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

New Jersey is seeking to withdraw from a bi-state commission that monitors corruption at New York’s port complex

‘Jacksonville is quickly emerging as an alternative port for shippers looking to avoid congestion,’ says chief executive. ‘We’re big enough to handle the business but we are not too big where we don’t pay attention to details’

‘Our function is very much like an air traffic control tower to ensure safe, secure, efficient, reliable, and environmentally sound, maritime transportation so that people in the ports can then move the cargo to its destination,’ he says 

The Suez shutdown exposed the fragility of global supply chains, but what about other black swan events that could potentially buoy or sink a market? This month’s market outlook offers a maritime edition of the classic board game snakes and ladders, where the team roll the dice and consider the long list of market ‘what ifs’ that will ultimately determine the fate of maritime markets more than any traditional notions of supply and demand forecasting

A week-long shut down of the Suez Canal courtesy of a container giant exposed the fragility of global supply chains and the world’s reliance on shipping. It was not the attention the industry wanted, but it was a unique opportunity to explain shipping’s key role as the economic backbone of world trade. So why did the industry hide behind its crisis management flak?

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