News / Freight rates still tumbling and a liner bear market looms

© Tsung-lin Wu

Maritime analysts are bearish on the outlook for liner shipping, as inventory de-stocking progress in the US and Europe disappoints.

Indeed, MSI’s June Horizon containerships report predicts a “challenging” second half  for the sector, unless demand “picks up sufficiently to offset looming massive capacity injections”.

And it warns: “Moreover, the global macroeconomic environment is still far from favourable, with significant monetary tightening continuing, which we predict will lead to recessions in Europe and the US.”

It adds that it expects “only a small ...