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The demand situation in tanker shipping is anything but formidable. We see a mixed picture from one trading area to the next and from crude oil to products.
Life at sea helped Lois Zabrocky develop an openness and aptitude to problem-solving that are being deployed to the full as she confronts the challenges facing shipping from the boardroom.
For the demand side to reap the full benefits of this possible global upturn, globalisation must be embraced and the gains from open trade must be a key focus of the policymaker's agenda, replacing any inward-looking policies
For the first time in exactly half a year – container spot rates out of Shanghai have increased after falling for 25 consecutive weeks. On the last day of 2010 – Shanghai Shipping Exchanged disclosed rising spot rates for all destinations including the main trading lanes going to Europe and US West Coast. Following a 29% drop on average spot rates, the index rose 4% during the 52nd week of 2010.
The continued severity of the tanker market conditions has made owners dig deep into the oversupply of capacity. Still BIMCO expects the tanker fleet to keep growing. A short-term rate recovery is not expected, as it is ‘maintenance season’ for the global refining industry in September and October.
What the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) and the working group accomplished last week, was to finalise and agree on a set of procedures for assessment of impact on states from the proposed short-term measures. An important stop block has thus been removed which paves the way for advancement of individual proposals. The meeting didn’t postpone anything.
Holidays are reflections of the culture we live in, however laytime holidays are detached from cultural context. As our perception of current and historic event are biased by personal views, it should come as no surprise that holidays may be disputed – and even controversial. Having clarification on laytime exemptions may avoid disputes.
Rates have struggled all year to beat last years’ performance, and failed miserably to do so beyond Q1, with the exception of Capesizes that managed to deliver stronger freight rates in Q2 also.
