Yossi Sheffi, Professor of Engineering at MIT, looks at the hurdles that must be overcome for more effective collaboration in the maritime sector.
As the world economy started gathering momentum in 2017 and 2018, the volume of sea-borne trade began trending upward, albeit from a low, following the anemic recovery of the previous decade.
While prospects for the industry are positive in the next few years, trade protectionism and the possibility of trade wars are still concerning.
In fact, while trade was growing at more than twice the world’s GDP between 1990 and 2008, a decade later it has been growing either in tandem with GDP or just above GDP growth.
This trend is expected to continue. At the same time, customers demand better levels of service, increasing the pressure on thin-margin shipping lines.
