A poll named MarPoll has just four days to close but 64% of the more than 500 have voted so far think that 20,000 teu+ containerships are likely to be thrown out like the ULCC tankers of the 1970s. Forty years ago, tanker owners ordered the largest ships ULCCs which proved unprofitable.
Many readers think history is repeating itself, this time in the container trades.
Larger the vessel, lesser the flexibility, commented a reader. Another reader says that the marginal economies of scale have already been reached and that the 20,000-plus teu class is proving difficult to fully utilize. Many others questioned the huge pressure these giant 400 m long vessels were putting on ports on the Asia – Europe trades.
The results of the topical question of boxship size will be printed in the next issue of Maritime CEO magazine.
Source: splash247
