Pure car carriers (PCCs) came
of age in the same year that
FTW was founded – 1973.
Japan’s K Line launched
the European Highway which
carried 4 200 automobiles at the
same time that John Marsh was
launching FTW.
The passage for the
introduction of the large carrier
was cleared in 1965, when
MOL introduced a PCC with
a capacity
of 1 200
automobiles
to support
Japanese
exports.
With up to
13 cargo decks,
modern PCTCs can transport 6
400 standard passenger cars at
once.
Today, the rise in the global
auto trade is lifting the car
carrier industry out of the
global recession with far less
damage than other shipping
sectors have experienced,
according a Drewry’s Car
Carriers report.
Global trade in motor vehicles
will increase by about 3-4% per
year over the next 15 years.
South Africa continues to be a
destination for PCCs, with some
adjustment in routes to cater for
market changes.
National Association of
Automobile Manufacturers
(Naamsa)
director Nico
Vermeulen
says in his
review for the
second quarter
of 2013 that
exports “remain
under pressure as a result of the
recession and debt crisis in the
Eurozone. However, projected
higher exports into Africa, Asia
and North America along with
the contribution of various new
export programmes should
enable the industry
to achieve record production
levels in 2013”.
Aggregate exports for 2013
are predicted by Naamsa to
reach about 337 000 vehicles
compared to the 277 893 vehicles
exported in 2012.
In addition, imported vehicles
account for around 71% of local
new car sales – or 335 000 units
in 2013, according to KPMG
Africa Automotive leader Gavin
Maile.
The movement of vehicles to
and from the coast and to dealers
around the country sustains
thousands of logistics jobs.
Shipping companies that
operate ro-ro vessels are among
the most profitable at present.
Shares in Wilhelm
Wilhelmsen, the world’s largest
vehicle transporter, have been
climbing to records highs on
news of a recovery of major auto
markets.
The shipping company
reported second-quarter net
income of $92 million, up from
$70 million a year ago.
INSERT
3-4% The predicted average annual increase in
global trade in motor vehicles.
