Liner freight rates sink

The European Commission (EC) has fined several ocean carriers engaged in the transport of finished vehicles and automotive parts and components a total of €546M for anti-competitive practices, including alleged collusion on freight rates.

China Cosco Shipping Corp (CCSC) and Yang Ming Line are the latest carriers to put in place deferral strategies for some of their ships. Their moves follow rising concerns that overcapacity in 2018 could have another negative impact on freight rates and stall the liner shipping industry’s recovery of the past 12 months.

Reliable reports emanating from South Korea suggest that the country’s container shipping companies are planning to create a national alliance

A new lo-lo shipping service and reorganised rail/ro-ro services will provide environmentally welcome alternatives to long distance driver-accompanied services mostly via the Dover Straits

In response to growing trade to/from the country and in the interest of improving service reliability and improving transit times, particularly for cargo originating from/destined for inland locations, Maersk is to schedule regular calls at Pipavav in north western India.

Japan’s Ocean Network Express (ONE) can rival Maersk – at least that is the opinion of Lars Green, principal of Green Consulting and former long-term executive of NYK Line in Europe