It's all relative!

I digress slightly from the dry bulk sector as I read a piece from the Economist on the box trade. It will also serve to cheer up dry bulk owners as the container trade is a basket case.

http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14133794

The container shipping market is the worst of the shipping sector. The reason for this is that it is most like the airline industry. It runs fixed schedules and chases volumes by discounting. Interestingly enough it also faces the Airbus v Boeing size debate. The giant 12,000+TEU vessels are like the A380, restricted to limited routes where volumes and infrastructure can accommodate them. Like the A380 they also miss the point on cost. It is not cost per box or seat on a sector but door to door costs that count...