News / Success of SM Line shows there is room for ambitious liner start-ups

Cheap containerships, together with a sustained period of reduced fuel costs and a recovering freight market, have lowered the entry bar for start-up liner services in niche trades.

In its weekly Container Insight, Drewry looks at the example of the emergence of South Korean carrier SM Line “from the ashes of bankrupt compatriot Hanjin Shipping”.

Founded last December, SM Line is part of South Korea’s Samra Midas Group, which has its main interests in manufacturing and construction, but has also had previous shipping involvement ...