Copenhagen: Three-year-old SeaIntel has made a big impression on the container sector, its reports and analysis eagerly devoured by box watchers everywhere. The Danish company’s ceo, Lars Jensen, is one of Maritime CEO’s newest columnists.
He tells this site that the box shipping industry is still under continued pressure. Rate volatility is still very much to the fore, Jensen says.
Currently the global fleet stands to grow 5-6% in 2014 and up to 9% in 2015, with the majority of the tonnage being in the super post-panamax segment, according to SeaIntel data.
“The expectation for global demand growth is for a modest 5-6% growth for both years, which indicates a further deterioration in the situation,” Jensen says.
What Jensen notes most importantly is the increasing dichotomy between ships above and below 8,000 teu. “The state of the current orderbook, as it pertains to vessels in excess of 8,000 teu, is such that it is feasible for the market to absorb these vessels, but no more should be ordered. However, it is also clear that the structural overcapacity problem will become increasingly acute in the vessel segments below 8,000 teu,” he says.
For more of the SeaIntel boss’s thoughts, published in Maritime CEO Magazine, click here. [13/03/14]
