Maersk Predicts Container Traffic Demand Growth
As freight rates are expected to continue to decline due to oversupply, the container shipping demand is expected to grow 3-5% this year, according to Lars Mikael Jensen, chief executive of Asia Pacific region at Maersk Line.
He said supply growth as ships ordered several years ago are delivered is anticipated at 5-7%. "It is still a healthy growth and obviously differing from trade to trade," Jensen told Seatrade Global referring to the growth in demand.
The average revenue per box is declining amid the rate fluctuations seen in some trades, due mainly to the supply-demand situation, putting pressure on shipping lines to reduce the cost on a per box basis of transport.
The company is working in a scenario that there will not be a massive upward return of the average revenue per box so cost savings and efficiencies are important, Jensen added.