Statements from a number of container lines regarding improved transit times may be a signal that an end to slow-steaming could be on the horizon, The LoadStar reports.
Both U.S -based APL and Israel-based Zim have reportedly released such statements. Slow-steaming was originally phased in among many carrier lines in response to overcapacity in the industry, though cheaper bunkers for much of the year have made it more economically feasible to speed up ships.
However, Ship & Bunker reported that several major shipping lines, including Maersk Line, had come on record saying that they would never phase out slow-steaming as it would necessitate a labourious change in its network.