Ship operating costs expected to rise in 2018 and 2019

Total vessel operating costs in the shipping industry are expected to rise by 2.7% in 2018 and by 3.1% in 2019, according to a survey conducted by Richard Greiner for Moore Stephens UK.

The Future Operating Costs Survey revealed that drydocking is the cost category likely to increase most significantly in both 2018 and 2019, accompanied in the latter case by repairs and maintenance. The cost of drydocking is expected to increase by 2.1% in 2018 and by 2.3% in 2019, while expenditure on repairs and maintenance is predicted to rise by 2.0% in 2018 and by 2.3% in 2019. The increase in expenditure for lubricants is expected to be 1.9% in 2018 and 2.1% in 2019.

Meanwhile, projected increases in spares are 1.9% and 2.2% in the two years under review, while those for stores are 1.6% and 1.9% respectively.

The survey also revealed that the outlay on crew wages is expected to increase by 1.3% in 2018 and by 1.9% in 2019, with other crew costs thought likely to go up by 1.5% in 2018 and by 1.8% in 2019.

The cost of hull and machinery insurance is predicted to rise by 1.3% and 1.6% in 2018 and 2019 respectively, while for protection and indemnity insurance the projected increases are 1.2% and 1.4% respectively.

Management fees, meanwhile, are expected to increase by1.0% in 2018, and by 1.2% in 2019. The predicted overall cost increases were once again highest in the offshore sector, where they averaged 4.1% and 4.2% respectively for 2018 and 2019. By way of contrast, predicted cost increases in the bulk carrier sector were 1.8% and 2.6% for the corresponding years. Operating costs for tankers, meanwhile, are expected to rise by 2.4% in 2018, and by 2.9% the following year, while the corresponding figures for container ships are 4.2% and 3.8%.

Read more: https://www.moorestephens.co.uk/news-views/october/ship-operating-costs-expected-to-rise-in-2018-and

Full Survey report: https://www.moorestephens.co.uk/MediaLibsAndFiles/media/MooreStephensUK/Images/DPS41806-Future-Operating-Costs-Survey-2018_v2.pdf?ext=.pdf