The document summarizes container shipping trends in the United States trade market in 2012. It identifies the top rising and falling carriers by export volume growth or decline compared to the previous year. Among the rising carriers were Pacific International Lines (up 66.6%), United Arab Shipping (up 26%), and Antillean Marine (up 25.8%). Falling carriers included CSAV Group (down 33.3%), Bernuth Lines (down 24.5%), and Horizon Lines (down 19.4%). The document provides details on service or volume changes that contributed to the performance of several of these carriers.

1. Who’s Rising?

2. Pacific International Lines, No. 34 in the JOC Top 40, Up 66.6 Percent
The Singapore-based carrier in early 2012 added a 10th 1,500-TEU vessel to its
China Transpacific Service that calls at ports in China, Australia-New Zealand,
Malaysia and Southern California. PIL’s volume of U.S. exports has nearly doubled
since 2008.

3. United Arab Shipping, No. 22, Up 26.0 Percent
UASC is on track to maintain its rapid growth rate — the Dubai-based carrier’s
export volume has climbed more than 50 percent since 2008 — after announcing
plans to join China Shipping Container Lines on three trans-Pacific services from
Asia to the U.S. Southwest and Pacific Northwest using 4,250-TEU vessels.

4. Antillean Marine, No. 37, Up 25.8 Percent
Located on the Miami River, Antillean serves the trade between the Port of Miami
and the Caribbean, including the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In March, it
upgraded its service between Miami and Cap Haitien, Haiti, from biweekly to
weekly. The rapid growth, however, wasn’t enough to bring Antillean to pre-
recession volumes, as it fell 7.3 percent short of 2008.

5. Turkon Line, No. 35, Up 24.1 Percent
Istanbul-based Turkon operates in the trans-Atlantic, serving four East Coast ports
from the Mediterranean and Middle East. It has benefited greatly from increased
trade to and from Turkey and the Middle East, two of the world’s fastest-growing
emerging markets.

6. “K” Line, No. 11, Up 21.3 Percent
Japan’s third-largest container carrier by fleet capacity, “K” Line grew more rapidly
than MOL and NYK Line in the outbound and inbound trades to the U.S. last year.
It did so through a combination of the country’s recovery from the devastating
March 2011 earthquake, a stronger yen that has boosted Japan’s buying power
and the addition of a new service.

7. Who’s Falling?

8. CSAV Group, No. 20, Down 33.3 Percent
After struggling through seven straight quarters of financial losses, the Chilean
carrier appears to be getting back on track, after a restructuring program was
implemented last year. Still, CSAV’s U.S. 2012 export volumes fell by a third year-
over-year, though they were 10.5 percent ahead of 2008.

9. Bernuth Lines, No. 40, Down 24.5 Percent
Like Antillean Marine, Bernuth is based in Miami, but has a much broader service
area that not only includes the Dominican Republic and Haiti in the Caribbean, but
also numerous island nations and Nicaragua. Bernuth’s four-year slide in handling
U.S. exports serves as a stark contrast to Antillean’s rise.

10. Horizon Lines, No. 21, Down 19.4 Percent
After pleading guilty to a felony antitrust charge for price-fixing in the U.S.
mainland-to-Puerto Rico trade, Horizon was on the ropes, facing possible debt
default and bankruptcy. CEO Chuck Raymond resigned, and in stepped Stephen
Fraser, who helped stem the negative tide. Horizon returned to profitability in its
fiscal 2013 third quarter before falling back into the red in the fourth. Fraser’s
tenure as interim CEO ended last June, when Sam Woodward was named
president and CEO.

11. Matson, No. 30, Down 12.8 Percent
The second U.S.-flag operator to post a double-digit decline in export volumes, the
Oakland-based carrier discontinued one of two services to China in 2011. 2012’s
numbers were an anomaly for Matson, which had posted strong growth in the
previous three years. Indeed, 2012’s volumes, while down nearly 13 percent year-
over-year, were nearly double Matson’s export volume of 2008.

12. Dole Ocean Cargo Express, No. 36, Down 10.5 Percent
Owned by Dole Food Co. before going public in 2009, the carrier serves the
refrigerated shipping market, primarily carrying bananas and other fruit from
Central and South America. Dole’s export volumes have trended down since the
recession, with 2012 levels off nearly 30 percent from 2008.

13. What will 2013 bring?

14. STAY INFORMED.
Trade Data & Intelligence from the Industry Experts