亚洲航运水涨船高

Rising tide lifts Asia

2014年，中国对外贸易增长拉动了集装箱港口吞吐量随着美国和欧洲需求愈发强劲，虽然中国大陆经济增长放缓，但集装箱贸易前景仍然乐观.

Recovering economies in the U.S. and Asia keep Asia's trade and shipping forecasts positive for 2015. Rising foreign trade that drove up throughput at China's container ports in 2014 is expected to continue this year on the back of strengthening demand from the U.S. and Europe, and despite a slowdown in the mainland economy.The International Monetary Fund projects growth in advanced economies to strengthen in 2015, but JOC Group Economist Mario Moreno said the pace of recovery would be different across regions.As shippers settle into 2015, falling oil prices will be registering brightly on their radar. The trend toward carriers deploying larger vessels will continue to challenge ports this year, and there is no short-term solution to the congestion it will exacerbate. According to research firm Clarksons, container capacity in the order book amounts to 3.4 million TEUs, of which 1.9 million TEUs will be delivered in 2015. Nearly 85 percent of the new orders are for vessels with capacity greater than 8,000 TEUs. An estimated 1.5 million TEUs was delivered in 2014. The price for a barrel of crude fell by almost 50 percent in the last half of 2014, and apart from making factory production and raw materials cheaper, that's leading to rapid drops in bunker and jet fuel costs. Fuel surcharges have fallen and shippers are waiting to see if they will continue to enjoy the benefits of cheaper fuel.