IMO 2020: the curved ball that acted as a counterweight for box shipping

© Rudall30

The bellwether Shanghai Containerized Freight Index (SCFI), which records container spot rates from China to the major tradelanes of the world, will end 2019 on a par with last year – but, as usual, the narrative surrounding how that has been achieved is much more complex.

Global container growth has slowed dramatically, with some analysts predicting expansion for the year of just 1% to 2%, compared with the 4% of 2018.

A lacklustre peak season, spooked by the US-China trade war and ...