Video: China makes all our stuff, does it want to ship it too?
Janet Porter talks about the merger of Cosco and OOIL on BBC World News
THE MERGER of Cosco and OOIL came as a surprise to few in the container industry, coming as it did after months of rumours.
The deal is significant to the container shipping sector. Generally well-received by analysts, the merger will create what one senior Maersk executive has hailed as a "hard-to-beat competitor".
Hear Lloyd's List executive editor Janet Porter share her thoughts with BBC World News in the video, with further context below.
BBC World News: Janet Porter 2017-07-10 from Maritime intelligence on Vimeo.
The merger is the latest in a series of moves that have helped consolidate the industry and create a handful of lines with significant market shares. This consolidation comes after a prolonged downturn in the industry, and a battle between container lines for market share that has suppressed freight rates and brought huge financial losses across the sector. See our recent history of consolidation below.
Consolidation timeline - a look back at the key events
for more on Consolidation click here