News / Maersk takeover of Hamburg Süd may disrupt Asia-Latin America trades, warning

© Andre Luis Scs Ferreira

Maersk Line’s acquisition of Latin American specialist carrier Hamburg Süd could be a disruptive influence on the Asia to east coast South America trade, albeit indirectly.

Strict competition conditions imposed on the deal by regulators have caused a shake-up of services and a market share grab, which, according to Alphaliner, is expected to damage “the delicate supply-demand balance on the trade”.

Indeed, container spot rates for the Shanghai-Santos component of the Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI) fell 13.4% last week to $2,179 per ...