Alphaliner

While managing significant volume swings driven by the pandemic and ongoing geopolitical issues, U.S. seaports continue to press forward with efforts to improve infrastructure and build in efficiencies an unwavering attitude that bodes well for the future.

Ocean shipping is again at the mercy of environmental and geopolitical events—and the pessimists are winning over the optimists on the high seas.

While the industry is still caught in the wake of the pandemic and the subsequent string of unprecedented events, profits for the top carriers has never been better.

Long “the sick man” of the transportation ecosystem, the container-shipping industry stands on the brink of a new era of sustainable profitability. But can carriers now step off the boom-and-bust treadmill and continue to balance capacity against demand?

Over the past nine years, the number of global ocean cargo carriers operating in multiple trade lanes has dropped from 21 to 12—yet the container industry remains only marginally competitive. Shippers, meanwhile, are demanding better service in all vessel deployments.