Trends in container shipping

In the tradition of the Liner Shipping Conferences in the eighties, the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics organised again a Maritime Conference in Bremen. The aim of the conference in December 2008 was to analyse and to forecast the trends and perspectives of the international container shipping market. The international shipping industry and the global container shipping market have recently seen some of the most successful years in history. Excellent employment and high charter rates initiated a very strong order boom, especially in the highest size classes of 8.000 TEU to 12.000 TEU vessels and beyond. This development of accelerated fleet expansion met a cooling down period in global economy as a consequence of the worldwide financial crisis. The implications for the international trade markets have also affected the shipping industry and the container shipping market. Against this background the main topics of the Maritime Conference 2008 were: World economy, trade and shipping; vessel size development and its implications; implications of market growth on ports and hinterland; financing and taxation aspects.