Ghost Fleet off the coast of Singapore (8 photos) Bashny.Net

Water southern Malaysia is unlikely to meet the definition of a tropical paradise, too gloomy, especially when a board hanging over your container overhangs face troubled navigator - navigator without a crew.

About 500 ships is laid up in the area, a huge flotilla of ships without cargo, with no crew and no destiny.
They stand side to side or separately, are the two container vessels, that the tanker to Maersk with only seems a man on board - navigator European species, nervously glancing at darting here and there, fishing boats - the place because pirate who knows what and who is coming.

Here in the far corner of Asia, along the coast of the Malaysian state of Johor, about 50 miles to the east of Singapore, has gathered shocking number of vessels withdrawn in the sediment, and this place few people know, in the amount of these vessels exceed the cargo fleets of England and the United States, taken together . Nothing else is probably not able to tell us so clearly the whole depth of the crisis that hit the global economy.





On board vessels - at least the crews, in fact the guards. Local fisherman shares his impressions - I fish for over 20 years, nothing of the sort seen and not heard. Open sea and literally on the same day it is clogged vessels. Some cost a few weeks and go, but the majority remains.



At night from the shore, when the courts are included lights, the picture is even more impressive - dark fishing villages on the coast and the glow of a fire at sea. Local fishermen say that many residents of the coastal strip test superstitious terror - huge ships probably no people on board, verily Court ghost, but in the evening they include lights, the morning turned off, and the local think that these courts have settled the ghosts that will bring people to curse .
Most of these ghosts belong to Western shipping companies, the reason that they are here, far away - in London, New York and other business centers in the world. Here we see the tanker Aframax - workhorse of oil transportation. These tankers like bees carrying oil in the Black, North and Baltic Seas, the Caribbean, the Gulf and the Far East. A couple of years ago, the tanker was snapped up and idle in the port and the extra minute. But a couple of years ago, it cost up to 50,000 dollars a day, is now only 5500, which makes its operation unprofitable.



Nowhere in the world there are so many ship brokers in London - more than 400. They accounted for more than half of all global shipping charter deals. A year ago, they are literally swimming in money, but now for them the bad times. And do not tell them about the signs of an improving economy - they are only in response to a bitter laugh. According to them, one way or another, in the sludge or without idle up to 12% of the global cargo fleet. All types and kinds. The cost of transportation of 40-foot container from China to England last year reached 850 pounds-plus, this had dropped to 180 pounds. Freight cost Cape-size bulk carriers such as collapsed with 185,000 pounds last year to 6,100 pounds in the current.



The largest London broker Clarksons said that the hardest hit by the crisis containerships, it is possible that during this next-years in the sediment will be displayed up to 25% of the world container fleet. In 2006-7 volumes of container transportation industries on average by 11% per year, in 2008 growth slowed to 4.7%, this is projected to decline 8%.
The essence of the problem for shipowners is simple - if the operation is costing you £ 7,000 a day, and freight (ie the proceeds from his work) is 6000 pounds, here's a little problem - what to do. Work on or display Vessel sucks. Or even sell or write off for scrap. For container prospect indeed grim. Wholesalers say that the Christmas shopping boom this year will be very low, which means - it takes less goods, and this in turn means - work containerships and never will be.



View from satellite



The whole world fleet carries about 8.2 billion tonnes of cargo per year, more than a ton for every person on Earth, in different proportions. For Westerners have generated more than perhaps 2-3 tons. Even if this figure decreased by 5%, for the world fleet is the strongest blow a lot of ships at once will not work.

Fast forward from the dark on the coast of Johor to the north-east - in the shipbuilding center of the world, Korea.

Thousands of workers continue to work on the construction of huge ships, but they've become hostages of time. They end the old orders made during the boom, but the new, virtually none. Korea has become a world leader in shipbuilding by 2004 - then it overtook Japan, having received 40% of the world's orders, while the share of Japan accounted for 24%, from 14% in China.

Singapore Cranes stand idle, waiting for work ...



Korean Dream come true, but then found out how dangerous to be a leader - in fact, on average between order and delivery of the vessel is held for 3 years, and who knows what may happen this time. However, while the shipyards of Korea does not cease working, shipbuilders are building that was commissioned in recent years - and went out into the sea, these new ships will supersede the old, some have to be displayed in the sludge, often sent for scrapping, work and supplies for all It lacked, and someone will have to make room. Shipbuilders hard time with those orders, which are, after all newbuilding payment made is not immediately on the conclusion of the contract for construction and parts, with 50-60% of the total amount payable on completion. Many customers already can not meet its obligations, and shipyards, shipbuilders, are left to sell what they have built. Last week, Hanjin Heavy Industries put up for sale are three newly built container worth 60 million pounds, the customer, the Iranian shipping company refused them - he has no money.

Yet at the shipyards have a job, but in 2011, upon completion of the previously ordered vessels, the shipyard just remain without work. Many London brokers say that this crisis is the worst in their memory is worse than the famous crisis of the 80s. Then the world was different - China has played in the world economy is far from the role it plays today, India has also so to speak, on the margins. Then there was the Soviet Union. Britain and Europe are the world's shipbuilding center. Currently, the world has changed radically, and changed accordingly crises - what they are now, we find out just now.

At night, light ships Coast

via dailymail.co.uk



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