Mr Christian Moller Laursen VP & CFO of global ports operator APM Terminals said that the container shipping industry has entered a new reality in which terminal operators and shipping lines need to work together in order to succeed.

According to Mr Laursen, co operation is needed in this new environment of slower growth and reduced revenues. He said that "Our customers are bleeding, with no solution in sight."

The APM Terminals Global Terminal Network has not been immune from the negative effects of the 15% decline in global container throughput this year as compared with 2008, with the company’s container handling dropping by 9%, and terminal development projects reviewed, postponed, and in some cases, cancelled.

According to Mr Laursen however, the company remains profitable, due mainly to the cost saving measures taken to meet the crisis as it emerged in 2008.

He said that "Despite the slower growth in the coming period, the port industry remains fundamentally attractive." The world will continue to grow in the longer run, and globalization and the containerization of goods will continue, particularly in emerging markets."

APM Terminals runs a Global Terminal Network spanning 48 ports in 34 countries, leveraging significantly on the strength of the AP Moller-Maersk group and port management and operations to over 60 liner shipping customers who serve the world’s leading importers and exporters of containerised cargo.

(Sourced from www.bunkerworld.com)