August 27 - There is increasing pressure on shipowners and operators to scrap fuel-saving "slow steaming", with bunker prices at six-year lows.
Such a move is being resisted by shipowners and operators as this would effectively increase the amount of tonnage on the market in a period which is already seeing massive over supply and more mega-ships being introduced.
Drewry has estimated that a container shipping line operating eleven 18,000 teu ships on a single Asia-Europe route would save more than USD69 million this year over 2014 assuming average bunker prices of USD370 a tonne.
But the London-based maritime consultancy does not expect lines to speed up sailings and risk flooding the market with even more capacity.
