Why Slow-Steaming Makes No Waves

The will to act collectively isn’t something container lines are known for — just look at the rates and scarcity of profits. Yet in 2012, and indeed for the past five years, the carriers have remained in lockstep when it comes to one key area of their operations: slow-steaming their ships.

Initiated in 2007, carriers are operating ships at less than 20 knots, and few observers don’t believe them when they say — as they did repeatedly in 2012 — “slow-steaming is here to stay.”