In the Carrier Performance Insight report published by Drewry, Maersk Line dropped from number one to number three among the Top 20 carriers in the second quarter of 2013, with a reliability of 82 percent (down from 89.1 percent in Q1).
The carriers ahead of Maersk Line in the ranking are Yang Ming (83.7%) and Hanjin Shipping (82.5%) respectively.
Chief Operating Officer of Maersk Line, Morten Engelstoft says, “The result is obviously disappointing to us, but the reason for the drop in the ranking is clear. We have, during Q2, experienced a long strike among port employees in Hong Kong (resulting in port congestion and delays in the handling of containers). The carriers ahead of us in the ranking are using different terminals, and hence they didn’t suffer the full effects of the strike. Reliability remains important to us, we have the goal of being number 1 in the Drewry measurements and we will work to regain this position.”
Maersk Line’s reliability in Hong Kong dropped from 90% (usual score) to 46% in Q2. In July, reliability level had increased to 73% in Hong Kong and there are signs that it is getting better.
On whether the new P3 alliance would make Maersk Line less reliable, he says: “While our partners in the P3 alliance have different ways of operating their network today, reliability is important to all our customers. Therefore, the aim is to design and execute the network with this criterion in mind. We will, when the time comes, define what it takes and outline this in the governing documents for operating the P3 network.”
“In the past year we have reduced our fuel consumption by 1 million tonnes, or 18 percent per transported container, through changes to our network, reducing the average speed of our vessels by one knot and using more fuel efficient vessels. It is true that our overall reliability has dropped slightly, but we were the most reliable carrier 12 times in 13 quarters, with the last eight being consecutive. So we are convinced we are making the right decisions for our customers and the profitability of Maersk Line”, concludes Morten Engelstoft.