The German shipowners are worried that the sanitary crisis will have effects more devastating than that financial institution of the 2008/2009



The remarkable impact negative that the effects of the pandemic of Covid-19 are having on the field of the marine transport of the EU, evidenced from shipowning association European ECSA(on 19 May 2020), it does not save Germany that, with a fleet constituted from 2.140 ships for on 31 December 52,8 million tons of tonnage, represents 5% about of world-wide the mercantile fleet. The shipowning association German Verband Deutscher Reeder (VDR) that, as the ECSA, it has lead a specific survey between own associates in order to estimate the impact of the crisis to which 50 shipowning societies have participated, between which almost all the 30 has confirmed puts up companies of the field.

The investigation - the president of the VDR, Alfred Hartmann has explained - has confirmed that "the sections of the ferries and of the cruises they are immediately and remarkablly hit by the consequences of the pandemic" and - has specified - the investigation "constitutes an instantaneous one of the state of the first months. To light of the expectable crisis of the world-wide commerce - it has observed Hartmann - the situation of the market for the marine transport would have to get worse ulteriorly".

The survey has revealed that in freedoms of expression and April slid the revenues recorded totally from the companies they have turned out down medium of the 30-40% regarding the same months of 2019 and that 44% of the shipowning societies record already a meaningful deterioration of own liquidity.

Moreover the investigation has evidenced that the German shipowners have announced that the installments of chartering of the ships in all the segments of the shipping are diminishing, in some cases until 40%, and have specified in the next few months that is previewed an ulterior decrease. Moreover world-wise the number of not operating ships is gone up almost 500 units, quota that already now is elevated than all the times, and that the consisting quota more than used ships is not relative to the segment of the portacontainer in which - it has remembered the VDR - the German shipowning companies are particularly anticipate are as navigation companies that line services operate are as noleggiatrici of ships.

The president of the VDR has perceived that, in the light of this situation, "it is expectable that important segments of the German mercantile fleet is to survival risk". Hartmann has compared the current crisis determined from the pandemic to that financial institution of the 2008/2009, admonishing that the first risks to being very more serious of the second one. From the crisis of the 2008/2009 - it has explained - "we have lost 1,500 ships abroad, pairs to a third party of the German fleet. If the production and the consumption to total level will not quickly go back - Hartmann has asserted - the consequences of the pandemic could be very more serious than those of the crisis financial institution. If then we lost another third party of the German fleet, they would be in danger tens of thousands of places of work. Moreover supplyings of Germany, that he is world leader in the exports, would be more and more employee from companies of navigation influenced or under control of States foreign countries. The experience of the emergency coronavirus - it has found the president of the German shipowners - standard not to increase ulteriorly this dependency to us".

Various from the survey realized from the European shipowning association, relatively to the impact of the sanitary crisis on the occupation in shipping the survey lead from the VDR it has rimarcato, which positive element, than up to now beyond 90% of the German shipowning companies they have not planned lay-offs neither are reduced the programs of formation of the staff. "In spite of the crisis - it has emphasized Hartmann - the marine companies still are engaged regarding the next generation. All try to maintain employee own and therefore their marine know-how-how. The fact that can be continued to make it - has concluded - it depends on how much wide will be the availability of programs of support and assistance in the course of this serious crisis".