German owners confront challenging market

摘要

Representing around 90% of the gross tonnage of the German fleet - itself the biggest container ship fleet and fourth biggest merchant fleet in the world -VDR serves the interests of a diverse and influential membership, including some of the world's biggest liners but also several charter companies. As such it has a broad perspective on the challenges facing the shipping market. Helping members meet those challenges, be they economic, regulatory or technical, is a key concern for Kroger. A trained maritime lawyer with deep experience of running trade associations (he was previously head of the German seaport operators association ZDS), in the interview below Kroger offers a pragmatic perspective on the challenges facing an industry that must invest heavily - both for regulatory compliance and simply to keep abreast of a rapidly developing market - while navigating a period of significant financial upheaval.