This is the response of any European shipbuilder. The yellow color reminds them that South Korea and Japan remain the world's leading shipbuilding powers. While this sector continues to be mired in a deep crisis in Europe, Spanish shipping companies (Suardíaz, Transmediterránea, Elcano, Contenemar, Pinillos, F. Tapias, etc.) maintain significant presence in their respective lines of business. Given the current road congestion, short-sea shipping could become one of the main alternatives promoted by the European Union.
The Western economy abandoned shipbuilding after the 1979 oil crisis, leaving this business in the hands of Eastern economies. Today, the United States, Greece, and Norway lack sufficient domestic shipbuilding capacity to renew their fleets and therefore build them abroad. This is a surprising situation in the case of the world's leading power (the United States). Meanwhile, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France have shipyards with enough capacity to handle a significant portion of their merchant fleet renewals. However, according to the Spanish shipowners' association, as reported by Moneda Única, the freight market is so competitive that shipping companies build their vessels wherever they can obtain profitable prices. It's worth remembering that in the past, Spanish shipping companies were obligated to build their ships in Spain, which resulted in a fleet that was hardly competitive and, in the long run, a serious crisis for the Spanish merchant marine. Fortunately, last year the fleet controlled by Spanish shipping companies grew by 20,7%, the largest increase recorded in 25 years. At the same time, port traffic registered a record increase, totaling 337 million tons.
Being a shipowner in Spain has traditionally been a family business. This status, however, is beginning to change. As ships have become larger, more complex, and more expensive (some cost 180 or 200 million euros, or even much more), this type of business is starting to extend beyond the typical size of a family company. The most significant example is Trasmediterránea, which has been awarded to a consortium that includes a construction company, several shipping companies, a savings bank, and other entities.
Shipping companies are not fond of rankings. In their view, it makes no sense to compare a passenger shipping company like Trasmediterránea with a tanker company like Naviera F. Tapias, or one that primarily handles dry bulk cargo like Naviera Elcano, with regular container lines like Contenemar or Naviera Pinillos, or with specialized vehicle transport like Flota Suardíaz. These six are undoubtedly the most important shipping companies, but comparing them would not be very meaningful, according to the shipping industry association. Any of these companies has a significant presence in Europe. Shipping company rankings are not usually compiled or published, except in the case of regular container lines, where a relatively small number of companies control most of the transport capacity and the major global companies (Maersk, Evergreen, MSC, etc.) each operate more than 250 vessels. In this sector, there is no Spanish shipping company of similar size.
Go for it, exporter!
Road transport has grown exponentially in Europe over the last 10 to 15 years. It is clear that these growth rates cannot be sustained for much longer, as European roads are already becoming congested. In fact, a very clear map exists showing the bottlenecks or black spots in the European road network. For this reason, an exporter who wants to ensure adequate service to their customers in the medium to long term should begin diversifying their logistics now and explore maritime transport as an alternative. Although it may be somewhat more expensive initially, as even shipping companies acknowledge, in the medium term it will undoubtedly be more cost-effective and allow them to maintain better service for their customers.
Exporters already familiar with maritime transport know that it can provide a perfectly suitable, high-quality service at a competitive price for many needs. All the initiatives supporting maritime transport being implemented by the EU and in different countries will only enhance the advantages of maritime transport over road transport, while the latter is logically expected to be penalized by infrastructure charges that are already being applied, increased congestion, etc. Therefore, it is logical that users who already use ships will gradually increase their confidence in them. It doesn't seem likely that this trend will reverse, according to shipping industry professionals.
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