Alphaliner - Experts & Thought Leaders

ABS hosted a containership summit in Germany to provide a holistic overview of the container shipping landscape, the current and developing regulatory framework, as well as strategic decisions in terms of emerging technologies and alternative fuels options that will shape the low-carbon future of container shipping and drive market growth. More ambitious regulations “We expect the IMO to release more ambitious regulations this year to move the industry forward with decarbonisation goals. This event put an important spotlight on the container sector, a part of the industry that has seen steep falls in freight rates, which rose during the pandemic to record levels.” We are exploring solutions to support owners and operators today to address alternative fuels" “By hosting events such as these with influential voices, we are exploring solutions to support owners and operators today to address alternative fuels and their supply chains, acknowledge older vessels and their compliance risks as well as discuss existing technologies that can support operations strategies right now,” said Vassilios Kroustallis, ABS Senior Vice President, Global Business Development. Regulatory and sustainability trends The event began with an overview of the market from Jan Tiedemann, Vice President of Liner Strategy at Alphaliner, followed by updates from Christopher Perrocco and Rene Laursen from ABS, who provided insights into regulatory and sustainability trends. “Methanol, LNG, and ammonia are not competing fuels but complementary fuels. All of them are needed to downsize container shipping’s carbon footprint,” said Tiedemann. Next, the agenda featured landmark perspectives on decarbonisation from MAN Energy Solutions, Thome Group and ABS with Alexander Feindt, Global Business Development Manager at MAN Energy Solutions, presenting ‘Technology as an Enabler for Decarbonisation of Shipping,’ Torbjorn Lie, Business Development Manager at Thome Group, presenting ‘A Greener Workhorse – Feasibility Study of a Methanol Conversion for a 2,500 TEU Vessel,’ and. Christoph Rasewsky, ABS Global Container Sector Lead, sharing cutting-edge research on how to eliminate 97 percent of emissions at present-day slot costs. Carbon neutral transportation ABS has been at the forefront of providing classification and technical services for containerships  “Carbon neutral transportation can be achieved at current slot costs, but clean fuel supply is the biggest constraint. Our analysis shows that by combining operational efficiencies with energy-saving devices such as air lubrication and design improvements in new builds, the container sector could still operate within the range of slot costs recorded today using conventional fuel,” said Rasewsky. The final portion of the event featured a panel discussion titled ‘From a Monoculture to a Mixed Culture – The Take-off of the Alternative Fuels Landscape.’ Moderated by Namrata Nadkarni of Intent Communications, the panel included Johannes Schuermann, Sales Director from Good Fuels; Lars Justus Ravens, CEO of eCap Marine; Tessa Major, Vice President of Bunkering at Yara Clean Ammonia and Torben Nørgaard CTO of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. From the voyage of the first containership, Ideal X, in 1956, ABS has been at the forefront of providing classification and technical services for containerships operating around the world. 

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming) on May 12, 2023, held the 383rd Board meeting that passed the Q1 2023 financial report and approves the procurement of LNG dual-fuel container vessels. According to this report, the consolidated revenues in Q1 totaled NT$ 36.95 billion (US$ 1.22 billion). The net profit after tax stood at NT$ 3.4 billion (US$ 112 million), with an EPS of NT$ 0.97. Downward incline in demand in the global market The maritime transport market in Q1 suffered delayed shipping and operational constraints The demand in the global market registered a downward incline because of the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, the consecutive imposition of interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the current status of customer inventory, all of which stalled global economic recovery. The maritime transport market in Q1 suffered delayed shipping and operational constraints due to the Lunar New Year holiday, factories adjusting shipping schedules, and manpower allocation driven by market demand. As a result, the revenues were reduced for the entire quarter. Slight increase in operation As different sectors gradually resumed business in March, there was a slight increase in the overall operation volume and the operation remained positive in Q1. According to the latest report from Alphaliner, an oversupply still hold sway in the maritime transport market, with supply and demand growing respectively by 8.3% and 1.4%. As the supply of ships are still being impacted by the increasingly stringent international environmental regulations, the world’s maritime shipping operators comply with such laws by decreasing speed or expediting the replacement of old ships. This will help balance the supply and demand. IMO address issues on GHG emission goals According to Alphaliner’s newest data from April 2023, around 4.4% of the world’s container fleets lie in idle In addition, with the IMO addressing issues concerning GHG emission goals and carbon reduction in the coming July, the supply of ships in the future could be impacted. Also, according to Alphaliner’s newest data from April 2023, around 4.4% of the world’s container fleets lie in idle, gradually down from the recent peak of 6.4%, indicating signs of recovery in the maritime transport market. The operational performance will be positively benefitted if the global supply chains’ inventory absorption for the second half of the year can continue and the performance in the traditional peak season can be maintained.  However, given the uncertainties affecting the global maritime transport market such as geopolitics, regional economy, and international conservation laws, due caution and proper response are of utmost importance. Yang Ming optimises its fleet allocation with new ships In line with Yang Ming’s global fleet deployment plan and the goal towards net-zero emission, the board meeting approved proceeding subsequent procurement procedures of five LNG dual-fuel container vessels, following the public and transparent international bid evaluation process. With these new ships, Yang Ming will be able to optimise its fleet allocation, enhance the fleet’s overall competition, and operate more sustainably and environmentally-friendly by reducing energy consumption and carbon emission.

Containerships, a subsidiary of the container shipping company - CMA CGM, is integrating the Hamburg into its liner service - BALT1. The intra-European liner service - ‘BALT-1’ started in Hamburg on Friday (22/09/23), with the departure of the vessel – ‘Containerships VIII’. The new service is designed to increase the frequency of sailings between the ports of Hamburg, Rotterdam and Teesport, and to provide a direct and fast connection between Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). ‘DUKE’ service Containerships announced the direct service between Germany and the United Kingdom, marketed as ‘DUKE’ Containerships announced the direct service between Germany and the United Kingdom, marketed as ‘DUKE’, connecting mainland Europe and the Eastern coast of the UK. Together with the extensive rail network in Europe offering daily train connections, this service is an ideal and sustainable route for the transport of goods to the United Kingdom. Part of the ‘BALT-1’ liner service The ‘DUKE’ service is thus part of the ‘BALT-1’ liner service, which rotates between the ports of Hamburg, Rotterdam, Teesport, Rotterdam, Helsinki, Tallinn and Hamburg in Europe. According to the industry service - Alphaliner, the company uses its freighters ‘CONTAINERSHIPS VIII’ with a capacity of 850 standard containers (TEU) and the ‘CONTAINERSHIPS VI’ with a capacity of 956 TEU. Connecting Hamburg to the UK, Spain and Northern Africa Containerships connects Hamburg not only with the United Kingdom, but also with Spain and the Canary Islands, Northern Africa, as well as Poland and the Baltic Sea region. The Port of Hamburg offers intercontinental maritime, as well as European feeder and short-sea connections to around 950 destinations in 178 countries. These can be accessed online via the Liner service database on Port of Hamburg’s official website - www.portofhamburg.com. The database also includes contact information for around 100 shipping agencies and lines.