Further evidence that the container trades are under severe pressure on key routes came with publication of the latest World Container Index, which has lost further ground over the past week as rates from Asia to both Europe and the US declined. Rates from Shanghai to Rotterdam have fallen by $74 per feu in the last seven days to $1,631, having been at more than $2,100 a month earlier. They are now at the lowest level for a year, with rates rallying sharply in April 2012 as all lines took co...

Despite the fact that the dry bulk market remains heavily oversupplied and just as the orderbook of newbuildings had began to shrink, it seems that ship owners have made a significant come back to shipyards, investing once more in new orders.   This has been the case so far in 2013 and one could become perplexed as to why owerns are choosing this path, instead of doiong everything in their power to alleviate the tonnage supply pressures currently underway in the freight rate market? E...

Despite fleet over-supply, post-panamax containerships appears to see a continued orders. According to shipbroker Braemar Seascope, during the first quarter of 2013, overall around 30 large containerships of a combined 270,000 teu were ordered, which expanded by six times against a year ago. Orders for ultra-large boxship are placed successively; early this year, Canadian shipowner, Seaspan booked five 14,000-teu and four 10,000-teu at Hyundai Heavy Industries of Korea and China’s Yangzijiang ...

China's steel market will stay weak in May, traditionally a time of peak consumption, with downstream demand still uncertain and low prices expected to persist, the country's steel industry body warned on Thursday.Demand for steel in China, the world's largest consumer and producer of the metal, usually peaks during the second quarter along with construction activity.But first-quarter annual economic growth of 7.7 percent was less than forecast, and manufacturing sector growth slowed in April,...