While it is difficult to find an industry where fierce competition and price wars are not the hallmarks, it seems at times that the ship repair industry has created and patented the formula. Ship repair and conversion yards have weathered years of cut-throat battling, as a slew of new, low-cost competitors regularly make an appearance. The trend is predicted to continue indefinitely. In general, ship repair operations are weathering many of the same financial, corporate and political storms as other major industrial companies. According to Dennis Stonebridge, a shipping consultant for Drewry Shipping Consultants, the forecast revenue for 1998-2003 is likely to fall in total by an estimated 1.5 percent.