by Jonathan Mummery, Maritime Analyst, Dynamar

Now that various world economies, trade lanes, and individual producers are beginning to open up, perhaps it is time to take stock.

Towards the end of 2019 and into the beginning of this year, things were starting to look up for the container shipping sector.

While 2019 will not go down as a particularly tough time in the grand scheme of things, many will agree that it could be characterised by one word: uncertainty.

The prolonged trade tensions between the US and China saw many twists and turns, but finally, a phase one deal was signed, albeit the future of the agreement has now been thrown into serious doubt.

However, 2020 was shaping up to be a more stable affair. Yet, through the first quarter of the year, the proliferation of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) hit the container shipping sector hard.

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