Slow-steaming is here to stay

Wednesday, 08 September 2010

Maersk Line has told its customers slow-steaming is here to stay, despite recovery in the global economy.

The carrier said: “Slow-steaming is an operational strategy that is helping us make further gains in schedule reliability and environmental performance.

“It gives our vessels more flexibility, ensuring that they stay on time by enabling them to speed up or slow down as needed.”

It said it saw slow-steaming as a “win-win-win proposition, delivering value through a balanced people-profit-planet approach.

The carrier told customers that as compensation for lower average speed, one or two extra vessels would be added to routes to ensure the same service frequency.

Chief Operational Officer Morten Engelstoft said: “Maersk Line will continue slow-steaming even as market conditions turn to the better. Slow-steaming is here to stay.”

Between 2007 and 2009, Maersk Line slashed its carbon emissions per container by 12.5% and is aiming for a reduction of 25% by 2020. “Slow-steaming will be key in reaching this target,” it said.

However, slow-steaming is not popular with all forwarders.

Earlier in the year, Richard Owens, Asia Pacific CEO of DHL’s global customer solutions unit, told IFW that slow-steaming and the failure of carriers to stick to port schedules were forcing shippers to rethink their supply chains.