If shipowners cannot contain their market-induced euphoria, they may rush to commission too much fresh tonnage, turning the highly profitable dearth in shipping into a painful glut.
Mr. Kesslen said companies prefer to go after each other at the International Trade Commission, which offers quicker rulings and can impose an injunction barring the product from shipping into the U.S. Poor showings at the ITC can speed settlement, such as last year's agreement between Qualcomm Inc. and Broadcom Corp.