IN THE wonderful world of myth and fable that is the maritime industry FTW plays the role of literal translater of the stories. In this case, two very strong rumours have been sweeping the market - muscular enough in content to persuade FTW to check the truth of the matter. The first was that Maersk Line was due to be putting four of its own vessels - size and hull-colours unspecified by the rumour-mongers, but definitely nonetheless - on the Far East trade. For a cargo route already busy enough with competition (See Evergreen story Page 11) four new vessels would certainly throw an over-capacity cat amongst the already-marginal-profit pigeons. No truth in it, according to Maersk's Niels Strand Nielsen.
We'll surprise them all again - by not doing it, he said. But definitely , no - I can strongly deny that. Second story swinging along the grapevine related to an up-coming alliance on the Far East route between independents Kien Hung Shipping and COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Company). Adding fuel to the possible fire was the fact that when FTW telephoned COSCO's Don Strachan we were told: He's in China on business. But there is one thing about this possibility that doesn't immeduately spring to mind - the politics of the matter. No matter how logical it might seem from an operational and economic point-of-view, there is one factor that utterly flattens any such deal, according to Ian Wicks, g.m. of Kien Hung in SA. It's self-evident if you look at it with his eyes. The Taiwanese and Mainland China are sitting with missiles pointed at each other, he said. It's difficult to even remotely believe that it is possible.
