The regulatory framework for the liner shipping industry has been changing rapidly in recent years and the container shipping businesses which provide scheduled services along principal trade routes have faced unprecedented challenges to cope with the transformation. The leading carriers are also transforming their own structural features by either purchasing larger ships or entering into mergers and acquisitions as well as forming operational arrangements such as transnational alliances and container consortia. These developments in the industry are regarded as crucial to the maintenance of a stable, regular and long term commitment to support the provision of scheduled services along these major trade routes.
This book examines the economic regulatory framework of the container liner shipping industry in the context of the industry’s leading role in international trade and transport. It explores the consequences of the actions of shipping companies in their interpretations of the regulatory framework for such scheduled operations and provides a theoretical framework to allow the industry to incorporate future regulatory changes.
