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发表于 2009-6-24 10:04
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Discounting Seen at Shanghai Port Operator
本帖最后由 rlsrls08 于 2009-6-24 10:06 编辑
By MICHELLE NG
SHANGHAI -- Shanghai International Port (Group) Co., mainland China's largest port operator by volume, is letting carriers store empty containers at its terminals at deep discounts in an effort to keep the volume of containers it handles from slumping amid the global financial crisis.
China's port operators have been trying to cope with a severe decline in the nation's exports, which has reduced shipping volumes. SIPG, as the state-owned operator of Shanghai's port assets is known, is under additional pressure due to a Beijing directive that Shanghai be built into an international shipping center.
Overall, China's container throughput was down 11% in the first four months this year, according to Credit Suisse.
The empty-container plan lets Shanghai-listed SIPG push up its container throughput volume -- which measures container volume handled rather than cargo loaded and unloaded -- and cultivate goodwill with clients. But the plan means forgoing storage revenue and standard handling fees. SIPG's first-quarter net profit fell 28% to 733.9 million yuan ($107.4 million).
Last November, SIPG started offering the attractive terms to bigger clients who agreed to place a minimum number of containers at its terminals. Eligible carriers aren't charged storage fees for empty containers, and pay only deeply discounted handling fees. An SIPG official said the handling fees just about cover its costs.
SIPG isn't the only Chinese port-operator with free-storage service: Officials at Dalian Port (PDA) Co., Tianjin Port Co. and Ningbo Port Co. said they have offered similar programs to select container-carrier clients.
A senior SIPG official said that on average about 700,000 empty containers are parked its terminals at any time.
hJohn Chachamopoulos, general manager of the Shanghai branch of Wilhelmsen Marine Consultants, a Norway-based consultancy, said that as Shanghai is a state-owned port, state policy as well as market considerations can play a role in determining targets.
Beijing's desire for Shanghai to overtake Singapore as the world's busiest port, for example, is likely to have prompted SIPG to overreach when stating its goals," he said.
An SIPG spokeswoman said the company reaches its yearly throughput target by taking into account market considerations and that the process is free of government interference. |
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