Page 48 - Practical Design Ships and Floating Structures

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meantime the price of the raw commodity in the international trade will be decreasing. Accordingly, as
a shipping company we should watch out the changes in the shipments’ structure in the international
trade, to adjust our transportation stn~cture on time, to improve the method of transportation, and to
obtain much higher freight rate, i. e., the high value-added commodities, to improve and assure the
freight quality.
(2) The international transportation will enter into the era of comprehensive transportation, to
accompIish the logistics system modernization.
With the development of international economy and trade, more and more transnational companies are
requiring shipping companies to provide the global transport services. After the bulk carrier
specialization and containerization, the international shipping is entering into the era of modem
logistics. In the 21 century the new transport means will turn so many isolated transport methods into a
whole system. In the future one shipping company should operate every method of the transportation.
The carrier will not only transport the commodities from port to port, but also from door to door, from
point to point.
Actually many large shipping groups have already made the modem logistics as their strategy. For
instance, Maersk has announced that logistics will be their important business in the future. OOCL has
planned to turn into a whole logistics provider in five years. NOL has changed their strategy to
increase their logistics income ratio from 8% in 1998 to 30% in 5 years, and to decrease their
owned-ship ratio as well. With the expansion of the value chain, those shipping companies who have
developed the logistics Services are lifting the competition platform from low level price-competition
to the total logistics services value-competition. The shipping companies are facing more and more
pressure from the lowering their cost and improving their services.

At the same time, the port is no longer the terminal of transportation, but only a part of the whole
transport chain in international trade. As a result, for the time being the function of port will be
changed completely and revolutionarily to comprehensive transportation center. The shipping
companies are and will be increasing investment in port development.
(3) The international shipping market is becoming the buyer’s market”. The competition in
shipping industry is getting more and more intense. Shipping companies are providing the “mass
customization” services, introducing larger and higher-speed ships, and pushing forward the
development of middle-sized and small-sued ships in the meantime.

Currently the global shipping has already turned into the “buyer’s market”. With the development of
the shipping industry, the “buyer’s market” is furthering and the competition in shipping industry is
getting heated. The shippers will require the carriers more and more specialized services, such as
providing express services and calling fewer ports. On the other hand, the carriers will provide more
and better services to satisfy the shippers’ specialized services requirement. In order to provide the
specialized services, and accomplish their own sde-economy as well, some shipping companies
with foresight are ready to provide the “mass customization” services, which can satisfy both sides. To
provide the service, the ships are getting larger and pushing forward with the middle-sized and
small-sized ships’ development in the meantime.

At the same time ship’s speed is increasing. At the moment, the designed speeds of post-panamax
containership are between 25-27 knots. According to some reports, many shipyards and shipping
companies are designing the ships whose capacity is 8000-12000 TEU, and the speed is up to 30 knots.
Norasia has already operated a 1400 TEU ship with 25 knots speed; Fastship has also planned to
develop the 38 knots speed container ship in the tntnsatlantic service. Their aim is not only to compete
with other liners, but also to contend for the air freight market.