The Economist

Recession is in the news but there is no consensus as to when this might occur. The good times may be over before they really took hold.

Congestion and supply chain problems continue to be with us and now the Ukraine war has caused a thick fog over our industry.

COMMENT: An unprecedented increase in shipping profi tability has generated a newbuilding bubble that ports may not be prepared for, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: Ports struggle with congestions, carriers with lack of capacity and countries with more COVID-19. The pressure is not letting up, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: The World Bank and IHS/Markit Container Port Performance Index is well off the mark and does not reflect reality, writes Ben Hackett.

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting pressure on globalisation beyond the Trump Administration impacts, writes Ben Hackett. The question is: What has gone wrong?

COMMENT: As the pandemic rolls back with vaccinations rolling out, the maritime industrybecomes overly optimistic from ports, terminals, carriers and shipbuilding, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: The economics, such as they are, of the COVID-19 crisis is playing havoc at the ports as is the virus infection as well, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: The life of an economist is currently about as satisfying as a that of a scientist trying to understand COVID-19, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: Container carriers appear to have found the “yellow brick road” to recovery this year with strict capacity management, while the rest of the industry is in the doldrums, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: The maritime industry has been a bastion of hope over many decades even when supply and demand disparity grew, and excessive capacity was built both in the vessel and port terminal…

COMMENT: The knowledge that the coronavirus is highly contagious and that it can be deadly iscertain and the impact on the global economy has been dramatic in its success in bringing it…

COMMENT: Ports are facing a decline in trade and strategy choices in dealing with the coronavirus, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: Four months after the advent of the coronavirus, leading to COVID-19 and the world isbeing plunged headfirst into a rapid and steep recession, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: In the shadow of the tariff wars the coronavirus has the potential to wreak further harm to global trade, writes Ben Hackett.

COMMENT: Intra state and intra region competition to attract investments is rife around theworld with subsidies and state aid. But, is it fair?, asks Ben Hackett.

The weaponising of trade strategically to achieve political supremacy is being honed by the Trump Administration globally, irrespective if the country at the receiving end is friend or foe, writes Ben Hackett