testata inforMARE
Cerca
22 December 2025 - Year XXIX
Independent journal on economy and transport policy
14:21 GMT+1
LinnkedInTwitterFacebook
FORUM of Shipping
and Logistics


Valuation of the
Liner Shipping Industry


Economic Contribution and Liner Industry Operations





December 2009



Table of Contents

Executive Summary

     

What is the Liner Shipping Industry?


Key Findings

Introduction


Purpose of Report


Methodology and Data Dources

Economic Valuation of the Liner Industry

Liner Industry Operations and Expenditures


Methodology and Data Sources


The Liner Fleet

           

Fleet Size and Capacity



Shipbuilding



Vessel Purchase Prices


Liner Fleet Operations



Port Calls and Nautical-Miles Travelled


Port Expenditures and Operations



Throughput at Liner Ports



Expenditures by Terminal Operators



Container Fleet



Other Liner Industry Equipment

Summary

Appendix A: World Industry Service Methodology


Data Sources


Water Transport and Shipbuilding Sectors


Liner Industry Share


Definition of WIS Metrics

Appendix B: Data Sources


Figures

Figure 1:

Average Weekly Port Calls Made by Container and Vehicle Vessels, First 35 Weeks of 2009

Figure 2:

Average Weekly Nautical-Miles Travelled by Container and Vehicle Vessels, First 35 Weeks of 2009



Tables

Table 1:

Direct Economic Contribution of Shipbuilding and Liner Industry Operations, 2007

Table 2:

Direct Economic Contribution of Liner Industry Operations, 2007

Table 3:

Direct Economic Contribution of Shipbuilding, 2007

Table 4:

Global Liner Fleet, July 2009

Table 5:

Global Liner Fleet on Order

Table 6:

Current and On-Order Liner Fleet by Region, July 2009

Table 7:

European Union Liner Fleet, July 2009

Table 8:

Top Twenty Countries by Existing Fleet and Vessels On-Order, July 2009

Table 9:

Deliveries of Container and Ro-Ro Vessels by Builder Country, 2006-2008

Table 10:

Cumulative Spending on Liner Vessels by Operating Region through 2009

Table 11:

Cumulative Receipts from Sales of Liner Vessels by Region of Build as of July, 2009

Table 12:

Number of Service and Annual Capacity Deployed by Route, as of July 1, 2007

Table 13:

Average Weekly Number of Port Calls Made by Operator Region in 2009

Table 14:

Average Weekly Number of Nautical-Miles Travelled by Operator Region in 2009

Table 15:

Top 20 World Ports by 2008 Throughput

Table 16:

Throughput at Select Container Ports in the European Union, 2007- 2008

Table 17:

Throughput at Select Container Ports in North America, 2007

Table 18:

Investment by Terminal Operators, 2007-2008

Table 19:

Container Fleet by Region, Mid-2008

Table 20:

Container Handling and Trans-shipment, Million TEUs, 2007

Table 21:

Chassis Fleet and Operating Costs in the United States, 2008




Executive Summary

Liner shipping is the service of transporting goods by means of high capacity, oceangoing ships that transit regular routes on fixed schedules. The liner shipping industry is the primary conduit of world trade and an increasingly important part of the maritime industry. Liner shipping carries the majority of the world's ocean-borne trade in value terms and facilitates a significant portion of the merchandise trade of the world. The industry has contributed to advances in the standard of living of most of the world's population in the last 35 years, as the gains from trade through advancing global commerce were enabled by the reliable, efficient and relatively low-cost transportation provided by the industry.

Quantifying the significance of the liner shipping industry can be done using many metrics. Valuable perspectives on the liner industry include how much of world trade is handled by the liner industry; the employment, investment, and value added the industry contributes to the world economy, and the operational characteristics of the industry in providing services globally.

WHAT IS THE LINER SHIPPING INDUSTRY?

The liner shipping industry is the portion of the maritime industry that includes all operations and related infrastructure involved in scheduled ocean-borne shipping. It consists of liner vessels and the people working on-board these vessels, ports, shipbuilding operations, longshore dock workers, shipbuilders, and all other on-shore support staff. Liner shippers transport most of the high unit-value consumer and intermediate goods, including ocean containerized cargo, vehicles, and other mobile machinery. The industry operates on all oceans and many of the navigable inland waterways world-wide, benefitting consumers and exporters globally.

KEY FINDINGS

This report provides measures that describe the important role of the liner shipping industry in the world and for key world regions. Among the findings are:
  • The value of the liner industry operations and shipbuilding in 2007 is estimated to be $436.3 billion, generating 13.5 million direct and related jobs.
  • The liner industry transported about 60% of the total value of global seaborne trade of US$7.7 trillion in 2007.
  • The industry has invested in more than 7,000 vessels to provide these services, with approximately another 1,400 on order.
  • Over $235 billion have been spent on new vessels by the industry.
  • Throughput at the top 20 global ports reached almost 250 million TEU in 2008.
  • In 2008, the global container fleet consisted of 17.8 million containers, which cost the industry over $80 billion.
  • In 2009, on average, liner ships made 10,000 port calls around the world each week.
  • In mid-2007, the liner industry operated more than 400 scheduled services serving intercontinentalroute.


Introduction

The liner industry is a crucial segment of the global economy and contributes significantly to world economic output. The industry is broadly defined as the operations and underlying infrastructure involved in scheduled ocean-borne shipping. As such, it consists of a variety of components with significant economic impact, including:
  • Liner operating companies
  • Liner vessels
  • Ports of Call
  • Shipbuilding operations
  • Liner industry operations

1

IHS Lloyd's Register-Fairplay fleet database and IHS Global Insight World Trade Service.

Liner operating companies generally transport high-value consumer and intermediate goods, including all seaborne containerized cargo, automobiles, and other machinery. As a result, the industry has a profound effect on consumers and exporters. In 2007, the industry carried almost 60% of the total value of the world's seaborne commodities on more than 7,000 registered vessels.1

The industry is especially significant to the economies of the European Union and South Korea in terms of shipbuilding and to the European Union, China, United States, and the Americas in its economic contribution from transport operations. Globally, the industry was directly or indirectly responsible for over $436.3 billion in output and 13.5 millions jobs in 2007.


PURPOSE OF REPORT

This report was commissioned by the World Shipping Council in order to better understand the value and size of the liner shipping industry and its contribution to global trade and national economies. The estimates presented in this report are an initial effort using readily available data from various IHS companies for valuing and sizing the industry. The majority of the data presented here is from 2007, the most recent year for which economic and trade data is complete. This year also presents the size and impact of the industry prior to the current global recession and is thus indicative of future operations.


METHODOLOGY AND DATA SOURCES

The primary information presented in this report is derived from three IHS data sources, described in greater detail in the body of this report:

  1. IHS Global Insight World Trade Service (WTS): used to estimate the trade impact of the liner industry.
  1. IHS Global Insight World Industry Service (WIS): used to estimate the economic and employment impact of the liner industry. A detailed explanation of the WIS methodology is available in Appendix B.
  1. IHS Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research (LRF): used for determining the size of the global liner fleet, its capacity and operating statistics. LRF maintains a comprehensive ongoing registry of all seagoing vessels of 100 gross tons or larger and tracks their operations on an ongoing basis.
Where enough geographic detail was available, economic, trade and operating metrics were aggregated by region. The WTS regional trade aggregations are presented in Appendix A.

These three databases were supplemented with data obtained from research of websites and annual reports of liner industry participants including liner vessel operators and service providers, ports and port authorities, terminal operators, and equipment manufacturers. Consulting and other research reports were also reviewed. For a full list of reviewed sources please see Appendix C.



Economic Valuation of the Liner Industry

The most common measures of the value of an industry in the economy are the value of output produced by the sector and the associated employment provided by this activity. These are commonly measured through the value of the output of the companies in the industry and the number of workers they employ. This section reviews available economic metrics for the liner industry and provides estimates of the economic value of the liner industry and its contribution to the global economy and regional economies.

An ideal measure of this value would include the value of liner vessels, their operations, and the value of on-shore assets that support the industry. In practice, however, because some on-shore assets and personnel are shared in their use with non-liner transportation services, such measures are very difficult to produce and would require a significant effort in summing up values using a "bottom-up" approach. This process faces limitations in the inconsistencies between national financial accounting standards and gaps in the data collected and published by different government agencies and facilities such as liner ports around the world.

The analysis of the industry included here have been produced using "top-down" economic measures of the liner industry derived from IHS Global Insight's World Industry Service databases. The detailed methodology and data sources used to derive the liner share portion of these measures are presented in Appendix A. The key indicators presented here are Capital Expenditures, Gross Output, Labor Compensation, and Number of Employees for both the liner industry and the portion of the shipbuilding industry devoted to building and maintaining liner vessels.

The liner industry produced over $183 billion of direct output globally in 2007 from both operations and shipbuilding. Of this, more than a third was produced by companies in the European Union. The liner industry also accounts for more than 4 million direct jobs world-wide and investment in fixed assets of more than $29 billion. This estimate of the value of the industry does not include related activities such as cargo handling and storage activities at ports, nor does it include the inland transportation of liner cargoes, unless moved inland by water.

In addition to the direct impacts of the liner industry measured in value and jobs, the spending by the industry creates additional indirect economic impact on other sectors of the economy. Furthermore, this spending induces additional economic activity and employment in the economy. Using estimates of the multipliers for indirect and induced effects that apply to the maritime sector for value and related employment, the full impact of the value of the liner sector operations and shipbuilding in 2007 is estimated to be $436.3 billion in gross output, generating 13.5 million jobs.
Table 1: Direct Economic Contribution of Shipbuilding and Liner Industry Operations, 2007
(Million US Dollars)

Region

Gross
Output

Labor
Compensation

Employees
(Thousand)

Capital
Expenditure

Total

183,305.0

27,177.9

4,146.8

29,406.0

Sources: IHS Global Insight World Industry Service and World Trade Service.

The direct global economic contribution generated from the operations of the liner industry produced over $141 billion, or about 77 percent, of liner industry related direct output in 2007. With almost 4 million people directly employed world-wide and with investment in fixed assets of almost $28 billion, liner industry operations also account for most of the jobs and capital investment related to the industry.

Table 2: Direct Economic Contribution of Liner Industry Operations, 2007
(Million US Dollars)

Region

Gross
Output

Labor
Compensation

Employees
(Thousand)

Capital
Expenditure

Total

141,528.3

20,792.2

3,869.9

27,527.8

Sources: IHS Global Insight World Industry Service and World Trade Service.

In addition to the extensive global operations of the liner industry, the value and employment of the manufacturing required to supply the equipment for liner industry operations is also significant, especially for countries with advanced and sizable shipbuilding operations. The direct economic contribution of liner vessel manufacturing for countries that delivered at least one liner vessel in 2007 is shown in Table 3.
The construction of liner vessels provided almost 277,000 jobs in shipbuilding countries and generated almost $42 billion of gross output, more than $6 billion of which was labor compensation. The liner shipbuilding industry also invested almost $1.9 billion in fixed assets during the year 2007. The leader in liner vessel construction is South Korea, with almost $16 billion worth of output, followed by Germany.
Likewise, Japan has a large shipbuilding industry, although much of its output is of non-liner shipping vessels such as bulk carriers.

Table 3: Direct Economic Contribution of Shipbuilding for the Liner Industry, 2007
(Million US Dollars)

Country

Gross
Output

Labor
Compensation

Employees
(Thousand)

Capital
Expenditures

China

4,726.2

97.5

88.4

279.3

Germany

8,694.8

1,531.4

24.5

166.8

Japan

4,089.4

573.1

13.7

95.6

South Korea

15,857.3

2,400.7

77.9

958.1

United States

52.4

17.9

0.3

2.2

Rest of World

8,356.7

1,765.1

72.0

376.2

European Union Total

13,804.7

2,665.5

48.4

419.2

World Total

41,776.7

6,385.8

276.9

1,878.2

Sources: IHS Global Insight World Industry Service and Lloyd's Register-Fairplay Research.



Liner Industry Operations and Expenditures

This section of the report examines the seaborne operations of the liner industry as well as its on-shore component, including port expenditures, where possible. The size and impact of the liner industry can be quantified by examining its expenditure on capital such as vessels, containers and equipment as well as the cost of its operations. In addition, non-monetary measures of the industry’s operations also provide useful information on the industries magnitude and scope. Where data was available, this report quantifies the dollars spent on capital and operations by the industry as well as the following operational statistics: port calls, port throughput, number of services provided, available liner capacity, and nautical-miles traveled. The size and geographic scope of the liner fleet is examined in greater detail. Lastly, the number of containers and other equipment utilized by the liner industry is quantified where possible.

In mid-2007, the global liner fleet consisted of 7,210 vessels with approximately 185 million deadweight tons (dwt) of capacity, including 12.5 million TEU of container capacity and 3.2 million CEU of automotive capacity. As of July 2009, approximately $236 billion has been spent cumulatively on purchasing new liner vessels since the inception of the liner trade. This amount does not include the additional and potentially substantial amounts spent subsequently in the second-hand market, or for upgrades and maintenance. The liner fleet made more than 10,000 average weekly port calls in the first half of 2009 and the average liner ship travelled more than 1,100 nautical-miles in an average week.

2

U.S. DOT Maritime Administration, U.S. Public Port Development Expenditure Report (FYs 2006 & 2007-2011), February 2009. Major ports such as Los Angeles/Long Beach and New York/New Jersey were not respondents to this survey. The true investment by U.S. ports in liner facilities is thus very likely to be significantly larger than $360 million.

Throughput at the top twenty busiest global ports reached almost 250 million TEU in 2008. The global container fleet reached 17.8 million units and cost $80.1 billion. Investment in liner ports by port authorities and terminal operators are also substantial. Ports in the United States alone invested at least $360 million2 in their liner facilities in just 2006.




METHODOLOGY AND DATA SOURCES

Fleet statistics are derived from databases compiled and maintained by Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research (LRF). LRF maintains registry information for all ships with International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers, which includes all seagoing trading ships of 100 gross tonnes and above as well as vessels that are on order. The nationalities of the operator as well as the owner are recorded for most - though not all - vessels in this database. The fleet and order book databases are primary data sources and do not pose any major limitations.

The expenditures and operations of the liner industry are not possible to fully quantify on a global scale for a variety of reasons. Many liner companies, equipment manufacturers, and terminal operators are privately held companies which disclose only minimal details pertaining to their finances and operations. Accounting requirements differ across countries for publicly held companies. There are thus no global or regional organizations that have aggregated any comprehensive financial or operating data on the liner industry. Instead, only piecemeal information can be gleamed from company reports and government agencies.

Subject to such limitations, this report presents the best available data and examples as could be gathered from a review of company information as available from their websites, annual reports, government organizations and research and consulting companies. The sources and methodologies for the operating and financial measures and data that were quantified here are described in greater detail in each of the following sections.


THE LINER FLEET

For the purposes of this report, the liner fleet is defined as consisting of container, vehicle, and Ro-Ro vessels. Some of the Ro-Ro vessels identified in the database are used in short-sea, as opposed to liner, shipping. While it is difficult to identify and exclude Ro-Ro vessels utilized in short-sea shipping, their share of the overall Ro-Ro vessel count is small. In addition, certain vessels such as combination vessels that operate on a scheduled service but are not container, vehicle or Ro-Ro vessels are excluded from the vessel counts and capacity data.

It is important to note that the exact number of ships in the liner fleet changes frequently as ships are decommissioned or new ships enter service. Likewise, the order book is frequently updated with new orders and changes to current orders.


Fleet Size and Capacity

As of July 2009, the global liner fleet consisted of 7,210 vessels with almost 185 million dead-weight tons of capacity. The container fleet of 4,684 vessels has capacity of just over 12.5 million TEU, and the vehicle fleet of 773 vessels has the capacity of approximately 3.2 million car equivalent units (CEU). The Ro-Ro fleet provides an additional 1.2 million CEU of capacity.


Table 4: Global Liner Fleet, July 2009

Vessel Type

Number
of Vessels

Dwt

Container

4,684

165,774,103

Vehicle

773

11,375,69

Ro-Ro

1,753

7,423,240

Total

7,210

184,573,034

Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research

The total order book for liner vessels in July 2009 contained another 1,381 vessel to be added to the fleet. These vessels will account for another 68.1 million dwt in liner tonnage. Container ships on-order will add 5.5 million TEU of capacity or roughly 40% additional capacity. The order book thus reflects the growing size of container vessels. The average container ship in the current fleet has the capacity of about 2,670 TEU where as the average container ship on-order will have the capacity of more than 5,000 TEU. A similar trend can be observed in vehicle vessels. The vehicle carrier vessels on-order will provide another 1.14 million CEU of capacity, or an average capacity of 5,300 CEU per vessel compared to an average capacity of 4,100 CEU per vessel in the current fleet.


Table 5: Global Liner Fleet on Order

Vessel Type

Number
of Vessels

Dwt

Container

1,082

63,755,615

Vehicle

214

3,539,701

Ro-Ro

85

814,676

Total

1,381

68,109,992

Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research

Over the last five years, container shipping has been one of the fastest growing segments of seaborne shipping. The fleet has grown by an average annual of 13% over the last five years. This growth is driven primarily by vessels with a capacity of over 5,000 TEU, which added 3.1 million TEU of capacity between 2004 and 2008. In the next five years, the container fleet is expected to expand an average of 9.3% per year, with growth in vessels of more than 8,000 TEU topping 25% through 2013.

The growth in the vehicle carrier fleet has also been significant, averaging 9.3% per year between 2004 and 2008. This growth will slow to about five percent per year over the next five years.

Table 6 below presents the regional break-down of the current liner fleet as well as the liner fleet that is currently on-order. Regional fleet data are aggregated based on the nationality of the operator of each vessel and not the registry of the vessel as the operator is more in control of the operational deployment of vessels and therefore has a more important impact on the countries the vessels are used to serve than the owner of the vessel in cases where the owner and operator are different.

3

Greater China is a regional definition used in this report to represent all of China, including Taiwan, China and Hong Kong S.A.R.

The regional break-down of the liner fleet demonstrates that with a total fleet of 2,112 vessels, or 29 percent of the global fleet, and an additional 654 vessels on order, the European Union dominates liner trade by this measure, especially for container vessels. Asia, particularly Greater China3 and Japan, also has a significant and expanding presence in container shipping. Japan, however, is the leading country in seaborne vehicle shipping, with almost 48 percent of the total global vehicle carrier fleet.


Table 6: Current and On-Order Liner Fleet by Region, July 2009

Vessel Type

Operator Region

Existing Fleet

On-Order



Vessels

Dwt

TEU/CEU

Vessels

Dwt

TEU/CEU

Container

European Union

1,641

58,749,877

4,414,581

546

27,074,606

2,277,276

Other Europe

508

21,191,551

1,568,753

68

7,335,173

648,447

Greater China

857

32,271,290

2,498,311

131

9,843,666

866,764

Japan

326

14,451,324

1,110,661

84

4,981,250

451,196

South Korea

245

9,881,359

762,819

39

3,483,674

316,568

Other Asia

529

13,084,849

961,141

45

2,060,360

184,538

United States

89

1,977,114

145,363

1

63,300

4,860

Canada

2

16,657

1,342

0

0

0

Latin America & Caribbean

146

5,151,926

388,334

20

1,462,096

132,724

Middle East & Africa

229

7,851,031

576,010

63

5,216,203

449,032

Unknown

112

1,147,125

83,505

85

2,235,287

174,715

Total Container

4,684

165,774,103

12,510,820

1,082

63,755,615

5,506,120

Vehicle

European Union

119

2,461,381

571,640

78

1,404,885

420,201

Other Europe

164

2,653,173

764,238

29

399,520

153,827

Greater China

49

484,134

143,341

33

537,726

162,924

Japan

368

5,063,649

1,497,799

34

481,450

165,678

South Korea

16

168,908

31,567

5

61,420

31,670

Other Asia

10

52,466

10,531

1

17,250

5,309

United States

10

183,887

49,788

2

42,400

12,000

Canada

0

0

0

0

0

0

Latin America & Caribbean

3

43,475

14,006

0

0

0

Middle East & Africa

12

100,242

29,298

0

0

0

Unknown

22

164,376

56,348

32

595,050

183,738

Total Vehicle

773

11,375,691

3,168,556

214

3,539,701

1,135,347

Ro-Ro

European Union

352

3,429,781

595,003

30

450,528

98,274

Other Europe

107

640,984

126,979

12

89,444

22,090

Greater China

25

165,381

25,214

6

68,144

22,626

Japan

94

610,843

90,298

0

0

0

South Korea

11

74,909

10,227

0

0

0

Other Asia

230

288,091

36,300

10

29,797

8,066

United States

80

846,057

152,911

0

0

0

Canada

8

62,693

9,226

0

0

0

Latin America & Caribbean

33

104,264

20,106

5

26,325

10,780

Middle East & Africa

169

499,640

75,966

3

13,270

2,159

Unknown

644

700,597

93,452

19

137,168

13,004

Total Ro-Ro

1,753

7,423,240

1,235,682

85

814,676

176,999

Total Liner

European Union

2,112

64,641,039


654

28,930,019


Other Europe

779

24,485,708


109

7,824,137


Greater China

931

32,920,805


170

10,449,536


Japan

788

20,125,816


118

5,462,700


South Korea

272

10,125,176


44

3,545,094


Other Asia

769

13,425,406


56

2,107,407


United States

179

3,007,058


3

105,700


Canada

10

79,350


0

0


Latin America & Caribbean

182

5,299,665


25

1,488,421


Middle East & Africa

410

8,450,913


66

5,229,473


Unknown

778

2,012,098


136

2,967,505


Total Liner

7,210

184,573,034


1,381

68,109,992


Note: Unknown refers to liner vessels the nationality of whose operator is not recorded in the registry.
Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research


Table 7 provides an overview of the current fleet size for countries in the European Union - the largest regional participant in the liner industry. With almost 600 liner vessels each, Denmark and Germany are the leading participants in the European Union liner industry and account for 55 percent of the Union's liner fleet. France operates more than 300 liner vessels; where as all other member states operate less than 100 vessels. Sweden is the major operator of vehicle vessels, accounting for more than 55 percent of the total European Union vehicle fleet. However, the European Union operates much fewer vehicle vessels than Japan does alone. Ro-Ro operations are spread fairly evenly through out the European Union.


Table 7: European Union Liner Fleet, July 2009

Operator Country

Container

Vehicle

Ro-Ro

Total


Vessels

Dwt

TEU

Vessels

Dwt

CEU

Vessels

Dwt

CEU

Vessels

Dwt

Austria

1

12,167

754







1

12,167

Belgium

44

431,422

34,921




28

245,588

56,775

72

677,010

Bulgaria

3

42,713

2,280




2

20,871

2,178

5

63,584

Cyprus

37

738,066

53,088




2

17,684

2,975

39

755,750

Denmark

529

25,873,255

1,902,981

1

15,880

6,545

39

375,452

86,856

569

26,264,587

Estonia

3

14,954

1,262




3

6,565

925

6

21,519

Finland

11

112,803

8,748




30

231,100

47,487

41

343,903

France

296

12,011,547

938,591




17

213,155

33,732

313

12,224,702

Germany

553

17,177,137

1,302,190




30

251,013

23,383

583

17,428,150

Greece

30

605,565

42,526

15

123,524

38,818

38

203,600

38,212

83

932,689

Irish Republic

9

52,801

4,491

1

1,275

568

2

13,511

2,925

12

67,587

Italy

18

359,898

23,385

28

587,341

109,594

41

749,663

90,630

87

1,696,902

Latvia







2

6,332

1,449

2

6,332

Lithuania

1

13,729

1,080







1

13,729

Netherlands

43

628,658

48,784

2

36,074

10,378

37

418,600

77,118

82

1,083,332

Poland

1

9,238

750




6

44,766

8,127

7

54,004

Portugal

3

31,246

2,123




1

3,570

870

4

34,816

Romania

4

21,740

1,133




2

8,065

1,776

6

29,805

Spain

17

236,242

15,076

6

21,773

7,005

14

80,121

19,750

37

338,136

Sweden

2

19,071

1,618

66

1,675,514

398,732

28

345,762

59,052

96

2,040,347

United Kingdom

36

357,625

28,800




30

194,363

40,783

66

551,988

Total

1,641

58,749,877

4,414,581

119

2,461,381

571,640

352

3,429,781

595,003

2,112

64,641,039

Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research


Table 8 ranks the top twenty countries by the size of their current liner fleet and by the number of vessels they have on order. China is currently the leading operator of liner vessels with 11 percent of the global liner fleet and 15 percent of its capacity. It is followed closely by Japan, with 788 liner vessels. Denmark, which ranks fifth by the fleet count, operates the second largest fleet by capacity. Germany is the largest European Union operator of liner vessels and the country with the most vessels on-order world-wide. By the current order-book, Germany will operate only two fewer vessels than China by the time the orders are completed.


Table 8: Top Twenty Countries by Existing Fleet and Vessels On-Order, July 2009


Existing Fleet

On-Order

Rank

Operator Country

Vessels

Dwt

Operator Country

Vessels

Dwt

1

China

804

27,906,667

Germany

355

14,103,350

2

Japan

788

20,125,816

Unknown*

136

2,967,505

3

Unknown*

778

2,012,098

China

126

8,626,542

4

Germany

583

17,428,150

Japan

118

5,462,700

5

Denmark

569

26,264,587

Denmark

63

4,609,064

6

Switzerland

387

19,617,726

France

59

5,338,548

7

France

313

12,224,702

Greece

56

2,252,062

8

Singapore

291

9,409,744

Switzerland

46

6,780,960

9

South Korea

272

10,125,176

Hong Kong S.A.R., China

44

1,822,994

10

Indonesia

196

999,769

South Korea

44

3,545,094

11

Norway

186

2,783,435

Netherlands

37

564,490

12

United States

179

3,007,058

Norway

37

442,420

13

Hong Kong S.A.R., China

127

5,014,138

Singapore

37

1,887,087

14

Chile

119

4,515,680

Israel

30

2,873,349

15

United Arab Emirates

106

1,001,431

Cyprus

27

720,900

16

Israel

104

3,739,350

Turkey

22

452,144

17

Sweden

96

2,040,347

Belgium

18

550,771

18

Turkey

94

1,088,073

Italy

18

334,497

19

Malaysia

89

1,088,152

Kuwait

17

1,781,100

20

Italy

87

1,696,902

Sweden

12

289,120


Other

1,042

12,484,033

Other

79

2,705,295


Total

7,210

184,573,034


1,381

68,109,992

Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research
* Note: The identity of an operator is unknown because the vessel is on the order book without an assigned operator or the vessel is not currently in service. In addition, operator data is incomplete on operators with small fleets of one or two ships and on some operators from select developing countries.


Shipbuilding

Many maritime nations participate in liner vessel operations, with larger nations tending to operate larger fleets. Shipbuilding, however, is more concentrated among a few countries - particularly South Korea and Japan - with highly developed shipyards. Shipbuilding is an important component of the liner industry, and it generates many skilled jobs and revenues.

A total of 532 container and Ro-Ro vessels were delivered in 2007. In Table 9 below are the details. South Korea delivered approximately 48 percent of new liner capacity in 2007 and Japan delivered another 18 percent. The table also demonstrates that South Korea's dominance in shipbuilding has slowly eroded over the last three years, as its market share declined from 54 percent to 43 percent between 2006 and 2008. The main beneficiary has been China, whose market share increased from less than 10 to more than 20 percent in the same time period. Indonesia and Malaysia deliver dozens of smaller vessels, with less than one thousand gross-tons of capacity.


Table 9: Deliveries of Container and Ro-Ro Vessels by Builder Country, 2006-2008


2006

2007

2008

Builder Country

No.

1,000gt

%

No.

1,000gt

%

No.

1,000gt

%

South Korea

149

9,378

54.3%

151

8,314

47.5%

148

8,794

43.4%

Japan

63

2,776

16.1%

72

3,179

18.2%

86

4,137

20.4%

China

95

1,690

9.8%

124

2,262

12.9%

164

3,676

18.1%

Germany

47

991

5.7%

53

1,085

6.2%

52

1,015

5.0%

Denmark

4

537

3.1%

5

854

4.9%

6

572

2.8%

Taiwan, China

13

467

2.7%

14

462

2.6%

14

614

3.0%

Poland

24

784

4.5%

13

460

2.6%

13

516

2.5%

Croatia

5

138

0.8%

6

273

1.6%

5

211

1.0%

Romania

7

181

1.0%

7

203

1.2%

7

307

1.5%

Philippines

1

1

0.0%

3

155

0.9%

6

146

0.7%

Turkey

4

41

0.2%

7

70

0.4%

9

120

0.6%

Singapore

4

112

0.6%

3

48

0.3%

5

92

0.5%

Spain




3

36

0.2%

4

54

0.3%

Netherlands

6

47

0.3%

3

32

0.2%



0.0%

Indonesia

36

18

0.1%

33

18

0.1%

21

11

0.1%

Malaysia

10

7

0.0%

11

10

0.1%

7

7

0.0%

Iran

7

4

0.0%

13

7

0.0%

3

1

0.0%

Egypt




1

7

0.0%




Ukraine

3

27

0.2%

1

6

0.0%




Thailand





1

3

0.0%



United Arab Emirates





3

2

0.0%



North Korea

2

1

0.0%

2

1

0.0%




India




1

1

0.0%

1

1

0.0%

United States

4

31

0.2%

2

1

0.0%

1

0


Finland

1

23

0.1%







Italy

1

28

0.2%







Norway







1

3

0.0%

United Kingdom

1

2

0.0%







Total

487

17,284

100%

532

17,489

100%

553

20,277

100%

Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research


Vessel Purchase Prices

While it is not possible to determine the current book value of the liner fleet from available sources, one can measure the amount of capital originally invested in liner vessels. Cumulatively, more than $236 billion has been spent on the purchase of new liner vessels though July of 2009. This number does not include the amount spent on second-hand sales and or on vessel upgrades or necessary maintenance and repair.

Cumulatively, European operators have spent the most on liner vessels, more than $105 billion or 45 percent of total purchases of liner vessels, as shown in Table 10. This reflects the historical dominance and a continued strong presence of Europe in liner shipping. Greater China however is the second largest cumulative spender on liner vessels, with 15 percent of total spending, although most of its purchases have been more recent than Europe's.


Table 10: Cumulative Spending on Liner Vessels by Operating Region through 2009
(Million US Dollars)

Operating Region

Container

Vehicle

Other
Ro-Ro

Total

South Korea

11,309

299

224

11,832

Japan

15,300

16,760

2,206

34,266

Greater China

33,981

2,351

334

36,665

Other Asia

648

0

164

812

Middle East

8,913

179

1,009

10,101

South East Asia

14,969

164

918

16,050

Europe

82,365

13,882

9,433

105,681

Russia

980

15

365

1,360

Turkey

1,165

14

1,295

2,474

North America

3,298

497

1,938

5,733

South America

5,591

203

59

5,854

Rest of World

68

8

309

386

Unknown

2,083

498

2,268

4,849

Total

180,671

34,869

20,523

236,062

Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research


Table 11 combines the cumulative recipients of spending on liner vessels. As expected, South Korea, the leading shipbuilding country, has received more than $76 billion or 32 percent of the total. Europe is ranked next at 27 percent, reflecting its historic presence in shipbuilding, although many of its yards have been losing competitiveness and market share. Japan does not lag far behind Europe, with a cumulative market share of 25 percent. The United States no longer has a major international commercial liner vessel building industry.


Table 11: Cumulative Receipts from Sales of Liner Vessels by Region of Build as of July, 2009
(Million US Dollars)

Building Region

Container

Vehicle

Other
Ro-Ro

Total

South Korea

69,781

6,087

377

76,244

Japan

34,033

21,061

4,326

59,421

Greater China

26,513

996

974

28,483

Other Asia

10

0

80

90

Middle East

0

0

278

278

South East Asia

1,567

426

1,857

3,850

Europe

45,771

6,221

11,151

63,144

Russia

26

0

298

323

Turkey

1,124

0

79

1,203

North America

1,597

78

773

2,447

South America

202

0

223

425

Rest of World

46

0

107

153

Total

180,671

34,869

20,523

236,062

Source: Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Research


LINER FLEET OPERATIONS

This section of the report provides information on the operations of the liner industry. These statistics are useful for understanding the scope of liner operations. For example, container and vehicle vessels made an average of more than 10,100 port calls in a typical week in 2009, or about 2.1 port calls per vessel per week. The average vessel also travelled more than 1,100 nautical-miles in a typical week. Seventy four services with almost 15 million TEU of capacity were provided by the industry on the West Coast of North America and Asia route alone in the middle of 2007.

The liner industry offers transport between all major container ports world-wide. Inland countries in turn utilize the container ports of their maritime neighbors in order to participate in international trade.

Table 12 demonstrates the number of services, or unique ship schedules and routes, provided by the liner industry as of July 1, 2007. There were 409 services provided by the industry in mid-2007. It is important to note that the industry frequently modifies its services in order to respond to changing market forces and the needs of its customers. The route with the most services is between Asia and the west coast of North America, particularly reflecting the large volume of trade between the United States, China and other Asian countries. Together, the North Europe and the Mediterranean routes with Asia have 88 unique services.


Table 12: Number of Services and Annual Capacity Deployed by Route, as of July 1, 2007

Route

Services

West Coast of North America - Asia

74

East Coast of North America - Asia

24

North America - Northern Europe

36

North America - Mediterranean

23

Asia - North Europe

35

Asia - Mediterranean

43

North America - East Coast of South America

11

North America - West Coast of South America

16

North America - North Coast of South America

22

Europe - East Coast of South America

14

Europe - West Coast of South America

6

Europe - North Coast of South America

13

Asia - East Coast of South America

6

Asia - West Coast of South America

7

South Africa - Europe

6

South Africa - North America

3

South Africa - Asia

21

West Africa - Europe

33

West Africa - North America

3

West Africa - Asia

13

Total

409

Notes: Services may be counted on more than one route.
"Asia" includes Australia and New Zealand.
Sources: ComPair Data, World Line Supply Report Summary, July 2007;
Drewry, Annual Container Market Review and Forecast - 2007/08.


Port Calls and Nautical-Miles Travelled

As an indication of the extensiveness of the physical activity of the liner industry, this section presents measures of port calls and distances travelled by container and vehicle ships during the first 35 weeks of 2009. These measures are derived from Lloyds Register-Fairplay (LRF) Automatic Identification System (AIS), which tracks the real-time movement of vessels. During this period, LRF's AIS system tracked a weekly average of 4,800 container and vehicle vessels, corresponding to about 88 percent of the total container and vehicle fleet. The AIS satellite system was not in operation prior to 2009, thus it is not possible to derive these measures for an earlier time period. However, one would expect a larger number of port calls and nautical-miles prior to the global recession.

Overall, these vessels made more than 10,100 port calls and travelled more than 5.4 million nauticalmiles in an average week. An average container or vehicle vessel made 2.1 port calls per week and travelled more than 1,100 nautical-miles.

While measures of capacity and vessel counts demonstrate the overall size of the industry, such operating measures indicate the swings in its actual utilization and scope of operations as well as the seasonality inherent in the liner business.

Figure 1 shows the number of port calls made by container and vehicle vessels in the first 35 weeks of 2009. On average, container ships made more than 9,100 port calls and vehicle vessels just over 1,000 port calls per week. In other words, workers at ports world-wide loaded and unloaded more than 10,000 vessel-stops per week. The average vessel thus made 2.1 port calls per week.


Figure 1: Average Weekly Port Calls Made by Container and Vehicle Vessels, First 35 Weeks of 2009


Note: The first week of 2009 was a short week and is excluded.
Source: Lloyd's Register- Fairplay Research, AISLive.


Operators from the European Union made more than a third of these port calls and operators from Greater China and Other Asia made about 17 percent each.


Table 13: Average Weekly Number of Port Calls Made by Operator Region in 2009

Region

Container
Vessels

Vehicle
Vessels

Total

Americas

388

15

403

Greater China

1,733

37

1,770

European Union

3,505

212

3,716

Japan

573

504

1,078

Other Asia

1,723

36

1,760

Other Europe

1,029

224

1,253

Rest of World

10

0

10

Unknown

156

15

171

Global Average

9,116

1,044

10,160

Note: Average is for the first 35 weeks of 2009, excluding the first short week.
Source: Lloyd's Register- Fairplay Research, AISLive.


On average, container ships travelled more than 4.7 million nautical miles and vehicle vessels travelled 0.7 million nautical miles per week in the first 35 weeks of 2009. Figure 2 demonstrates the weekly number of nautical-miles travelled by container and vehicle vessels during this period. The average vessel thus travelled 1,132 nautical-miles per week.


Figure 2: Average Weekly Nautical-Miles Travelled by Container and Vehicle Vessels, First 35 Weeks of 2009


Note: The first week of 2009 was a short week and is excluded.
Source: Lloyd's Register- Fairplay Research, AISLive.


Operators from the European Union travelled the most nautical-miles, or about 36 percent of the total, reflecting the higher number of port calls made by these vessels.


Table 14: Average Weekly Number of Nautical-Miles Travelled by Operator Region in 2009
(Thousands)

Region

Container
Vessels

Vehicle
Vessels

Total

Americas

280

14

294

Greater China

821

23

845

European Union

1,829

129

1,958

Japan

379

335

714

Other Asia

863

21

884

Other Europe

518

160

678

Rest of World

2

0

2

Unknown

49

10

59

Global Average

4,741

692

5,433

Note: Average is for the first 35 weeks of 2009, excluding the first short week.
Source: Lloyd's Register- Fairplay Research, AISLive.


PORT EXPENDITURES AND OPERATIONS

The on-shore portion of the liner industry includes container and Ro-Ro terminals, container handling equipment such as cranes and chassis, as well as all the workers needed to load and unload containers and vehicles and to deliver goods to their final destinations. All this equipment, as well as containers themselves, require constant expenditure to manufacture, maintain and operate. The liner industry thus generates economic activity and employment not just from vessel construction and operations but also from the thousands of companies that participate in equipping and operating ports and the inland portion of the distribution of liner goods.

This section of the report thus quantifies the available data on expenditures at ports and on liner industry equipment. Only limited data was available on an aggregated global or regional basis. Company and port annual reports were also reviewed in order to highlight activity for select ports, equipment types and companies.

Throughput at the top twenty global liner ports reached nearly 236 million TEU in 2007. Globally, there were more than 17.8 million containers in the world fleet in mid-2008, costing about $80.1 billion.


Throughput at Liner Ports

Throughput at liner ports is another important indicator of liner industry activity. Though it was not practical for this study to estimate the throughput at every liner port, throughput at the top 20 global ports is presented in Table 15 below. By definition however, global port volumes must exceed the sum of import and export TEU, since both the exporting and importing port will count the containers.

Table 15 has the top 20 world container ports ranked by 2008 TEU. Throughput at the top 20 ports reached almost 250 million TEU in 2008. These rankings demonstrate the dominance of Asian ports in container trade. In particular, the throughput at the ports of Ningbo and Guangzhou in China has been growing rapidly. These ports now rank seventh and eighth and have overtaken Rotterdam. Kaohsiung and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in the United States were particularly affected by the global downturn that started in 2008.


Table 15: Top 20 World Ports by 2008 Throughput

Rank

Port Name

Country

2007 TEU

2008 TEU

1

Singapore

Singapore

27,932,000

29,918,200

2

Shanghai

China

26,168,000

27,980,000

3

Hong Kong

China

23,881,000

24,248,000

4

Shenzhen

China

21,099,000

21,413,888

5

Busan

South Korea

13,270,000

13,425,000

6

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

10,653,026

11,827,299

7

Ningbo

China

9,349,000

11,226,000

8

Guangzhou

China

9,200,000

11,001,300

9

Rotterdam

Netherlands

10,790,604

10,783,825

10

Qingdao

China

9,462,000

10,320,000

11

Hamburg

Germany

9,889,792

9,737,110

12

Kaohsiung

Taiwan, China

10,256,829

9,676,554

13

Antwerp

Belgium

8,175,951

8,662,890

14

Tianjin

China

7,103,000

8,500,000

15

Port Kelang

Malaysia

7,120,000

7,970,000

16

Los Angeles

United States

8,355,039

7,849,985

17

Long Beach

United States

7,312,465

6,487,816

18

Tanjung Pelepas

Malaysia

5,500,000

5,600,000

19

Bremerhaven

Germany

4,912,177

5,529,159

20

New York & New Jersey

United States

5,299,105

5,265,053

Source: Lloyd Register-Fairplay Research


Table 16 presents data for container ports in the European Union that publicly report data. The port of Rotterdam is the largest container port in Europe, with more than 10 million TEU handled in 2008. It is closely followed by the ports of Hamburg and Antwerp.


Table 16: Throughput at Select Container Ports in the European Union, 2007- 2008

Country

Port Name

2007 TEU

2008 TEU

Belgium

Antwerp

8,175,951

8,662,890

Belgium

Zeebrugge

2,020,723

2,209,665

Denmark

Aarhus

504,000

458,000

Denmark

Copenhagen

192,000

n/a

Estonia

Tallinn

180,911

180,927

Finland

Helsinki

435,000

428,000

Finland

Kotka

570,881

627,765

Finland

Hamina

195,292

178,804

Finland

Rauma

174,531

172,155

Finland

Pori

34,415

n/a

Finland

Turku

21,983

22,736

France

Le Havre

2,638,000

2,500,000

France

Marseilles

1,001,957

847,651

France

Dunkirk

197,000

215,000

Germany

Hamburg

9,889,792

9,737,110

Germany

Bremerhaven

4,912,177

5,529,159

Germany

Lubeck

205,338

n/a

Germany

Cuxhaven

63,808

63,271

Germany

Kiel

20,064

12,860

Germany

Emden

51

n/a

Greece

Piraeus

1,373,138

431,000

Italy

Gioia Tauro

3,445,337

3,467,772

Italy

Genoa

1,855,026

1,766,605

Italy

La Spezia

1,187,040

1,246,139

Italy

Livorno

745,557

n/a

Italy

Naples

460,812

481,521

Italy

Taranto

756,000

786,655

Italy

Venice

328,000

379,072

Italy

Trieste

267,854

335,943

Latvia

Riga

211,840

207,122

Latvia

Ventspils

16,846

14,148

Latvia

Liepaja

7,665

4,227

Lithuania

Klaipeda

321,432

373,263

Malta

Marsaxlokk

1,887,405

2,300,000

Netherlands

Rotterdam

10,790,604

10,783,825

Netherlands

Amsterdam

370,000

435,129

Poland

Gdynia

614,373

610,767

Poland

Szczecin

47,976

62,913

Poland

Gdansk

96,873

163,704

Portugal

Lisbon

554,774

556,062

Romania

Constantza

1,411,370

1,380,935

Slovenia

Koper

305,648

350,000

Spain

Algeciras

3,414,345

3,324,310

Spain

Valencia

2,771,851

3,593,000

Spain

Barcelona

2,610,099

2,569,547

Sweden

Helsingborg

300,000

240,000

Sweden

Stockholm

44,563

41,000

United Kingdom

Felixstowe

3,300,000

3,200,000

United Kingdom

Southampton

1,900,000

1,710,000

United Kingdom

Tilbury

843,808

n/a

United Kingdom

Liverpool (United Kingdom)

727,363

n/a

United Kingdom

Thamesport

800,000

n/a

Source: Lloyd's Register- Fairplay Research


Table 17 presents throughput levels for container ports in the United States that publicly report data. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the largest ports in the United States as measured by throughput, followed by the port of New York and New Jersey.


Table 17: Throughput at Select Container Ports in North America, 2007

Port Name

2007 TEU

Los Angeles

8,355,039

Long Beach

7,312,465

New York & New Jersey

5,299,105

Savannah

2,604,401

Oakland

2,388,182

Vancouver, B.C.

2,307,289

Hampton Roads

2,128,366

Seattle

1,973,504

Tacoma

1,924,934

Houston

1,768,627

Charleston

1,754,377

Baltimore

624,462

New Orleans

315,375

Source: Lloyd's Register- Fairplay Research


Expenditures by Terminal Operators

Although it is not possible to determine the precise amount of the total investment in liner ports worldwide, we know that the investment levels are on the order of several billion dollars per year.
Example investment levels of the top private terminal operating companies have been over $2.6 billion to almost $4 billon per year for the last two years. In 2007, these terminal operators held a market share of about 37 percent so their investment of approximately $2.6 billion in property, plant, equipment and other capital, if extended to the rest of the liner market would have been over $7 billion in 2007 and over $10.5 in 2008 alone. Although a portion of these investments are in non-liner terminal facilities, it is a conservative assumption that most of the billions of dollars are invested annually in liner port facilities worldwide.


Table 18: Investment by Terminal Operators, 2007-2008
(Million US Dollars)

Operator

Cash Flow Use

2007 Market Share

2007

2008

APM Terminals

Capital Expenditures

12.1%

853

723

PSA

Property, Plant, Equipment

11.0%

1,086

1,313

DP World

Expansions, Maintenance, New Projects

8.7%

N.A.

1,397

COSCO Pacific

Property, Plant, Equipment

5.5%

683

522

Total


37.3%

2,622

3,955

Sources: Company Annual Reports; Drewry Shipping Consultant Limited, 2008.


Container Fleet

Globally, in mid-2008 there were 17.8 million containers in the world fleet providing 27.3 million TEU of capacity, and which cost the industry almost $81 billion. This was an increase from about 24.8 million TEU of capacity the previous year. Europe accounts for the largest container fleet at 6.9 million units or nearly 39 percent of the total fleet. North East Asian and North American owners account for nearly the rest of the global fleet, reflecting the location of company headquarters that own the containers, not the deployment of the containers which move throughout the world.


Table 19: Container Fleet by Region, Mid-2008

Region

TEU

TEU Share

Units

Unit Share

Cost (US$ million)

Cost Share

Europe

10,427,987

38.1%

6,917,319

38.7%

36,365

44.9%

North East Asia

7,674,963

28.1%

4,990,588

28.0%

19,588

24.2%

North America

7,648,952

28.0%

4,823,997

27.0%

20,698

25.6%

Middle-East & Indian Sub-Continent

926,730

3.4%

609,693

3.4%

2,285

2.8%

South East Asia

477,371

1.7%

362,561

2.0%

1,267

1.6%

Australia & New Zealand

86,210

0.3%

73,751

0.4%

383

0.5%

Central & South America & Caribbean

64,670

0.2%

41,987

0.2%

232

0.3%

Africa

36,834

0.1%

32,656

0.2%

98

0.1%

Total

27,343,717

100.0%

17,852,552

100.0%

80,916

100.0%

Note: Includes containers specific to regional standards.
Source: Containerisation International Market Analysis: World Container Census 2009, Table 8.

4

The three metrics each have their purpose for measurement of container handling activity. Most fundamentally is the port-to-port movement of loaded containers carrying goods that shippers are paying to have moved. This is from the perspective of a shipper or customs authorities who are concerned with the ultimate origin and destination for the delivery of the goods. Operational efficiency of the liner system is improved through the use of transhipment where containers are transferred during their journey between vessels at an intermediate port. The transshipment activity is valuable to the operators and ports that provide this service and counting this activity is another measure of container handling provided by the liner industry. At container port terminals there are often operational needs to move containers on and off ships and within terminals not just one time at the original port of loading or discharge for each leg of a container's journey. This can include when containers need to be unloaded temporarily from a ship in order for other containers to be accessible or for reloading of containers onboard vessels for stability or access at a subsequent port call. This can be thought of as additional port handling of containers.

The volume of container handling world-wide is measured from several perspectives. When all measures of container handling are combined, the total world container handling activity in 2007 was almost half a billion twenty-foot equivalent units (497 million TEU). This included movements of over 224 million loaded and empty TEU between the ports of the world, and 137 million TEU of transhipment activity.4
This type of container handling at ports can be considered essential to the efficient operations of the industry and it takes resources at the terminals to provide, so ports appropriately count this activity as well.



Table 20: Container Handling and Transhipment, Million TEU, 2007


PORT TO PORT

TRANSHIPMENT

PORT HANDLING

TOTAL

Loaded

120.3

108.4

86.0

314.7

Empty

104.2

28.6

49.9

182.7

Total

224.5

137.0

135.9

497.4

Source: IHS Global Insight Analysis and the IHS Global Insight World Trade Service.


Other Liner Industry Equipment

Aside from containers, the industry relies on numerous types of on-board and port terminal equipment to handle liner cargo. One of the most complex and expensive types of equipment are the ship-to-shore gantry cranes. Comprehensive public data on the world inventory of port cranes and their associated costs is unavailable, but ports do invest millions of dollars in cranes in most years. The largest container port alone, the Port of Singapore, has 190 cranes. The port of Shanghai and the port of Rotterdam each have just over 100 cranes. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach each have about 70 cranes. A typical new state-of-the-art crane cost about $10 million in 2007 to provide some perspective on the value of these equipment investments. As the containerization of cargo continues to spread world-wide, investment in such equipment is sure to accelerate.

Once a container is unloaded at the port, it is often loaded onto a specially designed truck-trailer or chassis for transport by motor carrier to its final destination.

Table 21 below demonstrates the chassis count in the United States along with the estimated annual cost of operating that fleet. The chassis fleet in the United States alone costs about $869 million a year to operate.


Table 21: Chassis Fleet and Operating Costs in the United States, 2008

Owner Type

Count
(Thousand)

Average Annual
Operating Cost
(Million)

Ocean Carriers

392.1

401

Railroads

96.2

98

Common Pool Operators

320.0

327

Motor Carriers

41.8

43

Total

850.0

869

Source: Requirements for Intermodal Equipment Providers and for Motor Carriers and Drivers
Operating Intermodal Equipment; Final Rule 49 CFR Parts 385, 386, 390, et al.
December 17, 2008.



Summary

The liner industry has been essential to the facilitation and expansion of world trade, contributing to global economic growth and improvements in the standard of living in both developed and developing countries. This report provides an overview of various economic, trade, and operating metrics that demonstrate the value of the liner industry to specific regional and individual country economies as well as the world as a whole.

This report confirms the industry's profound global economic impact, particularly in Europe, the United States, Asia, and the rest of the Americas. Globally, the full value of the liner industry operations and shipbuilding in 2007 is estimated to be $436.3 billion, and generated 13.5 million direct and related jobs.

The liner industry is the largest sector of the maritime industry when measuring the value of world trade transported, moving about 60% of global seaborne trade. This was over US$4.3 trillion of goods in 2007 alone. The liner industry draws significant investment in capacity, using over 7,000 vessels that cost the industry initially over US$235 billion to acquire plus another US$80 billion to equip the vessels with containers in which to move cargo. Landside terminals represent additional billions of capital investment from the industry. The liner industry incurs operating costs that produce output valued at $142 billion annually which make the extensive capital investments available and useful to shippers worldwide for the transportation services they need.

Using the existing metrics available to economists, the estimates of the value of the industry to the world economy understate the importance of the liner industry to the daily lives of most of the world's population. Without the efficient facilitation of trade provided by the liner industry, the standard of living of most families and the financial health of most retail, wholesale, manufacturing and services businesses would be reduced.



Appendix A: World Industry Service Methodology

IHS Global Insight's World Industry Service (WIS) includes both historic and forecast economic data covering 95 industries in 75 countries.


DATA SOURCES

The basic data in World Industry Service is taken from public sources; but is then processed extensively and filled out using established techniques.

The initial set of industry-based data is drawn from complementary primary public sources:

  • Industrial Structure Statistics, from the OECD-STAN database;
  • International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics, from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) ;
  • National Accounts Statistics: Main Aggregates and Detailed Tables, from the United Nations System of National Accounts (UNSNA) ;
  • Yearbook of Labour Statistics, from the International Labour Organization (ILO) ;
  • Structural Business Statistics, from Eurostat database.
The number of countries whose industry data is included in the OECD database is restricted to members of the OECD organization. Fortunately, these countries are also the largest countries economically in the world and include the United States, Japan, Germany, France, and others. For those countries whose data is not included in the OECD database, and also for those industries whose coverage in STAN is not detailed enough, WIS uses a combination of UNSNA and UNIDO databases. The data from these organizations have the desirable attributes of fine detail, consistency, and comparability. ILO and Eurostat are also used as specific complementary sources of data. Finally, both the UN- and OECD-supplied data are supplemented by individual country sources.

Thus, the historical dataset in World Industry Service is built like a pyramid with three layers:

  • The bottom layer is the UNSNA and UNIDO data, which provides the baseline for data for all countries and all sectors;
  • The next layer up is the OECD data, which replaces UN data in those countries/industries where there is overlap ;
  • Finally, the top layer represents data that comes from individual country sources, or from global trade associations and other specific data sources. These “specific-sourced” data are used to bring the OECD and UN data forward in time to provide a timely “now-cast” snapshot of the latest available measures of industry-level business activity.
Note that employment and labor compensation data is taken directly from UNIDO statistics, and is not processed or modified in any way.


WATER TRANSPORT AND SHIPBUILDING SECTORS

In order to determine appropriate economic values for the liner industry, this report concentrated on two industries within WIS: water transport and shipbuilding.

  • Water Transport: defined as International Standard of Industrial Classification (ISIC) code 61 (Water Transport). This category includes sea, coastal and inland water transport. Included is transport of passengers or freight over water, whether in scheduled service or not. Also included are the operation of towing or pushing boats, excursion, cruise or sightseeing boats, ferries, and water taxis. The category requires transport service be provided to be included by definition. Therefore excluded are restaurant and bar activities on board ships, except when delivered as an integral part of transportation. Also excluded are landside cargo handling, storage of freight, plus harbor operation and other auxiliary maritime activities such docking, lightage and vessel salvage that are not directly transportation services.
  • Shipbuilding: defined as ISIC code 351 (Building and Repairing of Ships and Boats). This category includes the manufacturing, repairing, overhaul and the manufacturing of sections for the following type of commercial vessels and floating structures: vessels used in commerce, in pursuits related to commerce or in the carriage of passengers including multi-purpose vessels; vessels designed for ocean, coastal or inland waters; passenger vessels, fishing boats and fish processing factory vessels; tugs and pusher craft; non-motorized vessels such as barges, stationary vessels such as light-ships; non-navigational vessels such as dredgers, floating docks, and floating or submersible drilling platforms; hovercraft; boats with hulls resembling pleasure boats but specially equipped for commercial service or services related to commerce; warships and auxiliary naval vessels; vessels for scientific investigation; floating structures such as pontoons, non-recreational inflatable rafts; coffer-dams, landing stages, buoys, floating tanks and others.

    Also included are the manufacturing, maintenance and repair of the following types of noncommercial vessels: yachts, rowing boats, canoes, dories, skiffs, oared life-boats, cutters, kayaks, racing shells, pedalos, rafts, inflatable boats and other pleasure and sporting vessels; pleasure boats designed to accept inboard or outboard motors or to be propelled by wind, paddles or oars; larger boats such as cabin cruisers and sport fisherman.

    Excluded are: manufacture of parts of vessels such iron or steel anchors and sails and other parts that are not major hull assemblies; navigational and other instruments used aboard ships; and amphibian motor vehicles.

LINER INDUSTRY SHARE

The following methodologies were used to extract the liner portion of these industries:

  • Water Transport: A trade ratio was applied to each country with data in the WIS. The ratio for a given country is the value of liner trade relative to its total seaborne trade. This ratio does not account for passenger and inland water transport that is included in the WIS data, and thus somewhat overstating the liner portion of the water transport industry. At the same time, the water transport industry within WIS excludes important liner industry elements such as cargo handling, storage of freight, docking and other harbor and terminal operations. This means the estimate understates the liner industry because of the other operations it excludes. At this level of detail it is not possible to tell which effect is larger, the inclusion of inland and passenger transport, or the exclusion of port and related land-side operations, though they clearly largely offset each other.
  • Shipbuilding: Countries that have a shipyard that delivered a liner vessel (container, Ro-Ro or vehicle) in 2007 were identified first. Next, for each country we determined the ratio of the grosston capacity of the liner vessels relative to the gross-ton capacity of all shipping vessels delivered by the country in the same year. This ratio was then applied to estimate the liner portion of shipbuilding from the WIS data.

DEFINITION OF WIS METRICS

WIS was used to derive the amount of Capital Expenditures, Gross Output, Labor Compensation and the number of Employees attributable to the liner industry's shipping services as well as the liner portion of shipbuilding. The following are the definitions of these four metrics:

  • Capital Expenditures: refers to investments made by establishments operating in the industry during the reference year (2007), net of fixed assets sales. The investments covered are those (whether new or used) with a productive life of one year or more. These assets are intended for the use of the establishments’ own labor forces. Major additions, alterations, and improvements to existing assets that extend their normal economic life or raise their productivity are also included.
    Capital Expenditures in the liner industry would thus include investment in any type of equipment and vessels used by liner operators. The category would also include machinery and equipment purchased by shipbuilders in order to construct liner vessels. Sales of any equipment are subtracted from the totals.
  • Gross Output: also called total sales or total production. This measures the total revenue that is earned by a sector’s operating activities. It includes the domestic production that is exported abroad, but excludes imports that are produced abroad. Gross output thus includes all operating expenditures, wages and benefits and company profits.
  • Labor Compensation: includes both wages and fringe benefits.
  • Number of Employees: the number of people directly employed by the sector. For this report, this includes employees in liner services and in the construction of liner vessels.


Appendix B: Data Sources

AXS-Alphaliner, Cellular Fleet Forecast, September 2009.

AXS-Alphaliner, Top 100 - Existing Fleet on September 2009.

American Association of Port Authorities, www.aapa.org.

Clarksons Research Services, Shipping Intelligence Network data, 2009.

Containerization International, Containerization International Yearbook 2004.

Containerization International Informa Cargo Information, Fleet as of September 3, 2009.

Containerization International Informa Cargo Information, Market Analysis: World Container Census 2009.

Drewry Shipping Consultant Ltd, Annual Container Market Review and Forecast - 200708 September 2007.

Drewry Shipping Consultant Ltd, Annual Container Market Review and Forecast - 2008/09. September 2008.

Drewry Shipping Consultant Ltd, Container Forecast Annual Supplement, 4Q08.

Eurostat, Maritime Transport of Goods and Passengers 1997-2007.

IHS Global Insight, World Industry Service, 2009.

IHS Global Insight, World Trade Service, 2009.

Institute of International Container Lessors, 2009 IICL Annual Leased Container Fleet Survey, June 8, 2009.

International Association of Ports and Harbors, http://www.iaphworldports.org/.

Lloyd's Registry-Fairplay Research, Vessel Registry, Vessel Characteristics and Movements data, 2009.

Martin Associates, JWD, and WEFA, U.S. Economic Growth and the Marine Transportation System, December, 2000.

Oosterhaven, J, and Stelder, T.M., On the Use of Gross versus Net Multipliers, August, 2000.

Requirements for Intermodal Equipment Providers and for Motor Carriers and Drivers Operating Intermodal Equipment; Final Rule 49 CFR Parts 385, 386, 390, et al. December 17, 2008.

Stopford, Martin, Maritime Economics, 3rd edition, Routledge, 2009.

U.S. Maritime Administration, MARAD Port Economic Impact Kit (MARAD Port Kit) Ver 1.1, December 2000.

U.S. Maritime Administration, Public Port Finance Survey for FY 2006, December 2008.

U.S. Maritime Administration, U.S. Public Port Development Expenditure Report (FYs 2006 & 2007-2011), February 2009.

World Shipping Council, The Liner Shipping Industry and Carbon Emissions Policy, September 2009.

World Shipping Council, The Liner Shipping Industry's Impact on the US Economy. 2000


Port Crane Manufacturers and 2007 Annual Reports of Public Companies

    



Hyundai


IMPSA


Kalmar Industries


Konecranes


Liebherr Container Cranes


Mitsubishi Heavy Industries,


Mitsui


Paceco


Samsung


TCM Corporation


Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC)



Liner Operator Websites




APL (NOL)


A.P. MÖller-Maersk


Atlantic Container Line


COSCO (Cosco Container Lines)


China Shipping Group


CMA-CGM Group


Compania Chilena Navegacion Interoceanica


Compania Sud-Americana de Vapores


Crowley Maritime Corporation


Dole Ocean Cargo Express


Evergreen Maritime Corporation


Hamburg Süd


Hanjin Shipping Company


Hapag-Lloyd Container Line


Hoegh Autoliners, Inc.


Hyundai Merchant Marine Company


Independent Container Line


Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K Line)


Malaysia International Shipping Corporation (MISC)


Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)


Mitsui O.S.K. Lines


NYK Line


Orient Overseas Container Line, Ltd. (OOCL)


Pacific International Lines, Ltd.


United Arab Shipping Company


Wan Hai Lines, Ltd.


Wallenius Wilhemsen Logistics,


Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation


Zim Integrated Shipping Services, Ltd.



Terminal Operator Websites and 2007 Annual Reports (if Public)




APM Terminals


COSCO Pacific, Limited


DP World


Eurogate


Hutchinson Whampoa, Limited


International Container Terminal Services, Inc.


Port America


PSA International


SSA Marine



Top 20 Port Websites




Port of Singapore, Singapore


Port of Shanghai, China


Port of Hong Kong, China


Port of Shenzhen, China


Port of Yingkou, China


Port of Busan, South Korea


Port of Rotterdam, Netherlands


Port of Dubai, United Arab Emirates


Port of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, China


Port of Hamburg, Germany


Port of Qingdao, China


Port of Ningbo, China


Port of Guangzhou, China


Port of Los Angeles, United States


Port of Antwerp, Belgium


Port of Long Beach, United States


Port of Kelang, Malaysia


Port of Tianjin, China


Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia


Port of New York/New Jersey, United States

›››File
FROM THE HOME PAGE
Global Ports Holding and Ocean Platform Marinas to build new cruise terminal at the Port of Seville
Seville/London
The concession contract will have a duration of 25 years
Africa Global Logistics to design and build three docks at Tanzania's new Bagamoyo port
Africa Global Logistics to design and build three docks at Tanzania's new Bagamoyo port
Dar es Salaam
The MSC Group company has signed an agreement with the Tanzania Ports Authority
Roberto Petri is the new president of the Italian Ports Association.
Rome
Very close to the Brothers of Italy, he worked in the banking sector and was a member of the boards of directors of publicly owned companies.
The level of connection of Italian ports to the network of containerized maritime routes is growing
Geneva
The only exception was Trieste, which recorded a decrease of -12.3%.
Carnival Corporation Says 2025 Was Its Best Year Ever
Carnival Corporation Says 2025 Was Its Best Year Ever
Miami
Reintroduction of dividend distribution announced
T&E: European e-fuel production projects insufficient for shipping decarbonization
T&E: European e-fuel production projects insufficient for shipping decarbonization
Brussels
It is likely that European targets will be met with imported fuels, or not at all.
Porto Marghera inaugurates a new single-section underground pipeline for the transport of vegetable oils.
Venice
At 3.1 kilometers, it is the longest in Italy and among the top five in Europe.
PSA Intermodal Italy and Logtainer to manage the Intermodal Terminal at Interporto Padova
Padua
A financial offer of 75 million euros was presented
Sea-Intelligence: By 2025, the container ship deployment model will have radically changed.
Sea-Intelligence: By 2025, the container ship deployment model will have radically changed.
Copenhagen
Vessels are frequently replaced to accommodate short-term fluctuations in demand and to manage operational disruptions
Finnish Mikki Koskinen is the new president of European Shipowners - ECSA
Brussels
He will take over from Karin Orsel on January 1st.
Premier Alliance's Asia-Northern Europe services will be based on a hub-and-spoke model
Seoul
Drastic reduction in the number of stopovers on some routes
Work has begun in Switzerland to build a four-meter rail corridor for freight transport from France.
Bern
Construction site completion at the end of 2029
In the third quarter, freight traffic in French ports grew by +6.9%
La Defense
Increase driven by rising bulk cargo. Miscellaneous cargo remained stable.
Fincantieri plans to double the production capacity of its Italian shipyards in the defense segment
Trieste
Revenues expected to increase by 40% over the next five years
WHL orders CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Co. to build six dual-fuel LNG containerships
Taipei
Charter of three additional vessels
The Spanish observatory on the EU ETS notes an unusual increase in container traffic in neighbouring non-European ports
Madrid
Growing activity in ports such as those in the UK, Egypt and Turkey
Marsa Maroc to acquire 45% of Spain's Boluda Maritime Terminals
Casablanca/Valencia
Investment worth 80 million euros
Investment firm BC Partners to acquire majority stake in Fortidia
Milan
The company operates through multiple franchise brands, including Mail Boxes Etc. and PostNet
MPC Container Ships orders six 3,700 TEU containerships
Oslo
Taizhou Sanfu Ship Engineering wins $292.5 million contract
Ownership of the Fagioli group will pass to CEVA Logistics
Milan
The Sant'Ilario D'Enza group specializes in the project logistics sector
MSC Cruises orders Meyer Werft to build four cruise ships with options for two more
MSC Cruises orders Meyer Werft to build four cruise ships with options for two more
Berlin
Orders for a total value of up to ten billion euros
AD Ports submits a bid to acquire control of Egypt's Alexandria Container & Cargo Handling Co.
The number of calls at Italian ports in the Premier Alliance network for 2026 is increasing.
Seoul/Singapore/Keelung
Three calls in Genoa, two in La Spezia, and two in Gioia Tauro. The Asia-Europe services will continue to circumnavigate Africa.
Stefano Messina is heading for a new term as president of Assarmatori.
Rome
The renewal of the association's positions for the four-year period 2026-2030 is scheduled for next month.
Hapag-Lloyd orders CIMC Raffles to build eight 4,500-TEU containerships
Hamburg
Long-term charter of 14 container ships with capacities ranging from 1,800 to 4,500 TEUs
Hanwha raises its stake in Austal from 9.9% to 19.9%
Henderson
The South Korean group has become the reference shareholder of the Australian company
Companies inform
Accelleron calls for cross-sector action to unlock carbon-neutral fuels for shipping
Maersk Group changes several top positions in the company
Copenhagen
New CFO and appointment of new regional managers
In the first half of the year, Italian ports recorded growth in containers and dry bulk cargo
Rome
Rolling stock and liquid bulk volumes decreased. "Port Infographics" by Assoporti-SRM
Snam will acquire 48.2% of Igneo Infrastructure Partners in OLT - Offshore LNG Toscana
London/San Donato Milanese
Operation worth approximately 126 million euros
The first "Decade of Sustainable Transport" established by the UN will begin on January 1st.
New York
Kramek (WSC): Effective global regulation of greenhouse gas emissions at IMO is vital for shipping
EU investigation into joint control of Spanish company Tercat by TiL (MSC Group) and Hutchison Ports
Brussels
The company manages the BEST terminal at the port of Barcelona
In the third quarter, freight traffic in the ports of Naples and Salerno recorded increases of +0.5% and +2.5%
Naples
ESPO urges MEPs to endorse report on military mobility
Brussels
Ryckbost: Clearly recognizes the strategic role of ports
From January 1st ICTSI will manage Durban Container Terminal 2 at the Port of Durban
Durban
Traffic capacity will be increased from two to 2.8 million TEUs
The ZIM Board of Directors confirms that it has received multiple expressions of interest in purchasing the company, including one of a strategic nature.
In the third quarter, freight traffic in the port of Bremen/Bremerhaven grew by +5.7%
In the third quarter, freight traffic in the port of Bremen/Bremerhaven grew by +5.7%
Bremen
Significant increase in general cargo. Bulk cargo declines.
CSSC and COSCO sign cooperation agreement for the construction of 87 ships
CSSC and COSCO sign cooperation agreement for the construction of 87 ships
Beijing
Project worth approximately 7.1 billion dollars under China's 15th Five-Year Plan
Last October, maritime traffic in the Suez Canal decreased by -0.7%
Cairo
Tanker transits increased by 9.6%. Other vessel types declined by 6.5%.
HD Hyundai to build shipyard in Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Seongnam
An agreement was also signed with BEML for the construction of marine and port cranes in India.
Shipowners call for suspending the application of the EU ETS to the maritime sector.
Federlogistica expresses concern over the proposed Genoese tax on maritime passengers.
Genoa
Concerns for the overall balance of the national port ecosystem and for the operational choices of shipowners
SEA Europe disappointed by the failure to recognize the maritime manufacturing industry as a strategic sector for the EU
Port of Palermo: Administrative violations amounting to one million euros related to boating and concessions
Palermo
Over 265 vessels used for rental purposes without mandatory insurance were identified.
EU transport ministers approve incentives for trucks by amending the directive on dimensions and weights.
EU transport ministers approve incentives for trucks by amending the directive on dimensions and weights.
Brussels
Road haulage - CER, ERFA, RFF, UIP, UIRR and UNIFE denounce - can expect economic gains, but the company will have to wait for a reduction in the environmental impact of logistics.
First LNG refueling of a ferry in the port of Genoa
Genoa
500 cubic meters of bioLNG delivered to the new vessel "GNV Virgo"
ONE appoints new agency in Albania
London
Centralog Albania is based in Durres and will be fully operational by the end of the month
Genoa-based shipping broker Lockton PL Ferrari expands its operations into other sectors.
Genoa
New segments Natural Resources, Oil & Gas and Construction & Real Estate
Giampieri (Assoporti): Italy's widespread port system requires a single, stable control room.
Rome
The port reform - he stated - can be a great opportunity for all of us
Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss WorldCargo have signed a strategic cooperation agreement.
Frankfurt/Zurich
Synergies are expected in both the commercial and operational fields
Agreement to end EU dependence on Russian energy
Brussels
The Council-Parliament agreement provides for a gradual but definitive elimination of Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.
Assiterminal confirms its appeal to the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) regarding the indexation of concession fees.
Genoa
108 member companies reached
The ITF urges the Dutch Court of Appeal to correct its preliminary findings on maritime work.
London
Port of Piombino, the regasification terminal has created both opportunities and obstacles
Livorno
Gariglio: It is necessary to know if and for how long the "Italis LNG" will remain in port.
Fincantieri signs a memorandum of understanding on its production model and procurement.
Rome/Trieste
A step forward - underline Fim, Fiom and Uilm - for the regulation and control of the supply chain system
The Port Authority of Genoa and Savona opposes the introduction of a three-euro municipal surcharge on ferry and cruise boarding fees.
Genoa
Cargo traffic in Chinese seaports grew by 3.8% last October.
Cargo traffic in Chinese seaports grew by 3.8% last October.
Beijing
International volumes increased by 8.9%. Container traffic amounted to 26.4 million TEUs (+8.0%).
The composition of the International Maritime Organization's council has been renewed.
London
Rixi: Italy was once again the most voted nation
Quarterly decline in general cargo traffic at the ports of Genoa and Savona-Vado
Genoa
During the July-September period, solid bulk cargoes also decreased. Liquid cargoes increased.
The large port of Syracuse will be equipped with a new maritime station
Syracuse
An old warehouse will be renovated and redeveloped
Assologistica applauds the approval of the new rules on pallet exchanges.
Milan
Potential savings of at least 70 million euros are estimated
Giuseppe Grimaldi confirmed as Secretary General of the Central Tyrrhenian Port Authority
Naples
Unanimous resolution of the Management Committee
Hiab acquires Brazilian loading crane supplier ING Cranes.
Helsinki
The company has 250 employees and a turnover of approximately 50 million euros.
Norwegian MPC Container Ships' revenues fell by 5.0% in the third quarter.
Oslo
Net profit was $53.6 million (-15.8%)
The Algerian port of Skikda will be equipped with a new 600,000 TEU container terminal
Algiers
It will be built as part of the oil port expansion project
Port of Rotterdam plans offshore wind terminal
Rotterdam
A public consultation has been launched
ZIM is evaluating several proposals for the purchase of the company
Haifa
Receipt of the offer submitted by Glickman and Ungar confirmed
Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk have not set a date for the return of their ships via Suez
Copenhagen/Hamburg
Maersk announces the return of its ships through the Suez Canal starting next month
Ismailia
In October, transits remained unchanged. A 16% increase is expected in November.
After 2035, Russian cargo traffic on the Arctic route could decrease
Moscow/St. Petersburg
The governor of the Murmansk region highlighted this during a meeting with Putin
Diana Shipping offers to acquire all of Genco Shipping & Trading Ltd.
Athens/New York
Planned investment of $758 million for the remaining 85.2% of the capital
At the IMO assembly, Rixi acts as a lobbyist for the party opposed to the European Union ETS system.
London
The election of the new council of the International Maritime Organization is on Friday.
Macquarie Asset Management submits an offer to acquire Australian logistics group Qube Holdings
Sydney
Proposal worth $7.5 billion
HMM orders eight 13,400 TEU containerships from HD Hyundai Group
Seoul
Six will be built by HD Hyundai Samho and two by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
G20 economies' merchandise trade growth in the July-September quarter
Paris
Exports and imports of services are also increasing
Freewheels: New payment terms rules leave hauliers unprotected.
Modena
They do not address - explains Franchini - the heart of the problem: the disproportion of bargaining power between clients and small carriers.
The Trump administration unveils a plan for the massive exploitation of offshore oil and gas fields.
Washington
The program covers areas of the outer continental shelf amounting to approximately 514 million hectares.
In the July-September quarter, ZIM's revenues decreased by -35.7%
In the July-September quarter, ZIM's revenues decreased by -35.7%
Haifa
Fleet volumes fell by 4.5%. Performance in the Asia-Europe market was very negative.
Fincantieri granted additional areas in the port of Ancona
Ancona
The company is committed to implementing a modernization and development program for the shipyard at the port of Portorož.
Assogasliquidi-Federchimica, LNG and bioGNL are strategic for the energy transition of shipping and road haulage.
Legora (Uniport): the objective of greater national coordination envisaged by the port reform is positive, but there is concern over the lack of dialogue
Legora (Uniport): the objective of greater national coordination envisaged by the port reform is positive, but there is concern over the lack of dialogue
Rome
He underlined that discussion, vision and urgent interventions are needed for the competitiveness of Italian ports.
New measures in Switzerland to promote the shift of freight from road to rail
Bern
They will be introduced to strengthen the new transalpine railway Alptransit and to encourage rail and intermodal transport
HMM and BGN joint venture for liquefied petroleum gas transportation
Seoul
The new company will charter two new 88,000 cubic meter VLGCs
Slight decline in freight traffic in the ports of Barcelona and Valencia in October
Barcelona/Valencia
Container cargo fell by -2.5% at both ports
Brussels has approved the loan to rescue the rail freight company Lineas.
Brussels
Sixty-one million euros granted by the Belgian government
Green Mobility Partners and KKR Partner to Create European Rail Leasing Platform
Frankfurt
American company invests in GMP
Saipem wins offshore EPCI contract in Qatar
Milan
The contract is worth approximately $3.1 billion.
Wärtsilä sells its Gas Solutions division to German private equity firm Mutares.
Helsinki/Munich
Bank of China finances purchase of Grimaldi Euromed's Grande Melbourne
Amount of 57 million euros
GeneSYS Informatica (Fratelli Cosulich) has acquired 51% of the capital of Navimeteo
KSOE wins $466 million order for four container ships
Lysaker/Seongnam
NYK and Ocean Yield Award Order for Four New LNG Carriers
ONE's Adriatic Service 1 will also make stops at the port of Ancona
Singapore
The line to Damietta has a weekly frequency
Consolidation work on the Riva quay at the port of Ortona has been completed.
Ancona
Thirteen million is the cost for the adaptation of the infrastructure
Vard has signed a cooperation agreement with the Norwegian research institute Norce
Ålesund
It concerns all fields of research and innovation in the naval sector
Energy transition, regulatory simplification, competitiveness of the maritime industry, and port governance are Confitarma's priorities.
Rome
Federlogistica reports the project cargo's inability to travel on Northwest highways.
Genoa
Falteri: We are facing a real systemic crisis.
ZIM shareholders reach agreement again
Haifa
Agreement reached on candidates for the renewal of the board of directors
Merger by incorporation of Degrosolutions into CLS
Milan
Castelli: We aim to strengthen our growth path in the Italian forklift market.
Approval has been given to measures to support the re-employment of workers at the Pippo Rebagliati Company in Savona-Vado.
Genoa
Administrative proceedings for cold ironing at the cruise terminal in the port of Savona have begun.
Assiterminal reports an assault on a worker at the Vado Gateway terminal.
Genoa
It is not tolerable - the association highlighted - that similar episodes occur
The Management Committee of the Central-Northern Adriatic Sea Port Authority has been established.
Ravenna
It is composed of Francesco Benevolo, Luca Coffari, Tomaso Triossi and Maurizio Tattoli
Stonepeak (Textainer) Completes Acquisition of Seaco
Hamilton
It was sold by China's Bohai Leasing Co.
In the second quarter of 2025, cargo traffic in Greek ports decreased by -3.9%.
Piraeus
Passengers increased by +0.9%
AD Ports involved in container traffic development at Shuaiba Port
Abu Dhabi
Agreement with the Kuwait Ports Authority
EU expands fight against Russian shadow fleet to include operators facilitating its deployment
Brussels
Five more people and four companies fined
In November, the port of Barcelona handled 296,000 containers (+1.0%)
Barcelona
Import and export containers are increasing; transit containers are decreasing.
Paolo Spada, vice president of Federagenti, has passed away.
Rome
Pessina: He leaves an unfillable void in the entire Italian maritime community.
Container traffic at the port of Hong Kong decreased by -12.0% in November
Hong Kong
In the first 11 months of 2025 the decline was -5.7%
Emanuele Grimaldi has been appointed an honorary member of the National Order of Merit of Malta.
Naples
Rebranding for the Messina Group's activities
Genoa
Common graphic and lexical choice for all business areas
Six new 100% electric yard cranes have arrived at the PSA Genova Pra' terminal.
Genoa
Three more vehicles will be delivered to the PSA Venice-Vecon terminal at Christmas
ICTSI to upgrade the Rio Brasil Terminal container terminal at the Port of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Investment of approximately 175 million dollars
SAILING LIST
Visual Sailing List
Departure ports
Arrival ports by:
- alphabetical order
- country
- geographical areas
In the first 11 months of 2025, the Port of Singapore handled over 40.7 million containers (+8.5%)
Singapore
Overall freight traffic decreased by -1.1%
GTS increases the frequency of its intermodal connections between Bari and Verona and Piacenza and Nola.
Bari
The first will increase to six rotations; the second will become daily
The Partnership Body for the Sea Resources of the Eastern Ligurian Sea Port Authority has been established.
La Spezia
Appointment by decree of President Pisano
Agreement between the Port Authority and the Chamber of Commerce to facilitate the entry of an industrial partner into Genoa Airport.
Genoa
It will be signed soon
Paolo Guidi has been elected the new president of Assologistica.
Milan
The Vice Presidents are Sabrina De Filippis, Riccardo Fuochi, Agostino Gallozzi, Paolo Pandolfo, Umberto Ruggerone and Renzo Sartori.
138 kilos of cocaine seized at the port of Civitavecchia.
Rome
Found inside an articulated lorry disembarked from a ship coming from Spain
The decree has been signed for the disposal of dredged sediment from the port of La Spezia at the new breakwater in Genoa.
La Spezia
The transfer of 282,000 cubic meters is planned
Greek CCEC has almost completed its exit from the containership segment
Athens
$814.3 million in proceeds from the sale of 14 full containers in 22 months
GNV Virgo was christened in the port of Palermo
Genoa
GNV's fleet renewal program includes the construction of eight ships
The Livorno Port Center celebrates a decade spent integrating the port and city reality
Livorno
Gariglio (AdSP): in recent years we have managed to create a community atmosphere
Members of the Management Committee of the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Port Authority have been appointed.
Livorno
The nomination of the member expressed by the Tuscany Region has not yet been received
Fincantieri and WSense reach agreement on underwater monitoring and communication technologies for maritime infrastructure.
Trieste/Milan
Among the objectives, safety, predictability and control in port activities
The entry into force of the EU ETS for construction and road transport has been postponed to 2028.
Brussels/Rome
Confetra, the deferral allows for more rational planning of investments in fleet renewal
Costa Cruises is testing the use of electric trucks to supply ships in the ports of Genoa and Savona.
Genoa
Tests as part of the collaboration with LC3 Trasporti
Collaboration agreement between ALIS and ANITA to promote the development of road haulage and logistics
Rome
Agreement also extended to the field of industrial relations
The Regional Administrative Court for Lazio has accepted Grimaldi's request to suspend the sale of the five Moby ships.
Rome
Appeal aimed at "preventing the consolidation of an irreversible anti-competitive structure"
The launch of the ultra-luxury cruise ship Seven Seas Prestige was celebrated at the Marghera shipyard.
Trieste
It will be delivered next year to Regent Seven Seas Cruises
The last two journeys of the rolling highway on the railway line between Fribourg and Novara will be on Thursday.
Olten
RAlpin, in the company's nearly 25-year history, has transported over two million trucks by rail
Edison signs a contract with Knutsen for the charter of a new LNG vessel
Milan
With a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters, it will be built by Hanwha Ocean
Unifeeder, P&O Ferrymasters and P&O Maritime Logistics will be brought together under the single DP World brand.
Dubai
Project to build a tourist center at the cruise terminal of the Mexican port of Ensenada
Miami/Cancun
Agreement between Carnival Corporation, ITM Group and Hutchison Ports
Lineas and FS Logistix have inaugurated the Modalink terminal joint venture.
Antwerp
Five weekly train rotations between Antwerp and Milan
Marcel Theis will be the new CEO of SBB Cargo International from January 1st.
Olten
He will take over from Sven Flore
In October, freight traffic in the port of Ravenna grew by +13.4%
Ravenna
A rise of +14.5% is expected in November
The conflict over the Genoa Municipality's additional tax on port boarding fees is escalating.
Genoa
Assarmatori, Assagenti, CLIA, Confindustria Genova and Confitarma will not participate in the technical meeting announced by the mayor.
Bulgaria, Greece, and Romania reach agreement on enhanced cooperation within the Black Sea-Aegean Corridor
Brussels
Acceleration of implementation of transport axis projects expected
The Port of Barcelona plans to halve its CO2 emissions by 2030
Barcelona
Private investments of 920 million euros and public investments of 780 million are expected.
Fincantieri reaches agreement with Bahraini ASRY to collaborate in the shipbuilding sector
Trieste
They will evaluate opportunities for the construction of naval vessels and offshore units
In the first year of operation, 750,000 tons of goods passed through the Parma Interporto railway terminal
Parma
Over 800 trains moved
Salis: The municipal surcharge on boarding fees will not lead to any reduction in traffic.
Genoa
The mayor of Genoa recalls that similar measures have already been activated in other port cities
The five ships put up for sale by Moby were sold for €229.9 million.
Vicenza
A bid equal to the starting price was submitted
PSA Italy expects to close 2025 with further growth in container traffic
Genoa
Brussels approves African joint venture between MSC and NYK
Brussels
European Commission clears Yusen Logistics' acquisition of Movianto International
Port of Genoa fines luxury cruise megayacht Vidantaworld's Elegant
Genoa
Serious violations of European ship recycling legislation found
Consalvo appointed president of the Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority
Trieste
He is the general manager of Aeroporto Friuli Venezia Giulia Spa
Promoting sustainable development and the energy transition process of the Port of Taranto
Taranto
This is provided for in an agreement between the AdSP of the Ionian Sea and GSE
The Northern Tyrrhenian Port Authority (APSP) will be in Oran to present its Mediterranean Green Corridors development project.
Livorno
Among the objectives, the consolidation of relations with Algeria
The tender for the railway shunting service in the ports of Savona and Vado Ligure has been published.
Genoa
The concession duration is set at 60 months
In 2024, passenger traffic in European Union ports increased by +6.2%
Luxembourg
The three ports with the highest traffic volume are Italian
GSL invests $90 million to buy three 8,600 TEU containerships built in 2010 and 2011
Athens
Youroukos: They are the cash cows of the future
RCG launches intermodal link between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the port of Koper
Vienna
The train service to Tuzla is weekly.
The Ministry of the Interior announces an inter-ministerial meeting for the early exodus of port workers.
Rome
The goal is to identify a definitive solution within a certain timeframe.
Christening and delivery of a new PCTC of the Grimaldi Group
Naples
The "Greater Istanbul" has a cargo capacity of 9,241 CEUs
GNV strengthens its ferry service on the Naples-Palermo route.
Genoa
By December 19, the capacity on the line will increase to over 6,000 linear meters
The Marseille-Fos Port Authority will invest €1-1.3 billion by 2029.
Marseille
Agreement with MSC for the expansion of the Fos 2XL container terminal
Port workers are holding a demonstration in Rome today to demand the establishment of a Fund to support the exodus.
Rome/Genoa
The general assembly of the Sustainable Intermodal Logistics Association will be held tomorrow in Rome.
Rome
The meeting at the Auditorium Parco della Musica
Cisl and Fit Cisl Savona, for Vado Gateway 2025 has proved to be a substantially positive year
Savona
Seeking opportunities with the reopening of the Suez Canal and the recovery of some markets
Assarmatori welcomes the new regulations, which are very important for shipping companies and maritime workers.
Rome
In the first nine months of 2025, freight traffic in the port of Tanger Med grew by +14.9%
Anjra
118 million tons of cargo moved
Zanetti (Confitarma): The Simplification Decree offers more modern tools to our businesses.
Rome
Listen - he underlined - to the needs of our industry
Spediporto's conference "Take opportunities navigating trade tensions" will be held in Genoa on December 1st and 2nd.
Genoa
It will be held at the Conference Hall of Banca Bper
National Maritime Fund: The House of Representatives approved the legislation.
Genoa
D'Amato: Measures expected for our seafarers and the competitiveness of the national fleet
Potassium permanganate seized at the Port of Genoa as part of the fight against drug trafficking.
Genoa
Operation by the Customs and Monopolies Agency and the Financial Police
Fincantieri cancels orders for four U.S. Navy frigates
Trieste
Further orders are expected for the construction of new classes of naval units
The Northern Tyrrhenian Port Authority met with the port cluster to discuss the new sustainability report.
Livorno
The Italian Merchant Marine Academy celebrates its first 20 years
Genoa
During this period, 3,660 students from all over Italy graduated.
Crédit Agricole Italia financed the construction of the Grande Tianjin ship for Grimaldi Euromed.
Naples/Parma
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
Spediporto's conference "Take opportunities navigating trade tensions" will be held in Genoa on December 1st and 2nd.
Genoa
It will be held at the Conference Hall of Banca Bper
The National Maritime Fund has organised a meeting with the ITS Mare and the maritime training centres
Rome
It will be held on December 3rd in Rome
››› Meetings File
PRESS REVIEW
Bulgarian court rejects extradition of Russian owner of a ship linked to Beirut port blast
(ABCNEWS.com)
Three UAE Firms Eye Investment In Kenya's Port, Renewable Energy, And Shipping Projects
(Capital FM Kenya)
››› Press Review File
FORUM of Shipping
and Logistics
Intervento del presidente Tomaso Cognolato
Roma, 19 giugno 2025
››› File
Hapag-Lloyd expects next 45% increase in EU ETS surcharge
Hamburg
The Emissions Trading System will enter into full force on January 1st.
European Commissioner Tzitzikostas visited the Monfalcone shipyard
Trieste
Upcoming measures announced to strengthen the sector's competitiveness, resilience, innovation, and technological leadership.
The trial against Damen for alleged corruption and sanctions violations begins today
Amsterdam
The company expresses disappointment with the protracted investigation and anticipates a lengthy legal battle.
AD Ports Group has acquired a 19.3% stake in Egypt's Alexandria Container & Cargo Handling Co.
Cairo/Abu Dhabi
Saudi Egyptian Investment Company's share purchased
In 2024, the turnover of the main Italian port container terminals grew by +8.1%
Milan
Traffic increased by +3.4%
Corsica Sardinia Ferries has purchased the Stena Vision ferry
Vado Ligure
It will be renamed "Mega Serena"
Work has begun to increase container traffic capacity at the port of Thessaloniki by 40%.
Thessaloniki
The expansion of Pier 6 will be completed in 40 months
A precautionary seizure of over €100 million has been ordered against Liberty Lines.
Trapani
BLS Cargo urges Switzerland to exert tangible pressure on German rail infrastructure stakeholders.
Bern
The company denounces the dire situation of transalpine rail freight transport. Further incentives requested.
Livorno is confident in the additional one hundred million euros promised by Salvini to build the Darsena Europa.
Livorno
Salvetti: I asked how we intend to proceed with the future assignment to private individuals who have expressed interest.
The Chinese embassy in Greece responds to alleged American ambitions in the port of Piraeus.
Athens
Beijing speaks of a Cold War mentality and a hegemonic logic
The procedure for requesting access to the third year of the Sea Modal Shift grant has been activated.
Rome
Applications must be submitted by December 17th
US cruise group Viking reports strong quarterly performance growth
Los Angeles
The July-September period closed with a net profit of 514.0 million dollars (+35.4%)
Guido Pietro Bertolone is the new president of Fedit
Rome
He takes over from Giuseppe Cela, outgoing president and currently head of Fedit Servizi
Latrofa (AdSP Lazio): the ZLS will make our ports even more attractive for investors, logistics operators, and businesses.
Civitavecchia
The tool - he highlighted - can lead to a qualitative leap in terms of logistical and industrial competitiveness
Container traffic continued to decline at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in October
Los Angeles/Long Beach
Cordero: Consumers will likely see price escalation in the coming months
Pasquale Legora de Feo has been confirmed as president of Uniport
Rome
New Technical Commission for "Cruises and Passengers" established
The expansion of the Suez Canal Container Terminal was inaugurated on Sunday.
Port Said
Capacity increase of 2.2 million TEUs per year
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genoa - ITALY
phone: +39.010.2462122, fax: +39.010.2516768, e-mail
VAT number: 03532950106
Press Reg.: nr 33/96 Genoa Court
Editor in chief: Bruno Bellio
No part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher
Search on inforMARE Presentation
Feed RSS Advertising spaces

inforMARE in Pdf
Mobile