News / Carriers getting increasingly nervous as protectionist policies gain ground

© Joerg Stoeber

Ocean carriers are getting increasingly nervous over trade tensions and state?subsidised competitors, as protectionist policies continue to gain ground across the globe. 

Several shipping bodies, including the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA) and European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) took to the floor of the WTO this week to express their concerns. 

They presented two papers to the WTO, stating they were “fully committed to the preservation and promotion of free trade policies and principles around the world.” 

Deputy secretary general ...