Ερευνητική προσέγγιση νεκρού σημείου πλοίων μεταφοράς εμπορευματοκιβωτίων

Σφύρης, Γεώργιος

A break even approach for containerships

Master Thesis

Author

Σφύρης, Γεώργιος

Date

2017-10

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Keywords

Νεκρό σημείο ; Πλοία ; Εμπορευματοκιβώτια ; Οικονομίες κλίμακας ; Θαλάσσιες μεταφορές ; Διεθνές εμπόριο

Abstract

Because of the leading role that seaborne trade has in the development of international trade and the economic growth of China, the seaborne trade tends to concentrate towards Asia. Given the extreme demand from China for resources etc, this thesis attempts to investigate the profitability of a trip to China in comparison to a trip to a port of Europe. To examine this, this thesis calculates the operating costs of containerships and then based on their break-even-point it tries to explain after which number of containers a trip to these two destinations is profitable. At the same time, the economies of scale on container ships and their influence on the cost of travel are being addressed. In order to achieve this, ships of different sizes are compared since increasing their size will result in economies of scale and consequently in a reduction of costs. The first chapter analyzes the concept of world trade and the importance of maritime transport to its development. In addition a brief historical retrospection is given of the maritime transport, and then the largest leading companies in the sector are introduced. The second chapter focuses on the container transport sector. Initially, a historical retrospection is made and then container ships are divided according to their type. Next, follows the framework under which container terminals work and the tendency of both container ships and terminals to pursue and achieve economies of scale. The third chapter refers to the break-even-point, how it evolved to what it is today and its importance to rational business decisions. The fourth and final chapter analyzes the costs of a containership and then examines the case of three vessels of different size and different destination to investigate the extent to which economies of scale affect larger ships according to their destination and the minimum quantity of cargo required for the trip to be considered profitable for each ship.