Shippers’ Voice: Explain big-ship benefits

Shippers’ Voice: Explain big-ship benefits

Traill

   U.K.-based shipper advocate the Shippers' Voice on Thursday said shippers have yet to receive evidence that cost savings from larger containerships trickle down to carriers' customers.
   Referring specifically to the delivery of several ships larger than 11,000 TEUs in capacity, Shippers' Voice Managing Partner Andrew Traill said few ports are able to handle ships of this size, making transshipment onto smaller vessels or longer overland road and rail journeys inevitable. This adds time, cost and potential security and damage issues, he said.
   'I know big ships have economies of scale and ship owners reap big cost savings from them; but rather like slow steaming, I suspect many shippers doubt that they will ever see any of the apparent savings themselves,' Traill said. 'Large hub ports will often be hundreds of miles away from the cargo's origin or destination.