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Shipping lines are expecting the trade between Asia and US to register
double digit growth after a bumper 2004.
Demand is forecast to rise 10 per cent to 12 per cent in 2005, following a
14.4 per cent increase in the first nine months of last year during which
7.6 million TEUs were shipped.
At the moment the volume of liftings are experiencing a temporary lull, with
ship utilisation down to around 80% and possibly falling to 70% in February
during the Lunar new year closures in Asia.
But members of the Transpacific Stabilization Agreement do not expect the
slowdown to last long, with business projected to pick up by the end of
February.
The current dip in traffic is giving lines a welcome breathing space, TSA
executive director Albert Pierce said, with congestion at US Pacific ports
easing as a result.
Lines also need time to dry-dock ships for routine maintenance and repair
that have run non-stop during 2004.
“Thankfully, we’re now down to only a handful of ships waiting for a berth
on the west coast, but long-shore hiring and training issues are not fully
resolved and congestion problems are likely to resurface once demand
rebounds,” he said.
The seasonal slowdown has given carriers the opportunity to dry-dock ships
for routine maintenance and repair.
But they are braced for a rebound in business from late February, with cargo
volumes likely to be further swollen by the January 1 elimination of
worldwide apparel quotas, and an expected migration of related production to
China.
Nearly 57 per cent of containerized cargo moved from Asia to the US last
year originated in China.
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