第一節

Section 1
定期航運之性質
Nature of Scheduled Shipping

我國航業法第 3 條第 1 款規定:「航業:指以船舶運送、船務代理、海運 承攬運送,貨櫃集散站經營

等為營業之事業」。 海商法第 38 條規定,貨物運 送契約為下列兩種:一、以件貨運送為目的者,亦
即以定期航運(Liner Shipping) 為主之貨櫃貨物運送。 二、以船舶之全部或一部供運送為目的者,亦
即以 不定期航運(Tramp Shipping)為主之散裝貨物運送。 兩者在其所提供的服務對 象、航行之路
線及區域、承運之貨物,運送契約種類、運送人與船舶使用人 間之關係等,都有顯著不同。

Article 3, Paragraph 1 of my country’s Shipping Law stipulates: “Navigation industry: refers to the
business of ship transportation, shipping agency, shipping contract transportation, container terminal
operation, etc.”. Article 38 of the Maritime Law stipulates that contracts for the carriage of goods are of
the following two types: 1. Those whose purpose is to deliver parcels of cargo, that is, the transport of
container cargoes mainly by regular shipping (Liner Shipping). 2. Those whose purpose is to transport all
or a part of the vessel, that is, the transport of bulk cargoes mainly by tramp shipping. The two are
significantly different in the service objects they provide, the routes and areas of navigation, the goods
they carry, the types of transportation contracts, and the relationship between the carrier and the ship
user.

海運及其周邊產業包括:船舶運送業、船務代理業、貨櫃租賃業、貨櫃修造業、海運承攬運送
業、併櫃業、無船公共運送人、船舶修造業、報關行、 驗船機構、 公證行、港勤公司、外籍船員
仲介公司、油商、銀行、保險公司、 船舶管理公司、經紀公司(船舶買賣、租傭及貨物承攬)、貨
櫃集散站經營業、 碼頭裝卸業、拆船業 、鐵公路運輸業、海關、港務公司、倉儲業、船舶物料業
及引水公會等。
Shipping and its surrounding industries include: shipping industry, shipping agency industry, container
leasing industry, container repair and manufacturing industry, shipping contract transportation industry,
container consolidation industry, non-vessel public transporter, ship repair and building industry,
customs broker, ship inspection agency, Notary firms, port companies, foreign crew agencies, oil
merchants, banks, insurance companies, ship management companies, brokerage companies (ship
trading, chartering and cargo contracting), container terminal management, terminal loading and
unloading, and ship dismantling , railway transportation, customs, port companies, warehousing, ship
materials and water diversion associations.

定期航運之形成,主要由於 1869 年蘇伊士運河通航,歐亞貿易頻繁,以 及十九世紀中葉汽船之發明,

船速得以控制,連帶增加船期之確定性。 且因 通訊設備亦趨於進步,在船到前,可預先通知港口代理
安排貨載。
The formation of regular shipping was mainly due to the opening of the Suez Canal in
1869, the frequent trade between Europe and Asia, and the invention of the steamboat
in the mid-nineteenth century. And because the communication equipment is also
tending to improve, before the ship arrives, the port agent can be notified in
advance to arrange the cargo.
一、定期航運與不定期航運之區分
1. The distinction between regular shipping and non-scheduled shipping
定期航運係指在固定航線之港口間,依照預先安排的船期往復航行,接 受零星雜貨或貨櫃化食物
之海上運送服務。 此種船舶以同時裝運各種不同種 類、不同性質之貨物,故又稱「雜貨船」
(General Cargo Ship)。 惟自 1960 年 代貨櫃運輸的興起,雜貨船已漸被貨櫃船(Container
Ship)所取代。 定期航運 與不定期航運之區分如下:
Scheduled shipping refers to reciprocating voyages between ports on a fixed route
according to a pre-arranged shipping schedule to receive sporadic general cargo or
containerized food by sea. This kind of ship is also called “General Cargo Ship”
because it can carry various kinds of goods of different nature at the same time.
However, since the rise of container shipping in 1960, general cargo ships have been
gradually replaced by container ships. The difference between scheduled shipping and
non-scheduled shipping is as follows:
(1)航線及港口。 定期航運之航線及其停靠港口係經事先排定,並公布各港船 期表,以供託運人
選擇託運貨物。 不輕言變更航線及船期,而具固定性。 不定期航運之航線及停靠港口,則依每一
航次之運送契約約定,無固定航 線及停靠港。
(1) Routes and ports. Scheduled shipping routes and their ports of call are pre-
scheduled, and the shipping schedules of each port are published for the shipper to
choose the consignment of goods. It is not easy to change the route and schedule,
but it is fixed. For non-scheduled shipping routes and ports of call, there are no
fixed routes and ports of call in accordance with the transportation contract for
each voyage.
(2)航運市場及運價。 定期航運市場為寡占市場,在主要航線上之經營者通常 在 10 家以內,而全
球前 20 大定期航商之運能占總運能的 80%以上,具 寡占市場特性。 故與不定期航運趨近於自由
競爭市場不同。 定期航商在運 價之決定上並非完全依市場供需法則。 航商之成本,服務品質差
異化、市 場競爭對手之反應、營運方式及競爭策略等皆會影響其運價之制定。 定期 航運公司之
運價常依航運公司本身事先公佈之運價表(Tariff),再依客戶需 求及市場行情,斟酌報價。 各國
政府對於定期航運之運價及服務水準大都 加以監督與管理,例如在我國以航業法,在美國以 1998
年海運改革法(The Ocean Shipping Reform Act, 1998,簡稱 OSRA)來管制。 不定期航運市場 則
為自由競爭市場,並無事先公布之運價表。 其運價依船噸供給及貨運需 求的供需法則決定,常非
個別船舶所有人或貨主所能決定。
(2) Shipping market and freight rates. The scheduled shipping market is an
oligopolistic market, and there are usually less than 10 operators on major routes.
The transportation capacity of the world’s top 20 scheduled shipping operators
accounts for more than 80% of the total transportation capacity, which is
characterized by an oligopolistic market. Therefore, it is different from the non-
scheduled shipping, which is close to a free competitive market. Scheduled airlines
do not fully follow the law of market supply and demand in the determination of
freight rates. The cost of airlines, the differentiation of service quality, the
reaction of market competitors, operation methods and competitive strategies will all
affect the formulation of their tariffs. The freight rates of regular shipping
companies are often based on the tariffs (Tariff) announced by the shipping companies
in advance, and then according to customer needs and market conditions, the quotation
is considered. Most governments of various countries supervise and manage the
freight rates and service levels of scheduled shipping. For example, in my country,
they are regulated by the Shipping Industry Law, and in the United States, they are
regulated by the Ocean Shipping Reform Act (1998, referred to as OSRA). The non-
scheduled shipping market is a free and competitive market, and there is no pre-
announced tariff schedule. The freight rate is determined by the law of supply and
demand of the supply of tonnage and freight demand, and it is very difficult for
individual ship owners or cargo owners to decide.
 (3)船舶。 定期航運常以自有船舶營運,惟船東欲增加船期時,亦向其他船東以論時傭船(Time
Charter)或光船租賃(Bareboat Charter)方式租傭船舶加入定期航運船隊,提供彈性 及密集性的
運送服務。 對於未足以組成定期航運 船隊之自有船舶,亦可租予其他航商或與其他航商聯營。
目前主要定期航 線之船舶,幾乎全為貨櫃船。 不定期航運所使用之船舶為散裝乾貨船、油輪、液
化天然氣船、化學品船及汽車船等。 不定期航運公司得以自有船艙 營運,亦可以論時個船或光船
租賃租入船舶,再以論程們船洽攬運務。
(3) Ships. Scheduled shipping is often operated by its own ships, but when
shipowners want to increase the sailing schedule, they also hire other
shipowners to join the scheduled shipping fleet through Time Charter or
Bareboat Charter to provide flexibility. And intensive delivery services.
For self-owned ships that are not sufficient to form a regular shipping
fleet, they can also be leased to other shipping companies or jointly
operated with other shipping companies. At present, the ships on the main
scheduled routes are almost all container ships. Vessels used for non-
scheduled shipping are dry bulk carriers, oil tankers, LNG carriers, chemical
tankers and car carriers. Non-scheduled shipping companies can operate their
own cabins, or they can charter a ship or a bareboat at any time, and then
use them to negotiate transportation services.
(4)食物。 定期航運載運的雜貨皆為價格較高之製成品或半製成品,大都為可要入貨櫃之貨
櫃化貨物(Containerized Cargoes),對於非貨化貨物亦可承還,惟其預載方式應特別安排 。
例如超大件貨物、遊艇、鍋爐等,大都載於甲板上,並採特別繫固(Lashing)措施,不定期航運
所攬載之貨物大都為大宗散裝貨物(Break Bulk Cargoes),包括農產品及煤鐵 礦等。
(4) FOOD. The groceries carried by regular shipping are high-priced finished or
semi-finished products, most of which are Containerized Cargoes that can be put
into containers. Non-cargoed goods can also be returned, but their preloading
methods should be specially arranged . For example, oversized cargo, yachts,
boilers, etc., are mostly carried on the deck, and special securing measures are
adopted. Mine etc.
(5)運送人身分。 定期船運送人為公共運送人(Common Carrier),其對象為一般社會大眾,
各國大都參照 1924 年海牙規則(The Hague Rules, 1924),或 1968 年海牙威士比規則(The
Hague-Visby Rules, 1968 )或 1978 年漢堡規則(The Hamburg Rules, 1978)制定其海上送法
律,以管轄運送契約的訂定、運送條件,條款等之效力。 為保護託運人之權益,對運送人「契
約自 由」(Freedom of Contract)予以限制,例如我國海商法第三章對運送契約及 理送人之
強制義務及責任有管轄之規定,在美國則為 1936 年海上貨物運 送法(Carriage of Goods by
Sea Act 1936,簡稱 COGSA1936)。 不定期航運 之運送人則為契約運送人(Private
Carrier)。 因其與傭船人間談判地位較等,運送義務及責任不受海牙規則或國內法強制規
範,但關於航海安全。 防止污染及船員訓練發證及當值等事項同受國際海事公約之規範。
(5) Identity of the carrier. The regular ship carrier is the Common
Carrier, and its object is the general public. Most countries refer to the 1924
Hague Rules (The Hague Rules, 1924), or the 1968 The Hague-Visby Rules (The
Hague-Visby Rules, 1968) ) or the Hamburg Rules of 1978 (The Hamburg Rules,
1978) to formulate the law of its sea delivery to govern the formulation of the
contract of carriage, the conditions of carriage, the effect of the clauses,
etc. In order to protect the rights and interests of the shipper, the “Freedom
of Contract” of the carrier is restricted. For example, Chapter III of my
country’s Maritime Law has jurisdiction over the contract of carriage and the
mandatory obligations and responsibilities of the delivery person. In the United
States, it is Carriage of Goods by Sea Act 1936 (COGSA1936). The carrier of
non-scheduled shipping is the contract carrier (Private Carrier). Due to its
higher negotiating status with the mercenary, the obligation and responsibility
of transportation are not subject to the mandatory regulation of the Hague rules
 or domestic law, but are related to the safety of navigation. Matters such as
pollution prevention, crew training, certification and on-duty are also
regulated by the International Maritime Convention.
(6) 組織規模及使用代理。 定期航運公司組織龐大,業務複雜,分工細密,必須在所停靠之
各港口設立分支機構,或委託長期固定代理行(Agent)洽世貨載,並辦理各項事務與手續,以便
船舶到港時 迅速泊靠裝卸,準時開航” 近年來定期航商為能提昇其内部控制能力,航商自設
代理行(Self Own Agent)或子公司之經營模式漸多,若貨量達經濟規模,甚至可 租用或經營
專用貨櫃碼頭,以掌握船期及節省裝卸成本及貨櫃場作業成本。不定期航運之組織規模較小,
分工不若定期航運細密。大都在灣靠之港口指定臨時代理,以照料船舶 (Ship Husbandry)該
代理不負責治攬貨物。
(6) The size of the organization and the use of agents. Regular shipping
companies have a huge organization, complex business, and fine division of
labor. They must set up branches in each port they call, or entrust a long-
term fixed agent (Agent) to negotiate the cargo, and handle various affairs
and procedures so that when the ship arrives at the port Quickly berthing,
loading and unloading, and sailing on time” In recent years, in order to
improve their internal control capabilities, airlines have more and more
business models of self-owned agents or subsidiaries. Leasing or operating a
dedicated container terminal to control the shipping schedule and save the
cost of loading and unloading and the cost of container yard operations. The
organization of non-scheduled shipping is small, and the division of labor is
not as detailed as that of regular shipping. Most of them designate temporary
agents at the ports in the bay to take care of the ships (Ship Husbandry) The
agent is not responsible for managing the goods.
(7)成本負擔。 定期航運運送人應負擔運送全程所生之固定及變動成本(除非特殊貨物,可另依約
定),包括:船舶、船員及貨櫃成本(貨櫃折音、租金、 維修、儲放、空櫃調度、 保險等)、貨物之
理貨(Tally)、丈量費(Measurement Fee)、裝載及卸載費用。 託運人僅需將貨物運抵裝貨港船邊
或運送人指定地點,並由受貨人在目的地提貨,稱之為「碼頭交貨條件」(Berth Term) 或「定期船
裝卸貨條件」 (Liner Term)。 不定期航運之成本,除船舶所有 人應負擔船舶及船員成本外,其他
成本如港埠費用、燃油成本及裝卸成本 等,則因其以論時傭船及論程傭船出租船舶而有不同。
(參本書第十三章)
(7) Cost burden. The regular shipping carrier shall bear the fixed and variable
costs incurred in the whole process of transportation (unless there are special
goods, which may be agreed upon separately), including: ship, crew and container
costs (container folding, rental, maintenance, storage, empty container scheduling,
Insurance, etc.), cargo tally (Tally), measurement fee (Measurement Fee), loading and
unloading costs. The shipper only needs to deliver the goods to the port of loading
or the place designated by the carrier, and the consignee picks up the goods at the
destination, which is called “Berth Term” or “Regular Ship Loading and Unloading
Conditions” (Liner Term). The cost of non-scheduled shipping, in addition to the
ship owner should bear the cost of the ship and the crew, other costs such as port
fees, fuel costs and loading and unloading costs, etc., are different because of the
time-based charter and the schedule charter. (See Chapter 13 of this book)
(8)運送契約。 定期航運為件貨運送契約。 運送人與託運人或受貨人或載貨證 券持有人問之權
利義務,係以載貨證券(Bills of Lading,簡稱 B/L,俗稱 提單)為依據。 載貨證券上面所所載事
項及條款為運送契約的證明,在 其管轄法律的限制範圍內對雙方都有相當之約束力。 不定期航運
運送契約 為傭船契約,不受法律強制管轄,當事人可自由約定契約內容。 但在傭船 契約下亦簽發
載貨證券,作為貨物收據、物權證書及契約證明功能。
(8) Shipping Contract. Scheduled shipping is a contract for parcel shipments. The
rights and obligations of the carrier and the shipper or the consignee or the holder
of the cargo security are based on the cargo security (Bills of Lading, referred to
as B/L, commonly known as the bill of lading). The matters and terms contained on
the cargo security are proof of the contract of carriage and are binding on both
parties within the limits of its governing law. The non-scheduled shipping contract
is a mercenary contract, which is not subject to legal compulsion, and the parties
are free to agree on the content of the contract. However, under the mercenary
contract, cargo securities are also issued for the functions of cargo receipt, title
certificate and contract proof.
(9)攬貨方式。 定期航運經常以刊登船期廣告,並委託船務代理行(Shipping Agent)招攬貨載。
定期航運公司更常於全球重要據點設立分公司(Branch Office)或子公司(Subsidiary Company)洽
攬業務,並處理運務、船務、財務、 櫃務事宜,以提高其效率。 不定期航運之攬貨,除船舶所有人
自行洽攬外, 亦可透過經紀人(Broker)攬貨。
(9) Ways to collect goods. Regular shipping often advertises shipping schedules
and entrusts shipping agents to solicit cargo. Scheduled shipping companies often
set up branches (Branch Office) or subsidiaries (Subsidiary Company) in important
global bases to conduct business and handle shipping, shipping, financial and counter
affairs to improve their efficiency. In addition to the ship owner’s own
negotiation, the cargo can be solicited through a broker (Broker).
(10)作業方式。 定期航運為控制船期,或為提供複合運送服務,常在內陸貨 櫃場(Inland
Container Terminal)收貨、交貨,而非船邊收交貨物。 定期航 運之船速較高,且常利用船速調整
船期避免延誤。 定期船貨櫃運輸可與鐵 路、公路互相配合,達成戶對戶(Door-to-Door)之複合運
送服務,或稱多 式聯運(Multimodal Transport)。 更可與周邊產業,如貨櫃集散站經營業、 倉儲
業、多國貨物集併櫃業(Multi-nation Cargo Consolidation,簡稱 MCC) 內陸運輸業、報關行、
裝卸公司合作或聯營,提供全球物流 (Global Logistics)服務,不定期航運大都為船邊交貨及提
貨,無安排複合運送之實務。
(10)Working methods. Scheduled shipping is to control the shipping schedule or to
provide composite delivery services, often receiving and delivering goods at the
Inland Container Terminal (Inland Container Terminal) instead of receiving and
delivering goods at the side of the ship. The speed of the regular shipping is
relatively high, and the speed of the ship is often used to adjust the schedule to
avoid delays. Regular ship container transportation can cooperate with railways and
highways to achieve a door-to-door composite transportation service, or multimodal
transport. It can also cooperate with surrounding industries, such as container
terminal operation, warehousing, Multi-nation Cargo Consolidation (MCC) inland
transportation, customs brokers, loading and unloading companies, to provide global
logistics. (Global Logistics) services, most of the non-scheduled shipping is
delivery and pick-up by the ship, and there is no practice of arranging composite
delivery.
二、定期航運產業特性
2. Characteristics of Scheduled Shipping Industry
航運產業有不同於其他產業之專業特色,由貨櫃運輸單位化的特色及 傳統海上運輸所具備的特
點,分析定期航運產業的特性。
The shipping industry has professional characteristics different from other
industries. From the characteristics of container transportation and the
characteristics of traditional maritime transportation, the characteristics of the
regular shipping industry are analyzed.
(1)財務風險大
(1) High financial risk
 因貨櫃運輸系統包括船舶、貨櫃、拖車、車架,貨櫃專用碼頭、貨櫃場、 專用的資訊網路等,其
資金需求大,為資本密集產業。 定期航運業投資金額龐大,遠非其他行業可比擬,其回收可能較緩
慢,投資報酬率不高,運費收人亦常有波動,而收入、支出及貸款之貨幣種類多,常有匯率及利率 波
動風險。 若財務管理或成本控制不當,常使營運成本增加(包括融資成本及自有資 金之機會成
本),甚至發生財務危機。 如何籌措財源及財務管理與定期貨櫃航 商之營運績效有重大關係。
Because the container transportation system includes ships, containers, trailers,
vehicle frames, special container terminals, container yards, and special information
networks, etc., its capital needs are large and it is a capital-intensive industry.
The amount of investment in the regular shipping industry is huge, which is far from
comparable to other industries, its recovery may be slow, the rate of return on
investment is not high, and the freight income often fluctuates. Volatility risk.
Improper financial management or cost control will often increase operating costs
(including financing costs and opportunity costs of self-owned funds) and even lead
to financial crises. How to raise financial resources and financial management has a
significant relationship with the operating performance of scheduled container
carriers.
(2)受世界經濟景氣波動及偶發政經事件影響 (2) Affected by fluctuations in the world
economic climate and occasional political and economic events
隨著全球及區域經濟分工及整合下,製造業也加快國際化與全球分工的 腳步,使全球貿易量成
長。 而經貿成長常與西歐、北美、亞太地區三大經濟 板塊之景氣好壞有關。 各地經濟景氣榮枯
及產業結構變化往往會影響各種貨 物的進出口量,而使海上運輸量的隨之波動。 此外,航運業之
景氣亦受船噸 供宿之影響,即使經濟景氣佳使貨量增加,但船東過於樂觀,大量造船,使 船噸供給
過剩,仍可能造成航運不景氣。 而產業結構的改變也會造成海運貨量的變動,例如,電子業及其他
高附加價值產業之成長,未必帶動當地之海運量成長,蓋其貨品質輕且有時效性,常以空運為之 。
With the division and integration of global and regional economies, the manufacturing
industry has also accelerated the pace of internationalization and global division of
labor, resulting in the growth of global trade volume. The economic and trade growth
is often related to the prosperity of the three major economic sectors in Western
Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The prosperity and decline of economic
prosperity and changes in industrial structure in various places often affect the
import and export volume of various goods, and cause the fluctuation of sea
transportation volume. In addition, the prosperity of the shipping industry is also
affected by the supply of ships tonnage. Even if the economic prosperity increases
the cargo volume, the shipowners are too optimistic and build a large number of
ships, resulting in an oversupply of ship tonnage, which may still lead to a downturn
in shipping. Changes in the industrial structure will also cause changes in the
volume of seaborne cargo. For example, the growth of the electronics industry and
other high value-added industries may not necessarily lead to the growth of the local
seaborne volume. Because the quality of the cargo is light and time-sensitive, air
transportation is often used.
GATT/WTO 協議使全球貿易持續自由化,可提供更多之貿易及國際運輸 機會。 又因新興市場之崛
起,其工業生產力提升,使其國民所得及消費能力 因而提高,有進出口更多貨物。 其政府亦可能進
行更多基礎建設,例如貨櫃 港埠及內陸運輸,將使海運貨櫃量及原物料運輸量提高。 區域貿易協
定之建構亦可活絡區域間航線,例如:東協區域全面經濟夥伴關係架構,(ASEAN Framework For
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership; RCEP),可使近 洋航線貨量增加。
The GATT/WTO agreement continues to liberalize global trade, providing more
opportunities for trade and international transport. In addition, due to the rise of
emerging markets, their industrial productivity has increased, so that their national
income and consumption power have increased, and more goods can be imported and
exported. The government may also carry out more infrastructure construction, such
as container ports and inland transportation, which will increase the volume of
seaborne containers and raw material transportation. The construction of regional
trade agreements can also activate inter-regional routes, such as the ASEAN Framework
For Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which can increase the volume
of cargo on ocean routes.
出界經濟景氣波動及偶發政經事件則較難預測及因應,如油價上漲、貨 擎漲貶、金融海嘯,政府政
策改變等。 能源(石油、天然氣)因工業生產之用電、運輸車輛之需求提升,將有更多之貿易量及
運量。
Out-of-bounds economic fluctuations and occasional political and economic events are
more difficult to predict and respond to, such as rising oil prices, rising and
falling commodity prices, financial tsunami, and changes in government policies.
Energy (oil, natural gas) will have more trade and transportation volumes due to the
increased demand for electricity and transportation vehicles for industrial
production.
從商品貿易的角度觀察而言(如圖 1-1),由於 COVID-19 大流行,2020 年 世界商品貿易將暴跌 13%
至 32%(WTO,2020)”
From the perspective of commodity trade (Figure 1-1), due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
world commodity trade will plummet by 13% to 32% in 2020 (WTO, 2020)”

圖 1-1 世界商品貿易量,2000-2022
Figure 1-1 World merchandise trade volume, 2000-2022
 資料來源:WTO (2020) Trade set to plunge as COVID-19 pandemic upends global economy.
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres20_e/pr855_e.htm.
Source: WTO (2020) Trade set to plunge as COVID-19 pandemic upends global economy.
https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres20_e/pr855_e.htm.
(3)航次成本及收入不穩定
(3) Voyage costs and income are unstable
定期航運所運送之貨物種類繁多,而計算運費的方式並不相同,故每航次收入不相同。 且航商在
國際市場上常受服務契約、競爭對手策略聯盟或合 作協議夥伴的拘束,並受法律管制,無法任意提
高運費或相關作業費用.此外,因船舶艙位具不可儲藏性,在貨運量擴大時,無法在短期内以增 加艙
位來增加收入,而貨運量不足時亦無法保留剩餘艙位。而且航次固定成 本(Fixed Cost)無法減少,
即使船舶停航亦需負擔折舊、貸款利息及停泊費用等。變動成本又隨各停靠港口、內陸運輸地點
之物價、匯率變化而波動。因 此,造成航次的收入及利潤並不穩定。航運公司常須採取適當之經
營策略, 以控制成本,提升經營績效。
There are many kinds of goods transported by regular shipping, and the method of
calculating the freight is different, so the income of each voyage is different. In
the international market, airlines are often bound by service contracts, strategic
alliances with competitors or partners in cooperation agreements, and are regulated
by law, and cannot arbitrarily increase freight or related operating costs.In
addition, due to the non-storable space of ships, when the freight volume expands, it
is impossible to increase the income by increasing the space in the short term, and
it is impossible to reserve the remaining space when the freight volume is
insufficient. In addition, the fixed cost of the voyage cannot be reduced, and even
if the ship is suspended, depreciation, loan interest and berthing costs must be
borne. Variable costs also fluctuate with changes in prices and exchange rates at
various ports of call and inland transportation locations. Therefore, the income and
profit of the voyage are not stable. Shipping companies often have to adopt
appropriate business strategies to control costs and improve business performance.
燃油價格、匯率及其他成本亦影響獲利。 全球各地之船用油品價格不一, 航商對國際燃油價格之
上漲,執行節約用油策略,對控制船速、各加油港口 的油品價格相當重視。 此外,由於航商的收入
一般以美金或他國貨幣訂收費 用,但支出之費用大都依當地幣值計算,故當地貨幣對美金匯率波動
亦會 影響營收及利潤之增減。 而各項成本如裝卸、港埠、代理佣金、船舶補給、 維修等,常在
不同國家支出,其結算時間較慢,常使航次成本不易準確估計 或堂控.
Fuel prices, exchange rates and other costs also affect earnings. The prices of
marine oil products vary around the world. Shipping companies have implemented a
strategy of saving fuel in response to the rise in international fuel prices, and
have attached great importance to controlling the speed of ships and the prices of
oil products at various refueling ports. In addition, since the revenue of airlines
is generally charged in U.S. dollars or other currencies, but most of the expenses
are calculated in the local currency, the fluctuation of the exchange rate of the
local currency against the U.S. dollar will also affect the increase or decrease of
revenue and profit. And various costs such as loading and unloading, port, agency
commission, ship supply, maintenance, etc., are often spent in different countries,
and the settlement time is slow, which often makes it difficult to accurately
estimate or control the cost of voyages.
空相調度不平衡,則加重航商成本負擔。 因國際產業分工,使遠洋洲際 航線貨數量的供需不平
衡。 例如:在越太平洋航線上,東向貨物大都為勞 力密集產品,如紡織品、鞋類等,其貨櫃量往往
較大。 西向貨物常為高價商 品,其貨量較小,故常造成兩端貨櫃數量不易調配使用,形成洲際間空
調度作業頻繁,而耗用可觀成本。
The unbalanced scheduling of empty phases will increase the cost burden of airlines.
Due to the division of labor in the international industry, the supply and demand of
cargo on ocean-going intercontinental routes are not balanced. For example, on the
trans-Pacific route, most of the eastbound goods are labor-intensive products, such
as textiles, footwear, etc., and the container volume is often large. Westbound
goods are often high-priced goods, and their volume is small, so it is often
difficult to allocate and use the number of containers at both ends, resulting in
frequent intercontinental space scheduling operations, which consume considerable
costs.
(4) 船舶供給彈性小
(4) The supply elasticity of ships is small
經營定期航業須調度船舶,組成適當船隊,投資造船所須資金相當龐 大,進入障礙高,而造船耗時,
使船噸之供給量無法因運價上揚立即調高。 在市場運價下跌時,亦因退出障礙高(因船舶仍有固定
成本),無法立即減少 船噸供給量。 故就中短期而言,定期航運業之船舶供給彈性小。
In order to operate a scheduled shipping industry, ships must be dispatched and an
appropriate fleet must be formed. The capital required for investment in shipbuilding
is quite large, and the barriers to entry are high, and shipbuilding is time-
consuming, so that the supply of ships cannot be increased immediately due to rising
freight rates. When the market freight rate fell, it was also impossible to
immediately reduce the supply of tonnage due to the high barrier to exit (because the
ship still had fixed costs). Therefore, in the short and medium term, the supply
elasticity of ships in the scheduled shipping industry is small.
(5)船舶大型化使這個不易提升
(5) The large size of the ship makes it difficult to upgrade
為降低單位運輸成本,海運船舶之船噸,不論散裝船或貨櫃船,均日趨 大型化,船舶運能大幅提
高。 即使大型化有規模經濟,若無足夠貨源填滿貨船運價易降難升。 雖全球國際貿易貨物數量亦
增加,但船東常對景氣預估過 於樂觀或其他競爭原因,訂購大型船舶。 常造成船噸供給量之成長
高於貿易 貨量之成長,致使國際海運運價長期低迷。 船東為因應運價低迷,乃採降低 單位運輸成
本策略,而建造更多大型船舶,造成船噸供給過多,使運價更為下跌,形成惡性循環。
In order to reduce the unit transportation cost, the tonnage of seaborne ships,
whether bulk carriers or container ships, are becoming larger and larger, and the
shipping capacity of the ships has been greatly improved. Even if there are
economies of scale in large-scale, if there is not enough supply to fill up the
freight rate of cargo ships, it is easy to fall and difficult to rise. Although the
number of international traded goods in the world has also increased, shipowners
often order large ships due to over-optimistic economic forecasts or other
competitive reasons. This often causes the growth of the supply of ships to be
higher than the growth of the trade volume, resulting in a long-term slump in
international shipping rates. In response to the sluggish freight rate, shipowners
adopted the strategy of lowering unit transportation costs and built more large
ships, resulting in an excessive supply of tonnage and further decline in freight
rates, forming a vicious circle.