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The
current alliances in the container
shipping industry are running out
of steam and could well be
replaced by smaller partnerships
of equals within two years
according to Drewry Shipping
Consultants.
"I
think the alliance model is
running out of steam it seems to
me," Mark Page, director of
Drewry Shipping Consultants said
at the side of the Ports and
Shippers Insiders conference in
Singapore.
"There
does not seem to be an
overwhelming competitive
advantage, those with looser slot
sharing arrangements seem to be
doing as well," he said.
There
has been a clear trend to move
away from alliances and today 48
per cent of the top 20 lines fleet
capacity operate outside of
alliances compared to just 25.7
per cent in 1997.
Smaller
two partner alliances between more
equally sized members could be the
way forward.
"It
could be in the form of alliances
or partnerships of equals,"
he said. "The Maersk and
SeaLand partnership stood apart
from this [the alliances] as a
dual partnership - moreover a
partnership of equals which was
widely felt to be an
advantage."
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