News / Slow-steaming still cheaper for container shipping carriers, despite record low bunker prices

Following Korean carrier Hanjin offering express container shipping services on two major tradelanes, industry analyst Alphaliner has questioned the viability of abandoning slow-steaming.

It says that, in theory, with bunker prices below $200 per tonne since last November, the cost of operating fewer ships at higher speeds should be lower than the alternative of deploying additional vessels under slow-steaming conditions.

It calculated that by increasing the average speed of a transpacific loop by 2-5 knots a carrier could shave a week off the rotation, saving the cost of one ...