集装箱的不平衡性再次伤及托运人
2011.06.16
有关评论员指出，中国出口商似乎再次面临着几万个货箱短缺这样一个困境。
今年，大型集装箱制造公司将生产350万个标准箱，但市场实际需求预计将接近450万个标准箱。
谁能够忘记去年年初那场大混乱呢？突然猛增的订单导致重建在西部大市场库存集装箱全部用完。
在经历2009年市场大萧条以后，再也没人期望过会有这么大量的订单了。这不仅需要建立高度发达的运输系统，还需考虑中国工人假期延长的问题，而且更重要的是集装箱制造商实际上已经停止了制造新箱。同时，承运人和集装箱租赁公司已经将所有的旧箱全部用完，这最终导致每一个集装箱都必须塞满货物。
中集集团和胜狮集团这两大世界集装箱制造公司共同掌握了68%的集装箱制造的市场份额。尽管这些企业卯足劲地生产集装箱，但这仍不能满足出口商对箱子的需求。
集装箱价格的一路猛涨，这已经给投资制造新的集装箱带来负面的影响。集装箱制造商也期望在夏季贸易缓慢时减缓箱子的生产。
货箱短缺的严峻形势是承运人不愿看到的情况。此情况的最近一次发生是在去年年初。当时船公司提高航线运费率，征收箱子调运费用和延迟货物装船，由于该举动引发了客户的不满，于是美国联邦海事委员会介入调查。
这种对跨太平洋承运人的管理监督是有必要的。例如，航线经营人需要通过FMC网络，公开任何关于承载能力变化的月度报告文件，以此来防止他们滥用权力。
另一个影响集装箱供应的问题是中东和北非地区动荡。集装箱被运往这些地区之后无法很快的周转回来，很多时候根本没办法周转回来。
贸易量有望在今年晚期提升，同时也将出现一个贸易旺季。此时对托运人来说，最重要的是在订单增加之前准备好大量的集装箱。
2011年4月13日， 编者：Greg Knowler
翻译：王惠 校核：蔡妙新、张霖孛 指导教师：方风平
广东交通职业技术学院
Box imbalance set to hurt shippers again
by Greg Knowler
Apr 13, 2011, 5:05AM EST
With an estimated million containers short, exporters in China appear to be facing déjà vu all over again, as the sports commentators say.
A total of 3.5 million TEU of new boxes will be produced this year by the big box makers, but demand is expected to be closer to 4.5 million TEU.
Who can forget the complete mess early last year when inventory rebuilding in the big western markets saw a sudden surge of orders even as container equipment vanished.
After a deeply depressing 2009, no one expected demand of such a robust nature. Not only was a huge amount of shipping capacity laid up and China’s factors workers sent on extended leave, the container manufacturers had actually ceased production of new boxes. Carriers and leasing companies dumped all their older boxes and the end result was stuff-all containers to stuff cargo in.
The world’s two biggest container makers, CIMC and Singamas, hold a 68 percent share of the manufacturing market. When business ramped up, so, too, did their box production, but it was unable to keep pace with the growing needs of exporters.
Container prices soared and are still high, which has had the negative effect of keeping investment in new boxes low. The container makers are also expected to slow production during the slack summer season.
A looming equipment shortage is not something the carriers need. The last time it happened early last year the lines raised rates, imposed container repositioning charges and delayed loading shipments, prompting complaints from customers that saw the US Federal Maritime Commission step in to investigate.
The result of that is much closer regulatory oversight on the transpacific carriers that is probably necessary. For instance, the lines need to file monthly reports to the FMC about any changes in capacity aimed at preventing abuses of power.
Another issue affecting the supply of equipment is the Middle East and North Africa unrest. Boxes delivered to the areas are not being turned around quickly, or not at all.
With trade expected to pick up later this year and develop into a real live peak season (bit of a rara avis the last couple of years), the last thing shippers need is to be a few orders ahead and a million boxes behind.
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