航企看淡发展前景

Shipping’s European Plague

航运业长短期内前景均不乐观。全球最大的班轮公司马士基航运不仅在短期内削减运力，还将在长期内限制运力增长。

The fallout from the continent’s recession and debt crisis has carriers cutting back in the short and long term. Could the major container lines finally be coming to terms with the overcapacity of vessel space that has acted as a drag on their earnings during the past two years? Recent carrier actions cutting the number of services, especially in the unprofitable Asia-Europe trade, suggest they are exercising discipline in reducing capacity, at least in the short term. But for the world’s largest carrier, the short-term view is no longer enough. Instead, Maersk Line — so influential in determining the direction of the market, be it the introduction of slow-steaming or the launch of a daily, guaranteed service — is taking steps to slash capacity in the short term and limit capacity growth over the longer term. Maersk sent a strong signal to the industry this month, saying it was pulling 19 ships with total transportation capacity of 14,500 20-foot-equivalent container units out of the trade. It will end the AE5 service permanently and suspend sailings in the AE9 service until early December. Other carriers, besieged by the slack demand wrought by Europe’s recession and debt crisis, also reduced Asia-Europe capacity during the last few months. Maersk’s capacity cut follows reductions by the CKYH alliance of Cosco, 'K' Line, Yang Ming and Hanjin Shipping and by the G6 Alliance between the Grand Alliance and the New World Alliance. Hanjin also will cut Asia-Europe capacity this winter. Through it all, however, it’s clear A.P. Moller-Maersk is committed to its container shipping business and will continue to invest in it. 'Of course, if Maersk Line asks the group for more money and has a good investment case, we have funding to back them,' Lund said. 'Clearly, we believe Maersk Line will be profitable over the cycle, not just in the Golden Years. We do say it’s challenging markets short term.'