1、国际经济与贸易 外文翻译 外文文献 英文文献 国际海运业国际产业的国际规则INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING:GLOBAL REGULATION FOR A GLOBAL INDUSTRYSource:1Krishna Prasad,Changing Role of Ship-Brokers,Journal of Information Technology,20042European Community,Overview of the International Commercial Shipbuilding Industry,First Marine International
2、Limited.2003 3ICS,IMO,International shipping:Global Regulation For a Global Industry,International Chamber of Shipping,2007Conclusions from Modal Workshop 4at the 2009 International Transport ForumStatement by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and theInternational Maritime Organization (IM
3、O)The following statement reflects the discussion during Modal Workshop 4,International Shipping: Global Regulation for a Global Industry, which took place at the 2009 International Transport Forum in Leipzig, Germany, on 27 May 2009.Following several years of incredibly buoyant shipping markets, fo
4、r many trades the best in living memory, much of the international shipping industry has fallen prey to the worldwide economic downturn. Shipping is inherently the servant of the economy, so the contraction in trade, following the beginning of the credit crunch in late 2008, has translated into a dr
5、amatic and abrupt reduction in demand for shipping.Initially worst hurt were the containership trades. By the spring of 2009 some10% of the fleet was already laid up, much of it too modern and expensive to go to recycling yards. However, the dry bulk trades have also been severelyaffected, particula
6、rly by the reduction in demand for raw materials from China,with spot market freight rates for some bulk carriers being a fraction of the peak prices achieved in 2008. By April 2009, rates for crude, product and chemical tankers had also fallen very sharply. In general most shipping markets present
7、a rather bleak picture.A major concern of ICS national shipowners associations therefore is todiscourage governments from responding to the crisis with protectionistmeasures, which will only damage world trade further. More particularly,governments must avoid measures that restrict fair and open acc
8、ess to shipping markets. Although most shipping today enjoys relatively liberalised trading conditions compared to the days of national cargo reservation in the 1980s,shipping is unusual in that it is one of the few major industries not yet covered by a global multilateral trade agreement. However,
9、the prospect of a new agreement under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) looks increasingly uncertain. The industry must therefore be extremely vigilant inreacting to any moves towards protectionism in maritime trades, especially those using safety and security as a pretext.The shipp
10、ing industry does not expect special treatment, or the billions of dollars of support being granted by some governments to the likes of the banking and automobile industries. However, to operate competitively and efficiently in very difficult circumstances, shipping requires the maintenance of a reg
11、ulatory level playing field, and continuation of the certainty now provided by the tonnage tax regimes that apply to shipowners in many countries.Shipping is notoriously volatile, and its more experienced practitioners are familiar with the cyclical boom and bust nature of maritime freight rates.How
12、ever, the contraction resulting from the general global downturn could well be exacerbated by the large number of new buildings due to come into service during the next few years, notwithstanding efforts by many shipowners to cancel or renegotiate contracts. Many of these ships were ordered at high
13、prices at the top of the market.In the face of this two-way pressure, there is likely to be a considerable increase in the number of older vessels that will be sent for dismantling and recycling. In view of the adoption, in May 2009, of a new IMO Convention to address concerns about working and envi
14、ronmental conditions in ship recycling yards, the need for governments to identify facilities that are acceptable for use will become all the more pressing.As the IMO Secretary-General has forcefully identified, financial pressures on the industry must not be allowed to result in any reduction in st
15、andards. Much has been achieved in the last 20 years with regard to safety and environmental performance, and no one is suggesting a moratorium on new regulations that genuinely improve safety, which is always the industrys overriding priority. However, governments need to understand that any immedi
16、ate regulatory and policy decisions they take must avoid impacting negatively on shipping as it struggles to deal with the current economic situation.Notwithstanding the current gloom and doom, the longer term outlook for the industry remains very good. The worlds population continues to expand, and
17、 emerging economies will continue to increase their requirements for the goods and raw materials that shipping transports so safely and efficiently. In the longer term, provided the politicians make sensible decisions, the fact that shipping is the most fuel efficient and carbon friendly form of com
18、mercial transport should work in favour of an even greater proportion of world trade being carried by sea.It is to be hoped that Ministers at the International Transport Forum willdeliver a strong statement in support of the maintenance of open shippingmarkets, and, more generally, promote an early
19、conclusion of the WTOnegotiations for a new global trade agreement.China has seen order intake rise steadily over the past five years, achieving a share of 13% by 2002. This has been in line with the plans of central government to develop the industry, with major investment in recent years. However,
20、 in terms of market share the industry is still well behind the two leaders in Japan and South Korea. Chinese builders focus in particular on tankers and bulk carriers to gain volume but participate in most market sectors apart from the LNG market. China expects to achieve the capability to build LN
21、G carriers in the near future. It is also only recently that China has developed the capability to build large tankers (aframax and above) and the construction of a greater share of the VLCC market is an aim of the industry. A greater share of the container sector, in particular the large ship secto
22、r, is also a goal of the industry. To date container ship construction has been restricted to smaller ships only.The EU industry has seen order intake fall significantly in recent years, in particular due to a downturn in the ordering of cruise ships and loss of share of the container market. Market
23、 share in the EU industry is now down to 7%. EU shipyards have lost almost all share of the bulk carrier sector and most of the tanker sector. Container ship market share, the last volume sector in which EU yards have a foothold, has also fallen over the past five years. Increasing reliance has been
24、 placed on the passenger and specialised sectors, with shipyards taking a 54% share of ferry orders in 2002 and almost all cruise ship orders. Having said this, order volume for passenger ships was relatively low in 2002 and order intake into EU shipyards was correspondingly low.In effect the indust
25、ry in the EU has had to retrench into a small number of market niches in recen years, predominantly small ships, passenger ships and specialised ships. The cruise market maintained some volume up to 2001 but with a sharp fall in order intake in that sector the industry as a whole has seen order inta
26、ke and market share plummet.Japan has seen a steady order intake in recent years, with the market lead alternating with South Korea according to shifts in market and economic conditions. Japan had a very strong market lead in 2002. Japanese shipbuildings main product is bulk carriers for the home ma
27、rket, making up almost 40% of all orders taken in 2002. Oil and chemical tankers and gas carriers also make up a significant portion of the industrys business. Japanese shipbuilding has lost a considerable share of the container ship market to South Korea.South Korea experienced a significant peak o
28、f order intake in 2000 and a relatively steady level in other years. South Korean shipyards took over 50% of the container ship market in 2002, over 40% of the oil tanker market and significant shares of the gas and chemical tanker markets. The industry has tried to exit the bulk carrier sector beca
29、use of low value, although it has been forced to take orders recently to maintain production volume.South Korean builders have been trying to pursue a strategy to address the higher value sectors to maximise profitability, in particular the market for LNG carriers. The scope to do this is limited in
30、 relation to the volume of work needed to keep the industry in South Korea busy. The product focus tables included in appendix 3 to this report indicate that whilst there was a significant intake of LNG carriers in 2001, ordinarily this sector makes up less than 10% of the total order intake into So
31、uth Korea. Korean builders have yet to penetrate the passenger ship sector to any significant degree, this being the other high added value sector that the yards may try to pursue. In a typical year up to around 80% of orders will be from the main bulk cargo sectors, tankers, bulk carriers and conta
32、iner ships.Shipbrokers are intermediaries between the two parties to a contract, whether they are Shipowners and Charterers or buyers and sellers. They may act for one principal and occasionally as the sole broker between the two contracting parties.They will be involved in most aspects of a contrac
33、t, including circulation of tonnage and business to potential clients, negotiating the main terms of the fixture or sale, finalising the details of the contract and following the contract through to its conclusion. With few exceptions, virtually all second-hand ship purchases are conducted through a Shipbroker.
