Alphaliner: Slow steaming soaks up some capacity

Alphaliner: Slow steaming soaks up some capacity    The information service Alphaliner says in its most recent newsletter the amount of containership capacity that's idle has declined to 1.48 million TEUs, or 11.4 percent of the world containership fleet, from 1.62 million TEUs, or 11.7 percent of the fleet, two weeks earlier.
   Alphaliner said the number of large ships put into use has increased, in part, because a number of carriers are doing more slow steaming.
   Elsewhere in its newsletter, Alphaliner estimates that the 22 of the largest container shipping companies had operating losses of $11 billion in the first nine months of this year. It based its estimate on results of 16 companies that reported operating losses of $9 billion compared to profits of $5.3 billion in the first nine months of 2008. Those same carriers saw revenues drop by 40 percent in the first nine months of 2009, compared to the same 2008 period.