Sharp upturn in use of shipping containers

飞雪寒冰

The use of shipping containers, a barometer of the global economy, has risen sharply this year, surpassing even the record levels of 2008.
被视为全球经济晴雨表的船运集装箱使用量今年大幅攀升，甚至已超过2008年的历史最高水平。

Two of the most important companies in container trade – Denmark’s AP Møller-Maersk and Dubai’s DP World – yesterday reported further evidence of the recovery in the trade in the boxes that carry the world’s manufactured goods.
集装箱航运业最重要的两家公司——丹麦的AP穆勒-马士基集团(AP Møller-Maersk)和迪拜世界港口公司(DP World)——昨日发布的报告，进一步证实集装箱贸易正在复苏。

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The upturn, boosted by traffic of goods to and from emerging economies, has been so strong that analysts say that it has caught many by surprise.
在新兴经济体进出口货运量的推动下，攀升势头相当强劲，分析师称，这出乎了许多人意料之外。

Maersk, owner of Maersk Line, much the world’s largest container carrier, said volumes on long-distance routes served by its ships had been up 13 per cent in the first half this year compared with last. Trans- pacific services between Asia and North America saw an 11 per cent increase, while services to and from Latin America saw an 18 per cent improvement.
拥有全球最大集装箱航运公司马士基航运(Maersk Line)的马士基集团表示，今年上半年，该公司船只运载的远程集装箱货运量同比上涨了13%。其中，亚洲与北美之间的跨洋货运量增长11%，而拉美地区的集装箱吞吐量增长了18%。

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DP World container movements at its ports were up 7 per cent in the first half over the same period last year. Its Australia and Americas division, which includes Latin America, saw volumes up 31 per cent on last year.
今年上半年，迪拜世界港口公司各港口的集装箱吞吐量同比增长7%，其中，澳大利亚和美洲（包括拉美地区）部门的吞吐量同比增长达31%。

The two companies’ figures come in the same week that Singapore’s Neptune Orient Linesannounced its volumes in the year to July 23 were 35 per cent up on the same period of 2009.
在这两家公司发布数据的同一周，新加坡东方海皇集团(Neptune Orient Lines)亦公布，在截至7月23日的一年，其集装箱吞吐量较2009年同期增长了35%。

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The recovery in trade has been so unexpectedly rapid that Maersk and several other lines have already had to apologise to customers for running out of containers after ordering too few to cope.
集装箱贸易复苏的速度快得出人意料，由于订购的集装箱数量不足以满足目前的需求，马士基及其它几家航运公司已不得不向客户致歉。

The increased volumes have pushed up rates per container shipped, boosting the profitability of lines. Maersk said rates per 40-foot container were 30 per cent higher for the first half this year than last year, while Neptune Orient Lines has seen a 15 per cent improvement in the year to July 23.
需求量的增加还推高了集装箱费率，由此提升了各航运公司的利润。马士基表示，今年上半年，40英尺集装箱的费率较去年同期提高了30%，而东方海皇表示，在截至7月23日的一年内，费率上涨了15%。

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Maersk predicted net profits this year of more than $4bn, close to the record $4.69bn achieved in 2004.
马士基预计，今年净利润将超过40亿美元，接近2004年46.9亿美元的创纪录水平。

However, Nils Andersen, chief executive, said there was still room for further improvement in rates per container shipped, following last year’s slump.
但该集团首席执行官安仕年(Nils Andersen)表示，鉴于去年的骤降，集装箱费率仍有进一步提升的空间。

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“The conditions are good – they’re not extraordinarily good. The conditions last year were extraordinarily bad,” he said.
“目前情况不错——但说不上特别好。去年的情况是特别糟糕，”他表示。

Both Maersk and DP World warned that they still faced risks from a downturn in the global economy, while they had yet to see signs of one.
马士基和迪拜世界港口公司都警告称，它们仍面临全球经济走向低迷的风险，尽管它们尚未看到任何迹象。

“If conditions should deteriorate in the global economy, the container shipping companies will feel the effect,” Mr Andersen said.
安仕年表示：“一旦全球经济形势恶化，集装箱航运公司就会感受到影响。”