U.S. export capacity a mixed bag

U.S. export capacity a mixed bag    While headhaul capacity growth to North America and Europe grew 11 percent to 23 percent in the past 12 months, U.S. export lanes saw somewhat less robust growth, according to research from American Shipper affiliate ComPair Data.
   Westbound transpacific growth, taking into account all-water services and those from the West Coast, grew 9.4 percent since August 2009, slightly below the 11.6 percent growth seen in the westbound lane. That 9.4 increase represents more than 28,000 TEUs of additional capacity for North American exports to Asia.
   Broken up by coast, all-water export capacity rose higher in the past 12 months than capacity from the West Coast ' 11.7 percent to 8.7 percent, respectively. Of course, West Coast export capacity still outpaces export all-water capacity by a factor of three-to-one (245,000 TEUs to 81,000 TEUs per week).
   Comparing that to demand, Drewry Shipping Consultants' quarterly Container Forecaster projects 10 percent westbound transpacific volume growth in 2010.
   What should be worrying for carriers is that Drewry is projecting that slot utilization on the transpacific westbound will be no better in the third quarter than it was in the same period in 2009, and that's accounting for a 20 percent reduction in ship capacity due to deadweight restrictions westbound. Yes, rates will be higher, but volume as it compares to capacity is virtually unchanged heading into the peak season.
   As for the transatlantic eastbound, capacity fell 10.1 percent in the last 12 months, according to ComPair Data. The reduction was weighted more heavily on the North America/northern Europe lane than the North America/Mediterranean lane, with an 11.7 percent drop to northern Europe and a 7.3 percent drop to the Mediterranean.
   Mediterranean Shipping Co. increased transatlantic capacity to northern Europe by nearly 50 percent, but every other top five carrier on the lane reduced capacity. To the Mediterranean, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM increased capacity, but MSC marginally reduced it and Maersk Line slashed nearly 40 percent of its capacity.
   The westbound transatlantic fared little better as the top 20 lines deleted 11.3 percent of operated capacity from Europe to North America since August 2009. Again, northern Europe was responsible for the heavier capacity reductions ' 14.9 percent versus a 4.8 percent reduction from the Mediterranean.
   Northern Europe weekly capacity to North America stood at roughly 48,000 TEUs at the end of July 2010, compared to 31,000 TEUs from the Mediterranean. Eastbound, North America-to-northern Europe capacity was 49,000 TEUs while North America-to-Mediterranean capacity was 30,000 TEUs.