标题: Shipping Companies See No signs of China Exports Uptick [打印本页] 作者: choi 时间: 1-24-2013 13:20 标题: Shipping Companies See No signs of China Exports Uptick Colum Murphy, Shippers' Gloom Tells a Different Story on Exports From China. Wall Street Journal, Jan 24, 2013. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 59310406370662.html
Quote:
"The parent [of OOCL] said on Tuesday its container-shipping trans-Pacific services volume fell 6.8% in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier. Volume on Asia-to-Europe services grew 2.8% compared with the year-earlier quarter.
"Chinese exports [officially] in December grew a surprising 14% year-on-year compared with modest growth of 2.9% in November. * * * But many analysts believe the export numbers overstate the gain, and say the latest figures are influenced by exceptional factors such as backlogs caused by port strikes in the US. * * * Both China's Commerce Ministry and customs officials defend the [official] figures
Note:
(a) Orient Overseas Container Line http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orient_Overseas_Container_Line
(OOCL; founded by C Y Tung [Chao Yung TUNG 董兆榮; better known as 董浩雲; 1912-1982] In 1947)
(b) There was a prt strike in Los Angeles/Long Beach ports of California from late November to early December, 2012. The imminent port strike in east coast was called off on Dec 28, 2012. 作者: choi 时间: 1-24-2013 16:23
(1) Inti Landauro, Meet the World's Largest Cargo Ships; Giant vessels cruise at lower speeds to save costs as companies work to offset declining fares. Wall Street Journal, Jan 8, 2013. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 28002258742618.html
Quote:
"The new Marco Polo ship [of CGM CMA] can load more than 16,000 containers and reach a speed of 24 knots[, a speed while plying China-to-Europe route]. After a recent stop in this Belgian port city, however, she is cruising back to China at 14 knots. * * * [Shippers] are racing to operate the biggest-possible ships so they can benefit from economies of scale, and run them at moderate speeds to save on fuel costs. * * * The Marco Polo trumps Maersk Line's Emma Maersk and her seven sister ships, which can carry 15,550 standard 20-foot containers
"The Marco Polo will lose her crown as the world's biggest container ship in just a few months, when rival Maersk puts into service the first of 20 ships [of Triple E class, built by Daewoo] it has ordered, capable of carrying 18,000 containers each.
"Mega-ships can be powerful weapons when it comes to winning market share: Their operating costs per container are about 10% lower than those of smaller vessels, according to Charles W Clowdis, a transportation analyst with IHS Global Insight, a consulting firm.
Note:
(a) CMA CGM http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMA_CGM
(a French container shipping company; is the third largest container company in the world; Its headquarters are in Marseille,[2] and its North American headquarters are in Norfolk, Virginia; Compagnie Générale Maritime (CGM) was founded in 1855, Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement (CMA) was created in 1978 and acquired the former)
(b) Emma Mærsk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_M%C3%A6rsk
(launched in 2006; The ship is named after Emma Mærsk, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller's late wife)
(2) Laurie Burkitt and Josh Chin, A Retailer Discovers China's New 'It' Girl: Grandpa; Retired farmer becomes fashion sensation; He's 5-8, thin and looks great in crimson. Wall Street Journal, Jan 9, 2013 (front page)
(LIU Qianping 刘 谦平 [also known as 麻爹嘎嘎 MaDiGaGa], a 72-year-old farmer fromcentral Hunan, "owes his star turn to his granddaughter, LU Ting 吕 婷, a clothier [based in Guangzhou] who struggled for months to find a model who could boost her online store without breaking the bank")