Market fundamentals continue to drive freight rates to unprecedented levels, with a return to so-called ‘trade normalisation’ taking longer than anticipated. Analysts do not expect rate relief to come any sooner than the third quarter in light of sustained supply-demand tightness

Antwerp-based reefer specialist forms joint venture with logistics group Jamaica Producers in the takeover of conventional reefer operator Geest Line, which has served the Caribbean and Latin America markets for over 65 years

Tanker demolition numbers through the first quarter did little to raise hopes of reducing oversupply weighing on rates, while the latest official container volume data lays bare the initial impact of coronavirus on the industry

Latest container volume figures show a 16% jump in February, when factories across China remained closed to contain the spread of coronavirus. The volumes were far from typical in a traditionally slow month, as Asian factories remained open and carriers blanked fewer sailings to cope with strong demand

Shipping breathed a collective sigh of relief earlier this week as Ever Given was finally freed from the banks of the Suez Canal, while Lloyd’s List’s latest special report on the industry’s decarbonisation efforts included a timely timeline keeping reader abreast of the key dates on the agenda in navigating towards a carbon-free future

Shipping hit the headlines globally this week after a grounded Evergreen containership ground Suez Canal trade to a halt, as the line in the spotlight also revealed an extension to an already outsize newbuilding programme