HSH Nordbank, Germany
is a commercial bank which is active in corporate and private banking, having
their main focus on shipping, transportation, real estate and renewable energy.
HSH conducted a market survey to understand the depths of current and future
development in the shipping sector ascertain emerging financing trends and
observe how markets are developing and how shipping companies are subsequently
reacting to the same.
The survey report
indicates that many market investors forecast this year as the right time to do
investment. Regardless of overcapacity, shipping companies continue to invest
in very large container vessels to reduce transport unit costs and achieve a
profit despite the reduction in average rates. The decline of shipbuilding
orders is facilitating low market entry prices in relation to old tonnage. In
the case of new ship building, overcapacity at shipyards has lowered the price
of new vessels, which in turn has triggered an increased willingness to invest.
To meet future challenges within the shipping industry, companies are looking
to bring their existing fleet in line with energy efficiency and environmental
standards and also optimise business processes. Newly built ‘eco’ ships
purchased at favourable prices in recent years will probably achieve the
highest profit margins, particularly when the market recovers.
Besides equity capital,
bank loans play a predominant role as a source for capital. Shipping companies
believe bank loans will continue to be indispensable for ship financing in
future as they are the primary form of finance amongst shipping companies. It
is noted that today 14% of shipping companies are partially financing their new
ships with private equity as international companies find private equity as more
favourable.
It is forecasted that
there are considerable market opportunities for small container vessels and
bulkers. Handymax and handysize bulkers are thought to offer the largest market
potential. In the container segment ships ranging from 4,000 TEU to 12,000 TEU
in size are expected to provide the best market opportunities over the next
three years. There are speculations that by the end of 2014 bulker charter rates
would go up by 70% but only 30% are projecting rising rates in container
shipping. However on basis of the survey, half of the companies expect the
charter rates to remain unchanged.
0 comments:
Post a Comment