Carriers seek to limit the damage in 2013

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The takeaway from Drewry’s latest quarterly Container Forecaster is that replicating last year’s financial performance – which was hardly stellar by any stretch of the imagination – this year will be a tough ask for container shipping lines. Capacity on the headhaul westbound Asia-Europe trade is expected to increase by a mighty 10.2% this year. The trade is already suffering from serious overcapacity, quite what effect this addition will have remains to be seen, although it’s likely to be X-rated viewing.