LAST WORD

Master Class

P&O Nedlloyd boss Philip Green told students at Rotterdam's Erasmus University he was happy to take questions on anything - "although I don't promise to answer them".

But in fact, he didn't shirk any of the points put to him on just about every aspect of container shipping after he'd given a presentation on Friday on The Second Industrial Revolution.

The discussion ranged from industry consolidation, regulation and the future size of containerships, to port congestion, terminal operations, and even the touchy matter of the Ceres terminal in Amsterdam.

But what was the biggest challenge of all facing liner shipping companies in the future?

From an industry position, it was managing supply and demand, Green replied. From a personal perspective "it is changing the way 13,000 people behave".

By that, Green meant shifting the focus from filling ships to maximising yield.

But he is confident that he is making headway, now that new computer systems are in place.

As he writes in P&O Nedlloyd's annual report, by the end of last year "we had deployed a new global and integrated IT system which, for the first time, gives a comprehensive yield management system, with complete visibility on the full revenue and costs of every container carried".

And with such a valuable tool, Green expects to close the gap with the "best in class" by the end of the year.

Impressive crop

FOR those who are concerned about the next generation of managers entering the shipping industry, the Class of 2005 that is about to graduate with an MSc in maritime, economics and logistics studies from Erasmus University offers plenty of reassurance.

The current crop of students from China, Russia, Germany, India, Vietnam, Iran, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, the US and several other countries are the best yet, department head Professor Hercules Haralambides believes.

They certainly displayed an in-depth knowledge of container shipping when they questioned Philip Green on Friday after he had given a talk on the impact of China on the industry.

This was Green's third visit to Erasmus.

And as he told his audience, he had enjoyed the first two occasions so much "that this time I invited myself'.

Haralambides has lined up an impressive number of industry leaders to lecture his students this year, including Intertanko managing director Peter Swift and Ken Sørensen of the European Liner Affairs Association this week.

Then next week, Neptune Orient Lines chief executive David Lim is flying in solely for the purpose of addressing Erasmus students - and to no doubt face questioning on the persistent rumours linking NOL with P&O Nedlloyd, and whether he ever intends ordering 8,000 teu tonnage.

Source: Lloyd's List