Container transport industry faced new challenges in 2017

The container shipping industry should have entered a relatively stable period after a multifaceted and complex dispute settlement, but the fact is not the case, and in 2017 there will be a huge challenge, despite new challenges and past challenges there is a big difference.

The ghost of trade protectionism came back

Just as the container transport industry became worse and worse, the specter of protectionism came back. In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization; in 2002, a 1700TEU container ship rent is at a minimum of 6,000 US dollars / day. ; Three years later, in 2005, it soared to $ 30,000 / day; but today, the lease for 12 months of 1700TEU rent and fell back to 7,000 US dollars / day ... ...

Chinese-made goods through the open shipping market, able to freely export to the world's largest consumer market, resulting in the container transport industry continued prosperity. However, in 2008, with the collapse of the US Lehman Bank, the outbreak of the global financial crisis, trade volume contraction, freight volume decreased significantly.

In November 2016, Trump was elected as the next president of the United States, the specter of trade protectionism came back again, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Vietnam and other 12 countries composed of the Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) In the fate of.

It is already in the depths of the container transport industry, suffered a protectionist specter, is tantamount to worse. Although more and more ships are idle so that they are dismantled, the situation of excess capacity seems to continue for many years.

Although there are some tentative signs that the worst period of the shipping industry has passed, such as the Fahrenheit company in the second and third quarter of this year's report said the tariffs have mild improvement. But there is no indication that the shipping industry will recover in 2017.

2017 liner league face big reshuffle

In fact, people's attention has shifted more to the Ocean Alliance and The Alliance, which will enter into force in April 2017. Based on past experience, shippers tend to take advantage of this opportunity to convert carriers to threaten to force the original partner to lower tariffs.

1 2M Union

In this re-shuffle industry turmoil, no one container transport company giants can be spared. Among them, perhaps the least affected is the Mediterranean Shipping Co., Ltd., because it did not intervene in any industry mergers and acquisitions, and has long been with Maersk established a solid 2M alliance.

Speaking of Maersk, in November 2016, Maersk announced the acquisition of Hamburg, South America, to create a 3.8 million TEU capacity of the size of the fleet. Parent company Maersk Group announced the split into transportation and logistics companies and energy companies, the former to container transport, ports and logistics into a company rather than three independent companies. As a result, Maersk Line faces a huge internal restructuring. The logic behind the merger in late 2017 is to expand the capacity gap with the second Mediterranean shipping and consolidate Maersk's position as the world's largest carrier.

2M Alliance: 2M alliance and modern merchant ship between the emergence of new uncertainties. Originally announced that modern merchant ships will join the 2M alliance, and now has changed. It is said that the form of cooperation between the two will be changed to the space lease agreement, and by Maersk took over the original merchant ship charter contract. Obviously, the main reason is that 2M affiliate company's customers worry that this bear the huge debt of Korean companies to repeat the risk of Hanjin mistakes.

2 OA Alliance & THE Alliance

The other two industry consolidation cases are also in progress. First, Herbert has accepted the new shareholders of the Arabian ship; the second is the three Japanese shipping companies merged into one. The companies involved will cooperate with Yangming in the newly formed THE Alliance in April 2017. At the same time, Flying ships, COSCO Shipping, Evergreen and Oriental Overseas New Marine Alliance will also start operations.

However, in the case of cooperation, the past, competitors have become partners, almost every company is also facing a complex and complex internal relations adjustment.

Such as the Ocean Alliance, the Flying ships are busy integrating the newly incorporated US President Shipping Company. COSCO Shipping is busy integrating COSCO and Zhonghai. Evergreen founder Zhang Rongfa after the death of the family within the dispute has not yet clear the clue.

The Alliance also faces a similar situation. Haberote on the one hand in the integration of the Arabian ship route business, as well as to meet the arrival of new members of the board; on the other hand, together with the three Japanese companies and Yangming together to plan the opening of the new alliance service route planning. At the same time, it was reported that some banks wanted to cancel the loan to the shipping company, especially for the Arab ship, which had to delay the acquisition of the Arabian ship, due to the continuing downturn in the liner market. But Heberrow said that they are confident to complete the acquisition as soon as possible. It is estimated that, due to the support of the sovereign wealth of the cartel government, the entire merger is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2017, successfully took the PLA Union opened the "car".

The Japanese ship, the Mitsui and Kawasaki steamboats need to be completed in many people seem to be similar to the impossible task, that is merged into a company. Although the new company to be established until 2018, but in the process, the three companies will inevitably face all kinds of difficult decision-making and difficult negotiations.

Container transport industry in 2017 will face enormous challenges

The container shipping industry should have expected a relatively stable period after the above-mentioned complex disputes, but the fact is not the case, and in 2017 there will be a huge challenge, despite the new challenges and past challenges there is a big difference.

Hanjin bankruptcy sounded the alarm, the new ship orders tend to zero, the situation of serious excess capacity has been gradually ease. However, with the establishment of a new pattern of liner alliance, the configuration of the route ship, the design of the port rotation route, the layout of the feeder network and the maintenance and reconstruction of the customer relationship are not easy tasks. In addition, the biggest unknown is the "black swan" under the rule of Trump.

Trump promised in his election that once elected president, the job will be returned to the American people by raising the tariffs on imported goods and imposing import quotas. Will some of the extreme policies be amended?

The prosperity of the container shipping industry over the past decade has relied heavily on free trade and outsourcing of procurement, especially China's accession to the World Trade Organization.

If the United States really limits the import and withdrawal of overseas factories, it is a thunderbolt for the world's carriers, especially considering the economic slump in Europe and the uncertainty of Britain's disengagement.

Container shipping industry has been unable to withstand the toss, it needs a strong economic and full of trade vitality of the United States. But Trump's election to the future of the container shipping industry cast a huge shadow.