Pathway to Solutions

Read the full newsletter here.

In the past few months, we have seen governments balking at the higher cost of maritime transport as they try to mitigate the impacts of inflation on their constituents while watching multi-billion-dollar profits, which are predicted to be even higher in 2022.  In response, the United States has instituted regulations on companies to balance their trade (Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022), and companies like CMA CGM are being asked to Have you ever watched ants?  While not my normal occupation, I am occasionally struck by their resourcefulness and ingenuity.  For example, the other day I saw an ant carrying a breadcrumb that was three times its size.  In another area, I witnessed an ant overcome an obstacle course to reach its quarry—a cookie!!!

There is an analogy to be drawn here for shipping.  As an industry, we consistently “punch above our weight” as the engine of global trade.  Despite all the odds of Mother Nature, geopolitics and variable market forces, we deliver value consistently.

In this decade, we are also participants and players in the evolution of our industry, despite the many obstacles in our way.  In this week’s news, I am struck by the ingenuity and resourcefulness demonstrated by our industry as we face the “Decade of Demand”.  Commercial vessels collecting marine, a coalition of maritime interests producing a “Just in Time” platform to decrease dwell times, hydrogen powered fuel cell barge to provide shore power, and the launch of Starlink which will provide additional capacity for satellite communications.

From the Phoenicians to today, the maritime industry finds solutions—but at an unprecedented pace!

Keep optimizing,
Carleen

Media Contact:
Carleen Lyden Walker

+1.203.255.4686
c.walker@shippinginsight.com