Page 42: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2011)

38Maritime Reporter & Engineering News Many Danish shipowners operate glob- ally with substantial fleets of tankers and dry cargo vessels in different categories, and typically in various vessel pools.Maritime Reporter finds out the views of the market by some main players in both sectors. By Henrik Segercrantz . PRODUCT TANKER MARKETS The tanker segment of Maersk Tankers, the tanker arm of the A.P. Moller - Maersk Group, ranges from 300,000dwtVLCCs down to below 25,000dwt, trad- ing worldwide on the major tanker routes, but also regionally in Asia and in Europe. Apart from being present in the VLCC market, Maersk Tankers operates the worlds largest product tanker fleet, 144 vessels in December 2010, and is also present in the gas carrier market. The total operated fleet amounts to 255 ves- sels with 23 ongoing newbuildings. Maersk Tankers, in April 2011, has eight VLCCs of the Nautica class in the fleetwith four vessels under construction, at STX. "Currently there is surplus on theVLCC market, which is quite frag- mented. There are a lot of owners with one, two, three, four ships," said Tommy Thomassen, Senior Director at MaerskTankers. "I am not sure we can take out the surplus with slow steaming, espe- cially when we do it when in ballast only. Whether we are able to place our shipsbetter with slow streaming, that is what makes a difference." He notes that it is a different market than the container mar- ket, "which is very consolidated, with a few large operators that control the fleet." The tanker market is much more frag- mented and nowhere near the level of op- timization as the container fleet. "A lot ofships are trading spot, even VLCCs. If you are too late then there is no cargo," Thomassen notes. "Currently we reduceour costs if we can slow steam in ballast conditions. In that term, it also reducesour loss. Today, all VLCC operators are running with a loss." The first of four newbuildings being built by STX in South Korea, Maersk Saga, is to be de- livered this spring. The vessel is the first of such ships with waste heat recovery and is equipped with many environmen- tal features. Thomassen says they have discussed sharing the benefits from slow steaming with their clients, also when carryingcargo. "The interest has been limited, but they are surely interested when we talk about environmental issues. The incen- tives are not there in the current com- mercial value chain." Describing the benefits for a VLCC, he says: "A speed reduction from 15 to 10 knots in ballastreduces consumption from 80t/day tobelow 40t/day, with a corresponding CO2 reduction."The normal speed at ballastis 15 knots. The incentives for savings are huge. If we can reduce the loading to 45-50%, we are down to about half the cost and half the CO2 emissions.This corresponds to savings of some $20,000/day. Nordic Tankers currently operates ap- proximately 90 tanker vessels having owned 10 ships before January 2010, 2011 YEARBOOKBULK CARRIER & TANKER MARKETS Danish View on Bulk Carrier &Tanker Markets (Photo: Norden) ,QYHQWRU\/RFDWRU6HUYLFH?//&(PDLOPDUNHWLQJ#,/6PDULQHFRP ZZZ,/6PDULQHFRP ?,QFUHDVH\RXUSXUFKDVLQJSHUIRUPDQFH±¿QGZRUOGZLGHVXSSOLHU V?0D[LPL]H\RXUYLVLELOLW\ZLWK%DQQHU$GV ?/LVW\RXULQYHQWRU\RQDJOREDOPDUNHWSODFH ?5HFHLYHDXWRPDWLFDOHUWVZKHQDSDUW\RXKDYHLQVWRFNLVUHT XHVWHG?/RZHUWKHULVNRIGRZQWLPH ?*DLQEHWWHUH[SRVXUHZLWKDQRQOLQHFDWDORJ /HW,/6VWHHU\RXLQWKHULJKWGLUHFWLRQ