Shipyards are facing a scrubber stampede as container lines seek to sidestep paying for low-sulfur IMO 2020 bunkers beginning on Jan. 1.
Maersk, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd and COSCO will be the main market share “losers”, says Alphaliner.
French calls for mandatory slow steaming continue, but the introduction of low-sulfur bunkers could see container lines accelerate services as fuel markets are played for competitive advantage.
An influx of new container ships has hiked the average size of vessels deployed on the trans-Pacific and Asia-Europe trades, reports Alphaliner.
The start of the box shipping slack season commences next week when Chinese factories close for the Golden Week holiday. Further spot rate losses are predicted by Alphaliner.
