Two trends have defined container shipping in the past decade. To start with, bigger and bigger ships were built at an unprecedented pace and the result was systemic overcapacity, which triggered various consolidations among shipping companies. The second is that port authorities and terminal operators have been faced with major challenges owing to this development. Upgrading an existing quay wall to accommodate new gantry crane models, for example, requires much more time for preparation and construction than the construction of an 18,000 TEU ship.
