OOCL reports desperate fourth quarter and CSCL expects a loss: will 2016 be a flood of red ink?

The financial reporting season for ocean carriers is looming and by now most of the container lines will already be in possession of provisional figures.

And there is already a flavour of what to expect, courtesy of OOCL’s fourth-quarter operational performance release and China Shipping Container Line’s (CSCL) stock exchange profit warning last week.

Maersk Group will announce its 2015 financial results on 10 February, and for its container business at least the numbers are unlikely to make pleasant reading for its investors, given ...