table.

There are larger deals in the offing. P&O Nedlloyd could become a target when it will be introduced on stock exchanges (which was postponed). APL, which suffers from heavy losses, is also prone to accept an M&A deal (although APL parent company NOL is to raise cash from the planned sale of its tanker subsidiary AET). The privatisations of Zim and S.C. India are still in the news, although they have stalled for political reasons.

East-West niche carriers are also downsizing their operations as they cannot compete with global organisations employing large, economic ships. In 2002, Trans Pacific Line (TPL) left the Asia-U.S. trade while Sinotrans left its Asia-Europe trade. Senator Linie has also left all its U.S.-related trades, which have been in fact shifted to its parent company Hanjin.
 


 

Operators : transactions and significant moves in 2002

Straight sales

  • Hamburg-S'd bought the Ellerman Line from Andrew Weir & Co.

  • CMA CGM bought MacAndrews and UBC from Andrew Weir & Co.

  • C.P. Ships bought Italia Line from D'Amico di Navigazione.

  • CSX Corp. (U.S.) reached an agreement to convey its domestic container shipping unit CSX Lines LLC to a venture formed with the Carlyle Group (effective 2003).

  • A.P. M'ller bought the liner division of Copenhagen-based Torm A/S D/S.

  • Navalmar Transportes Maritimo (Boggazzi Group) bought 50 % of the stock of Nordana Line A/S from Dannebrog.

  • CSAV bought the Norsul container shipping activities (Brasil), which were limited to its participation in the 'Good Hope Express'.

  • Sea Star Line (U.S.) bought Navieras de Puerto Rico (U.S.) from Holt (U.S.).

  • Tropical Shipping (U.S.) bought certain assets of Tecmarine Lines and TMX Logistics (U.S.).

  • Seaboard Marine (U.S.) bought the remaining services of Tecmarine (U.S.).

  • Wan Hai took over the customer base of Trans Pacific Line.

Transfers within operating groups

  • The Preussag Group bought the remaining 0.4 % of Hapag-Lloyd shares, giving it the whole control of the company.

  • Tschudi & Eitzen (Norway) gained 100% ownership of the Estonian Shg Co.

  • NYK completed its stake in TSK (its intra Asian arm), gaining 100% ownership.

  • Evergreen International Storage and Transport Corp. bought Uniglory (intra Asian arm of Evergreen) through a share swap.

Cessations of activity

  • International Shipping Line (ISL) was terminated after Belgium - based MCL Shipping (Maritime Chartering & Liner Shipping Company NV, which managed the ISL service) filed for bankruptcy (ISL operated a North Europe - West Africa breakbulk service).

  • Valuship ceased its activities after the failure of its  WCNA-Europe service.

Significant other moves

  • Senator Linie (Germany, 75 % Hanjin ownership) left all the services involving the U.S.

  • Sinotrans left the China-Europe trade.

  • Fu Hai Line halted its Far East-South Africa service.

  • Coral Container Line (Cuba) closed its own Med-Cuba service and opted for slot buying.

  • Global Transporte Oceanico (Brasil) closed it U.S. Gulf-Brazil multipurpose service.

  • Libyan carrier GNMTC ran into difficulties.

The fleet

The cellular fleet stood at 6,068,000 teu on 1st January 2003, shared between 3,044 ships. It has doubled during the past seven years, in teu terms, meaning that the average annual growth has been at roughly 10.5 %. In 2002, the growth reached 10.3 %.

Two hundred and one cellular ships were delivered during the year 2002, for a total capacity of 642,261 teu. At the same time, 59 cellular ships were withdrawn for 74,001 teu, leaving a net fleet increase of 568,260 teu.

Eighty two cellular ships were ordered for 363,000 teu, Their cumulated value is estimated at $3.6 billion. It is a far cry from the year 2000, when 1,038,000 teu were ordered for a total value of $11.5 billion (some of them were however cancelled in 2002, especially in Polish yards).

In 2003 and 2004, the annual growth should reach a relatively modest 7.5 %, based on the current orderbook in January 2003 and taking into account a deletion rate of 50,000 teu per annum.

The largest ships in service remain the 19 'Sovereign' class series vessels of Maersk-SeaLand, the capacity of which stands at around 8,000 teu (although advertised at 6,600 teu by A.P. M'ller). Four of them were delivered in 2002. A.P. M'ller has six 'large' ships on order, for delivery in 2003-2004. Their size is undisclosed and it is only when the first ship will be delivered that their real capacity can be appreciated. Meanwhile, Seaspan has ordered five ships of 8,100 teu at Samsung on behalf of a long term charter by China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL).

There are currently 28 ships of more than 7,000 teu in service, including 25 units owned by A.P. M'ller and three by Hapag-Lloyd. There are 29 more on order : six for A.P. M'ller/Maersk-SeaLand, eight for OOCL, five for Seaspan/CSCL, five for Rickmers Schiffahrts/Cosco, four for P&O Nedlloyd and the remaining ship for Hapag-Lloyd. German owners have engaged discussions with Hyundai for a series of ships of 8,450 teu.

With the exception of the six Maersk-SeaLand newbuildings, for which nothing is known, all the 7,000+ teu ships offer a breadth of 42,80 m, allowing the stowage on deck of 17 rows of boxes. This is no coincidence : most of the large terminals are fitted with gantry cranes with a 17-row or 18-row reach.

As for the six Maersk-SeaLand newbuildings for delivery this year and next, a breadth of 55 or 56 meters cannot be ruled out. It corresponds to 22 rows on deck, in line with the gantry cranes in which Maersk-SeaLand invested so much over the past three years for its own terminals. One can reasonably speculate that such an investment will be matched with the construction of adequate ships. That means the 10,000 teu barrier could be broken.

 

The containership second-hand market in 2002

 

2002 as a vintage was relatively modest but nonetheless respectable concerning the second-hand market activity, with some 135 containerships sold for a combined value of $ 1.56 billion. The relative weakness of the market can be explained for the most part by the quasi-non-existence of the German market (except the numerous orders of new ships), preoccupied by placing the 150 ships already in her portfolio with local independent investors. On the other hand, this year can be viewed as one of consolidation after several seasons rich in mergers and acquisitions.

The breakdown of the sales in 2002 quite accurately reflects the proportions of the existing fleet with 13 ships over 3,000 teu (of which 5 over 4,000 teu) sold, 30 ships between 2,000 and 3,000 teu, 50 ships 1,000 and 2,000 teu and 42 ships under 1,000 teu.

There were relatively few massive 'en bloc' sales this year, with the exception of the 11 ships built in 1995-1996 of 650 teu for Elite Shipping sold to the Danish operator Clipper for a global price of $ 110 million, and the 4 ships of 3,500 teu built in 1993-1994 of L+B sold to MSC following a bareboat charter for about $ 20.7 million each.

The Greek owner Technomar was extremely active this year with 5 ships bought in 2002 to bring his total to 13 (of which 4 GX-class, 4 G-class and 4 L-class) bought from Evergreen on a time charter back for 5 to 7 years.

The small number of ships scrapped this year is worth noting, 59 ships with a total containership capacity of 74,001 teu roughly 1 % of the world capacity. This phenomenon can largely be explained by a freight market, which on average was rising steadily throughout the year.

A large majority of business contracted in 2002 was combined with charter employments (longer or shorter depending on investment sizes) to the liner operators, which has now become a recurring feature in this sector's activity.

As to price variations over the year, it can be summarised by a rising curve, which saw all sectors appreciate by some 10 to 20 % compared to 2001. Naturally this trend is more or less pronounced according to the various type and size of ships. As to be expected the sale prices follow the tendency of the market, with immediate effect in the case of a jump in daily rates (which happened this year), whereas prices are bolstered up for a longer period in the case of falling freight rates. Consequently although we have seen rates drop as from November 2002 after the prolonged strike in ports which blocked a large number of ships on the U.S. West Coast, ship prices have nonetheless remained fairly stable over the last two months.
 

Ships under 1,000 teu

As usual with this size, buyers are fairly heterogeneous. Given their poor profit-earning capacity in terms of pure investment, it is rarely speculators but rather pure liner operators who buy these ships. The market price has remained very steady. The improvement in rates has helped reassure buyers as to the high prices being sought by sellers. It is in these conditions that we have seen the following:

  • 'Flemming Sif', 'Kathrin Sif' 9,750 dwt, 972 teu, 1990 Orskov, change hands at around $ 8.7 million each.
  • 'Green Breeze', 'Green Better' and 'Green Bridge', 512 teu, 1984 Hakodate, sold to Bangladesh buyers at around $ 2.5 million each.
  • 'Xin Hai Yi', 9,734 dwt, 612 teu, 1985 Japan, sold for $ 3 million in September 2002 to Chinese buyers.

Ships of 1,000 to 2,000 teu

The market took advantage of a favourable upsurge after having slumped in the doldrums during the course of 2001. A large number of ships on order which can take the place of sold units have been delivered or are on the point of being so. Sales have for the most part benefited from time charters back, covering the interim period up until the delivery of new ships awaited by the sellers. We can note for example :

  • 'Sagittarius' 23,051 dwt, 2001 Szczecinska, 1,730 teu, 20 knots on 50.5 t, sold by Costa Container Lines for $ 22 million in September to Lipsi Navigation.
  • 'Mapocho' 21,184 dwt, 1999 Hanjin, 1,620 teu, sold to CSAV for $ 17.4 million in September.
  • 'Iyo', 24,370 dwt, 1995 Shin Kurushima, 1,613 teu, 20 knots on 53 t, sold by Fair Wind Navigation to Tsakos for $ 13.3 million in December 2002.
  • 'Box Wave', 'Gallant Wave', 24,083 dwt, 1995 and 1996, Shin Kurushima, 1,510 teu, 19 knots on 45 t, sold in August to clients of Teo Shipping for $ 14 million each with a charter-party attached for 18 months at $ 8,000 per day.
  • 'Kuo Lih', 18,050 dwt, 1995 Imabari, 1,471 teu, 17 knots on 31 t, sold in May to clients of Vroon for about $ 9.7 million, with a charter-party attached for 12 months at a level of $ 7,500 per day.
  • 'Lisboa', 'Tavira' and 'Miden Agan', 21,370 dwt, 1982 Warnowwerft, 1,438 teu, 19 knots on 62 t, sold in October by Sarlis Container Line for about $ 3 million each.

Ships of 2,000 to 3,000 teu

One can detect a certain hesitancy on the part of buyers in this market as the future does not have the backing of a fair number of operators. Some fear that the units of 2,500 teu will be replaced sooner or later by ships carrying more than 3,000 containers. This point of view is supported by an orderbook which carries relatively few ships of this size. It is true that 1999, 2000, and 2001 produced a large number of units between 2,000 and 2,800 teu. Operators have consequently been prudent, in concluding several operations mainly secured against firm employment:

  • 'P&O Nedlloyd Xiamen', 'Oriental Bay' and 'Grand Vision', 44,006 dwt, 59,285 dwt and 44,005 dwt, built in 1991, 1989, and 1991 at Daewoo, with a capacity of 2,797, 4,206, and 2,986 teu were sold en bloc on subjects to clients of Zodiac for $ 61 million.
  • 'MOL Victory' and 'MOL Independence', 40,638 dwt and 38,014 dwt, 1988 and 1986 Imabari, 2,890 and 2,571 teu, 22 knots, sold en bloc in October by Karakoram Maritima to clients of Danaos for $ 24 million.
  • 'MSC Europe', 45,647 dwt, 1986 Tsuneishi, 2,875 teu, 22.5 knots on 89.5 t, sold in June by Acasia Shipping to clients of Danaos for $ 12 million.
  • 'LT Glory', 'LT Grand', 'LT Globe', 43,310 dwt, 1984 Onomichi, 2,728 teu, 20.5 knots on 74 t, sold en bloc in December by Everglory Line to clients of Technomar for $ 13 million each with a charter-party attached for 5 years at a rate of $ 12,500 per day.
  • 'CMA CGM Claudel', 34,622 dwt, 2002 STX, 2,602 teu, sold by Efshipping to Schulte Group for $ 33.85 million, including a transfer of the charter-party to CMA CGM until February 2007 at $ 16,600 per day.
  • 'Christine Schulte', 33,871 dwt, 2001 Hyundai, 2,550 teu, sold in December by B. Schulte to German investors for $ 33.5 million, including a transfer a 4-year charter-party to CSAV at $ 16,750 per day.
  • 'Ambassador Bridge', 45,643 dwt, 1986 Tsuneishi, 2,518 teu, 22.5 knots on 89.5 t, sold in May to clients of Danaos for $ 11 million with a 18 to 24 month charter-party at $ 12,000 per day.

Ships over 3 000 teu

Only 13 sales were achieved out of more than 600 ships existing in this category. None or very few sellers showed themselves. The market was extremely nervous on the selling side, with owners reluctant to sell for fear of not finding a replacement unit and this, even if the sale prices were attractive. Consequently outside of the 'straight' purchase by MSC of 4 ships from L+B, already under charter to them, the others sales were all undertaken by operators / investors against charters back. These operations are more and more sought after not only by the traditional German investors, but also by owners such as Zodiac, Technomar, Danaos, Costamare'

  • 'CMA CGM Normandie', 59,600 dwt, 1991 Samsung, 4,734 teu, 24 knots on 158 t sold in September by CMA CGM to clients of Zodiac for $ 31 million with a 3-year charter back at $ 21,775 per day.
  • 'MSC Sarah', 'MSC Ingrid', and 'MSC Matilde', 67,795 dwt, 2000 Samsung, 4,400 teu, 25 knots, sold in March to Swiss buyers for $ 40 million each and fixed for a long period with MSC.
  • 'Peloponesian Pride', 53,240 dwt, 1986 Onomichi, 3,428 teu, 21 knots on 74.5 t, sold in August by Evergreen Marine to clients of Technomar for $ 21 million with a 7-year charter back at $ 15,500 per day.
  • 'MSC Martina', 'MSC Sophie', 'MSC Monica' and 'MSC Rossela', 43,600 dwt, 1993, 1994, 1993 and 1994 at Samsung, 3,424 teu, 22.5 knots on 99 t, sold in February by Hansa Asia to MSC for $ 20.7 each, subjects lifted following a bareboat charter with purchase option on the 4 ships.

* * *

Nearly all analysts at the end of 2001 were predicting a vintage 2002 somewhat depressed and a declining market. Once again as in 2000, the containership market surprised everybody. In a stagnant world economy, shipping lines were able to re-distribute the cards to be able to offer a service tailor-made to the situation. The specificity of containers allows such flexibility. It is also this adaptability that reassures investors, who have found a means of investment which insures regularity, safety (very few accidents), flexibility to market changes and - the icing on the cake - tax relief.

At the time of writing, good news has been announced in France regarding the introduction of 'tonnage tax' system. We can only hope that this tax incentive is as open and accessible as it has been in Germany, which thanks to this opening, has experienced the shipping activity that we all know.
 

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A total investment of 315.8 million euros is expected
South Korea's HD Hyundai partners with US Edison Chouest Offshore to build containerships in US
South Korea's HD Hyundai partners with US Edison Chouest Offshore to build containerships in US
Seoul
The possibility of building other types of ships and constructing port cranes is foreseen
Rixi: with the Omnibus decree, Phase B of the new Genoa breakwater is guaranteed
Rome
Expenditure of 50 million euros authorised for 2026 and 92.8 million for 2027
Israel-Iran conflict prompts Maersk to suspend calls at Haifa port
Copenhagen
Those at the port of Ashdod will continue instead.
Northern European Nations Commitment to Counter Russian Shadow Fleet
Warsaw
If the vessels do not fly a valid flag in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea - they specify - we will take appropriate measures in compliance with international law.
Freight traffic in French ports stable in the first quarter of 2025
Freight traffic in French ports stable in the first quarter of 2025
The Defense
Containers and liquid bulk on the rise. Increase in unloading loads and decrease in loading loads
Cognolato (Assiterminal): Today more than ever we need a coherent port policy
Rome
All the critical issues highlighted in recent years still remain open - he highlighted.
Alessandro Pitto confirmed as president of Fedespedi
Milan
The Board of Directors, the Board of Arbiters and the Board of Auditors have been renewed
A protest action by Greek seafarers is heated, with the PENEN and PNO unions launching very serious accusations, including mutual ones
Piraeus
The strike, declared illegal by the courts, blocks some ships of the Attica group in the port of Patras
Saipem awarded contract for a phosphate mining project in Algeria that includes the upgrading of the port of Annaba
Milan
The construction of railway lines is also planned
Suez Canal celebrates return of large-capacity containership transits
Suez Canal celebrates return of large-capacity containership transits
Ismailia
Today it was crossed by the vessel "CMA CGM Osiris" which can carry 15,536 teu
IMO, ILO, ICS and ITF urge protection of seafarers' rights against unjust criminalisation
London
The "Guidelines on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers Detained in Relation to Alleged Offences" were adopted in April
Trump's new tariffs also hit container traffic at the Port of Long Beach
Long Beach
In the first five months of 2025, an increase of +17.2% was recorded
Transfer of the port of Carrara from the Ligurian to the Tuscan AdSP not without a discussion with the operators
Milan
Dario Perioli, FHP, Grendi and Tarros ask for it
Up to $768 billion in investments needed to adapt world ports to rising sea levels
New York
Port of Los Angeles Feels Impact of New Tariffs on Container Traffic
Los Angeles
A decrease of -4.8% was recorded in May
Assagenti proposes a task force to solve port, logistics and industrial problems
Genoa
A "problem solver" consultative body composed, in addition to the categories of the maritime cluster, of the manufacturing industries of the North-West quadrant
Cargo traffic at the port of Singapore fell by -4.6% in May
Singapore
New crane overturned for delivery in new Tuas port area
In the first quarter of 2025, freight traffic on the Swiss rail network fell by -6.4%
Neuchatel
Service performance at 2.35 billion tonne-km, down -8.2%
ANGOPI fears that new measures to ensure maritime continuity will penalise mooring services
ANGOPI fears that new measures to ensure maritime continuity will penalise mooring services
Ischia
Power: it is necessary to remove them from a perverse mechanism
Dutch HES International to operate bulk terminal in Marseille-Fos port
Marseille
The concession contract will have a minimum duration of 30 years
Ibiza government opposes Trasmed's overnight stay on board ferry program
Ibiza/Valencia
It is considered a "clandestine hotel", while the company defines it as a cruise service
Bruno Pisano appointed extraordinary commissioner of the AdSP of the Eastern Ligurian Sea
Rome
He will take up his post next Monday
Federlogistica proposes a comparison between operators on the congestion fee while waiting for a solution from the government
Genoa
In the first five months of 2025, container traffic in the port of Gioia Tauro grew by +10.3%
Joy Taurus
1,813,071 TEUs were handled
Trasportounito, truck waiting times in ports must be paid
Genoa
Tagnochetti: The Port Fee aims to redistribute the costs of all disruptions more equitably
Commissioners of the AdSPs of the Northern Tyrrhenian, Ionian and Western Liguria appointed
Rome/Genoa
Trade unions concerned about the future of Genoa Port Terminal workers
Political instability and green transition are the main problems that shipping faces
London
This is highlighted in the "ICS Maritime Barometer Report 2024-2025"
The new container terminal of the port of Termini Imerese presented
Palermo
Transfer of traffic handled by Portitalia to the port of Palermo
GCMD survey confirms shipping's commitment to decarbonisation
Singapore
Ports concerned about lack of certainty about demand from shipping companies
The EU Commission has re-identified Port Said East and Tanger Med as neighbouring container transhipment ports
Brussels
Road haulage extends congestion fee application to Livorno port
Livorno/Rome/Milan/Genoa
Fedespedi, they do not solve the problems, but have the only effect of increasing costs
The new Border Control Post has been inaugurated in the port of Livorno
Leghorn
The structure cost 15 million euros
In April, ship transits through the Suez Canal decreased by -7.7%
In April, ship transits through the Suez Canal decreased by -7.7%
Cairo
In the first four months of 2025, the decline in maritime traffic was -14.9%
Agreement for the digitalization of motorway traffic flows with the ports of Trieste and Monfalcone
Trieste
It was signed by the Port System Authority of the Adriatic Sea and by Autostrade Alto Adriatico
Dominguez (IMO) urges investment in decarbonising shipping
Dominguez (IMO) urges investment in decarbonising shipping
Munich/Brussels
Opportunity Green, Seas At Risk and Transport & Environment urge nations to include shipping emissions in their Nationally Determined Contributions
RFI and MIT sign the update to the program contract for approximately 2.1 billion
Rome
Around 500 million euros expected for the management of the railway network
San Giorgio del Porto delivers a vessel for the bunkering of liquefied natural gas
Genoa
It was built for Genova Trasporti Marittimi
Pisano (AdSP Liguria Orientale): the ports of La Spezia and Carrara have integrated almost perfectly
La Spezia/Bari
Extraordinary Commissioner of the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority appointed
Raffaele Latrofa appointed president of the AdSP of the Central-Northern Tyrrhenian Sea
Rome
He is the deputy mayor of Pisa
India's Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Acquires Control of Sri Lanka's Colombo Dockyard
Mumbai
Investment of approximately 53 million dollars
The Commissioner of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority has been granted the powers and prerogatives of the Management Committee
Genoa
The measure pending the restoration of the ordinary top management bodies
The Three-Year Operational Plan 2025-2027 of the Central Adriatic Port Authority has been approved
Ancona
Favorable opinion of the Sea Resource Partnership Body
The public meeting of the International Containers Studies Center will be held in Genoa on July 2nd
Genoa
It will deal with the physical transformations of the container and the digitalization of processes
Andrea Ormesani is the new president of Assosped Venezia
Venice
The board of directors has been renewed. Paolo Salvaro remains general secretary
Witte (ISU): In 2024, the ship salvage sector stabilized from the low of two years ago
London
Finnish Elomatic to Install Tunnel Thrusters on 11 Carnival Cruise Ships
Turku
The works will begin next autumn and will end in 2028
The Assarmatori assembly will be held in Rome on July 1st
Rome
"Mediterranean against the current" the theme of the meeting
Fincantieri has delivered the new cruise ship Viking Vesta to the American Viking
Trieste/Los Angeles
It was built in the Ancona shipyard
The Genoa Coast Guard has placed the container ship PL Germany under administrative detention
Genoa
Italian Navy orders two new Multipurpose Combat Ships from Fincantieri
Trieste
The order to the shipbuilding company is worth 700 million euros
MSC Group to manage cruise services in the ports of Bari and Brindisi
Bari
Ten-year concession with possibility of extension
German Kombiverkehr Returns to Profit in 2024
Frankfurt am Main
The level of revenues remained unchanged at 434.6 million euros.
Deltamarin to design the six new ro-pax vessels ordered by Grimaldi for the Mediterranean routes
Turku
SAILING LIST
Visual Sailing List
Departure ports
Arrival ports by:
- alphabetical order
- country
- geographical areas
The practice of subcontracting in European logistics is creating a parallel labour market where rights are not enforced
Brussels
"Sorry, We Subcontracted You" Report Presented
Tomorrow Grendi will launch the group's fourth ship on routes to and from Sardinia
Milan
"Grendi Star", with a load capacity of 2,800 linear meters, will connect Marina di Carrara and Cagliari
FREMM frigates operational support contract signed between Orizzonte Sistemi Navali and OCCAR
Taranto
The agreement has a total value of approximately 764 million euros
Call to reform the entire driver training system in the transport sector
Rome
Seven proposals presented
In the port of Gioia Tauro, the Guardia di Finanza soldiers seized 228 kilos of cocaine
Reggio Calabria
Two dockers arrested
Port of Livorno, new observatory to find solutions to the problem of port congestion
Leghorn
Marilli: We will seek solutions to reach the possible revocation of the port fee
Lockton PL Ferrari closed the last fiscal year with gross revenues of 34 million dollars
Genoa
Insurance premium volume rose to 350 million
Polish Trans Polonia Group acquires Dutch Nijman/Zeetank Holding
Tczew
It specializes in the transportation and logistics of liquid and gaseous products
d'Amico Tankers Sells Two 2011-Built Tankers for $36.2 Million
Luxembourg
They will be delivered to buyers by the end of July and on December 21st.
The Italian Merchant Marine Academy plans 13 new free courses
Genoa
Over 300 positions available
A delegation of Wista Italy visits the ports of Catania and Augusta
Catania/August
The association is made up of women who hold positions of responsibility in the maritime, logistics and trade sectors.
In the first five months of 2025, the port of Algeciras handled 1.9 million containers (-6.3%)
Algeciras
Empty containers decreased by -5.5% and full ones by -6.4%
Reway Group enters the port railway infrastructure maintenance sector
Licciana Nardi
Two contracts awarded by the AdSP of the Eastern Ligurian Sea
Delcomar and Ensamar take over maritime services with the smaller Sardinian islands
Cagliari
The tender for the six-year concession of the connections has been awarded
Port of Trieste, the newly appointed Gurrieri torpedoes the newly appointed Torbianelli
Trieste
Russo (Pd): it's a squalid power game
Singapore's SeaLead expands its maritime shipping offering to connect Turkey and Italy
Singapore
Route connected to services transiting the Suez Canal
The US Container Security Initiative program has been extended to Morocco
Rabat
Amrani: Let's consolidate Tanger Med's role as a safe and world-class maritime hub
Very positive first quarter for Greek Euroseas
Athens
Pittas: the positive momentum continued in the second quarter
Assonat and SACE present a plan for Italian tourist ports
Rome
Kuehne+Nagel has opened a new branch in Naples
Milan
The aim is to support the operational growth of the group in Southern Italy
RINA has acquired the entire capital of Finnish Foreship
Helsinki
The Helsinki-based company specializes in consulting in the field of marine and mechanical engineering.
Container traffic down at Barcelona and Valencia ports in May
Barcelona/Valencia
Resumption of containers in transit at the Catalan port
Annual cargo traffic in Greek ports stable in 2024
Piraeus
Domestic volumes are growing, while foreign trade is decreasing
Perplexity of freight forwarders, customs agents and maritime agents of La Spezia at the transfer of the port of Carrara to the Tuscan AdSP
The Spice
Timidly, they "hope for consideration for the progress made so far"
Francesco Mastro appointed extraordinary commissioner of the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority
Rome
He will take up office on June 30th.
John Denholm to be new president of the International Chamber of Shipping
Athens
He will take over from Emanuele Grimaldi in a year
Extraordinary commissioners of the two Ligurian Port System Authorities have been installed
Genoa/La Spezia
Matteo Paroli and Bruno Pisano at the helm of the institutions
Container traffic at Hong Kong port drops sharply in May
Hong Kong
1.05 million TEUs were handled (-12.7%)
Assogasliquidi-Federchimica shows the way to accelerate the decarbonization of road and maritime transport
Rome
Amadei: Our sector is ready and the time has come for courageous industrial choices
Eagle S tanker command blamed for cutting submarine cables in Gulf of Finland
Advantages
The accident was caused by the ship's anchor
Online platform to report critical issues that put transport workers at risk
Genoa
It was prepared by Fit Cisl Liguria
GNV to create a direct summer connection between Civitavecchia and Tunis
Genoa
It will run alongside the historic route via Palermo
The unification of Grimaldi's concessions in the port of Barcelona has been completed
Madrid/Barcelona
The contract expires on September 20, 2035.
In the first five months of 2025, cargo traffic in Russian ports fell by -4.9%
St. Petersburg
A decrease of approximately -12% was recorded in May
Raben Logistics Group Creates Subsidiary in Türkiye
Milan
It will have 20 employees and a 2,000 square meter cross-dock warehouse
Alberto Dellepiane confirmed as president of Assorimorchiatori
Rome
The composition of the entire association leadership remains unchanged
Agreement between Fincantieri and Indonesian PMM to develop solutions to face new unconventional underwater challenges
PORTS
Italian Ports:
Ancona Genoa Ravenna
Augusta Gioia Tauro Salerno
Bari La Spezia Savona
Brindisi Leghorn Taranto
Cagliari Naples Trapani
Carrara Palermo Trieste
Civitavecchia Piombino Venice
Italian Interports: list World Ports: map
DATABASE
ShipownersShipbuilding and Shiprepairing Yards
ForwardersShip Suppliers
Shipping AgentsTruckers
MEETINGS
The Assarmatori assembly will be held in Rome on July 1st
Rome
"Mediterranean against the current" the theme of the meeting
The public meeting of the International Containers Studies Center will be held in Genoa on July 2nd
Genoa
››› Meetings File
PRESS REVIEW
US has its eye on Greek ports
(Kathimerini)
Proposed 30% increase for port tariffs to be in phases, says Loke
(Free Malaysia Today)
››› Press Review File
FORUM of Shipping
and Logistics
Intervento del presidente Tomaso Cognolato
Roma, 19 giugno 2025
››› File
Structural adaptation works on dock 23 of the port of Ancona awarded
Ancona
Intervention worth over 11.8 million euros
Conference on the role of LNG and bioLNG for the decarbonisation of transport and industry
Rome
The Federchimica-Assogasliquidi event will take place on Monday in Rome
Dutch Bolidt increases presence in cruise ship sector with acquisition of American Boteka
Hendrik Ido Ambacht
Contship Italia has acquired the Genoese customs services company STS
Melzo
The Ligurian company was founded in 1985
Francesco Benevolo has been appointed extraordinary commissioner of the AdSP of the Central-Northern Adriatic Sea
Rome
He is the operations director of RAM - Logistics, Infrastructure and Transport
Montaresi resigns as commissioner of the Eastern Ligurian Port Authority
The Spice
In the eight months of administration - he underlines - we have not lost even a second
Gurrieri has been appointed extraordinary commissioner of the AdSP of the Eastern Adriatic Sea
Trieste
Pending the completion of the formal process for the designation of the president
The commissioners of the AdSP of Western Liguria have handed over their mandate to Minister Salvini
Genoa
The decision is part of the process of designation and nomination of the new leaders
Confetra criticizes the provisions of the decree-law Infrastructure for road transport
Rome
The Confederation urges the blocking of the process of appointing the presidents of the port authorities
Taiwanese Evergreen, Yang Ming and WHL saw revenue decline in May
Keelung/Taipei
The decline is accentuated for the two main companies
South Korea's KSOE wins order to build eight 15,900 TEU containerships
Seongnam
The unit value of each vessel is approximately $221 million.
First port terminal for car traffic of Greek Neptune Lines
Piraeus
It will be inaugurated next year in the French port of Port-La Nouvelle
The assembly of the association of Genoese maritime agents and brokers will be held on June 16th
Genoa
Round Table on Genoa, the hub of the North West and the Mediterranean
BN di Navigazione Board of Directors Renewed
Genoa
BluNavy aims to reach one million passengers by 2025
Viking Line designs world's largest all-electric ro-pax vessel
Viking Line designs world's largest all-electric ro-pax vessel
Åland
Record Monthly Container Traffic at Turkish Ports
Ankara
In May, almost 1.4 million TEUs were handled (+17.6%)
Sergio Landolfi has been elected president of the Customs Association of the Port of La Spezia
The Spice
The board of directors has been renewed
The ferry industry elite will attend the Interferry conference in Salerno in October
Victoria
Event titled "Connections"
Uniport launches an initiative to support ALS research
Rome
Fundraising for the NeMO Clinical Center Serena Foundation Onlus
The Propeller Club of Genoa has analyzed risks and opportunities of using AI in the maritime and insurance sectors
Genoa
The importance of training in the use of technology was highlighted
Chantiers de l'Atlantique delivers luxury cruising yacht Luminara to The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Saint Nazaire
The ship will debut in Alaska
Maritime transport, with suppliers and naval contractors, is the cornerstone of Italy's trade
Port Cervo
ANPAN Annual Congress in Sardinia
Uiltrasporti, risk of chaos in Italian ports due to delays in appointing AdSP presidents
Rome
If we continue to distribute positions without taking into account the skills of future presidents - warns the union - we will be forced to mobilize
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