BOX CLUB CARRIERS REVIEW NEED FOR ADJUSTED VESSEL FIGURES

BOX CLUB CARRIERS REVIEW NEED FOR ADJUSTED VESSEL FIGURES    The Box Club of chief executives and senior executives of the world’s largest container shipping lines has discussed the need for more accurate information concerning the effective capacity of containerships.
   The carriers are concerned that the nominal container capacity of ships used by industry analysts exceeds their actual carrying capacity, according to an industry source.
   Knud E. Stubkjaer, chief executive of Maersk Sealand, said earlier this month that the industry used incorrect supply and demand forecasts in the transpacific trade last year.
   “The analysts — and the industry — misread the 2002 supply/demand dynamics,” he said.
   Ocean carriers believe market supply calculations should take into account operational restrictions that reduce the effective capacity of vessels.