Monday, April 27, 2009

Which container lines will go bankrupt?

Lloyds List has an article about shippers concerned which lines to use, based on their financial viability.

I agree they should be concerned, but I don't think the criteria given is correct.

If credit agencies such as Fitch or S&P have put a company on creditwatch, then that is a clear indicator of a higher risk.

“Another indicator is the percentage of what is on order compared with the existing fleet. A company may have an enormous orderbook, and you could conclude that this company is more exposed to the downturn than others.”


I do agree with the comment regarding creditwatch, but ships on order to not have to be delivered.

Most carriers are operating with only about half of their fleet as owned.

The problem will be, do the carriers have enough money to reduce the value of their ships to consider the daily rate in line with current charter rates.

It will come down to deep pockets.

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