The European Parliament wants shipping put under the EU’s emissions cap and trade system and it’s not clear the industry has yet clocked the full implications of this latest political salvo. Meanwhile, in the UK, the government plan to create up to 10 freeports to ‘turbocharge’ trade in the wake of Britain leaving the European Union is raising political questions. We’re joined by the British Ports Association and the UK Major Ports Group to dissect what it means for the industry

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LNG may not be the silver bullet to shipping’s decarbonisation dilemma, but there plenty of owners betting serious money that it offers a safe bet on the path to a greener future. Joining Lloyd’s List editor Richard Meade and markets editor Michelle Wiese Bockmann is, Bryan Comer, a senior researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation and one of the authors of  a report challenging the received wisdom that LNG provides a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and might actually be more environmentally damaging than conventional fuel options.

Listen to the latest edition of Lloyd’s List’s weekly podcast — your weekly briefing on the stories shaping shipping

Container trade is forecast to have increased by 2% to 1.3bn tonnes in 2019. In 2020, growth is projected to 4.9% driven by strong intra-Asian trade but also firm growth on the main trade lanes

The implementation of the sulphur cap and an impending decabronisation measure — either from London or Brussels — will dominate next year

The outlook for P&I and hull insurance can be summed up in two words: ‘more expensive’, thanks to the cull of the worst-performers at Lloyd’s, which has seen over 30 underwriters decide to axe at least one marine line

Will a period of uncertainty and volatility in 2019 force the industry get back to basics and manage risk more effectively in the coming year?