TOO COSTLY TO BE COMPETITIVE?

摘要

The launch of Maersk Line's 18,000 teu Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller is the most significant event in liner shipping this year. Everyone is eager to get a glimpse of the first Triple-E. No-one wants to spoil the party, but the question has to be asked: are these ships now too expensive to be competitive? At the Lloyd's List Summit in May, China Shipping Group chairman Li Shaode pointed out that the five 18,400 teu containerships his company ordered in April are considerably cheaper than the similar sized Triple-Es contracted by Maersk in 2011.