News / Wan Hai stays in the black, but Evergreen and Yang Ming's red ink raises merger speculation

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Niche carrier Wan Hai was the only Taiwanese container line to post a net profit in the first quarter of this year as its larger compatriots, Evergreen and Yang Ming, traded in the red.

The parlous position of the liner industry has renewed speculation of a merger of these two into one state-sponsored container line, a development that would be strongly resisted by their individual managements.

Following a $27m loss recorded by Yang Ming in Q1, Evergreen reported a net loss of ...