The supply side is improved by high paced recycling as the industry awaits stronger front-haul demand growth.

Demand: As BIMCO foresaw in the latest Shipping Market Overview & Outlook – an upward adjustment of freight rates as per announcements became essentially successful. The rate on the Shanghai – Europe (Base port) went up from USD 999 per TEU to USD 1,366 per TEU...

Limited inflow of new tonnage and very high volumes being transported establish light at the end of the tunnel.

Demand: The first couple of months have been challenging for all vessel sizes, but what was expected to become an extraordinary difficult year for Panamax owners has so far proven to be a somewhat positive surprise...

A report issued yesterday at events in Singapore and London indicates strong growth for the maritime sector in the years up to 2030 and an even bigger role for China in the maritime world, as seaborne trade increases from 9 billion tonnes annually to between 19-24 billion tonnes.

By Mike Corkhill

While US shale gas is poised to impact the global LNG trades, beginning in 2015, it has already made its presence felt in the international LPG market. As a result of steadily increasing shale gas production volumes in recent years, the US has switched from being primarily an importer of LPG to a country rapidly rising up through the ranks of the leading exporters of LPG. That rise is forecast to continue at least through the end of the current decade.

Overall confidence levels in the shipping industry recovered to their highest level for two years in the three months ended February 2013, according to the latest Shipping Confidence Survey from international accountant and shipping adviser Moore Stephens.

The Multipurpose sector faces a difficult couple of years, but its long-term prospects are good, according to Drewry Maritime Research’s latest Annual Multipurpose Shipping Market Review and Forecast report. Most owners of Multipurpose ships (MPVs) were fairly upbeat at the start of 2012 and, in spite of weak freight rates, continued to be so well into the first half of the year.

By Andrew Guest

As the industry absorbs a new generation of officers, it faces the challenge of smoothly integrating them and their ideas with their elders. It’s a familiar story. Young people enter a profession bringing with them new skills and attitudes that might both benefit and challenge an older generation and the ways in which things are done, often with new technology the spur for change.

Load factors in North Europe-North America trade are too low to support carriers’ planned GRIs. Westbound: Although there has been much talk of a resurgence of the US housing market increasing US imports since October, no sign of this has yet appeared from Northern Europe. Westbound cargo flows remained flat over the past 12 months, oscillating only marginally around a monthly average of 213,000 teu...

Ocean carriers sat on the fence with vessel capacity from Asia to the East Coast of North America between November and February in the hope that cargo volumes would improve. They didn’t, so much remains to be done to restore profitability.

The annual GL Hellenic Technical Committee was held in Athens yesterday. The Committee brings together representatives from the Greek maritime community, to hear and discuss presentations from both GL and external experts. This year, GL’s experts provided the Committee members with an update on the latest market trends and shipbuilding technology and examined some key topics for the future of the industry: LNG as ship fuel, the Ballast Water Convention and a new development from GL – route specific cargo stowage.