Issue 69   |   March 2020

The overwhelming

impact of coronavirus on the Chinese shipping markets is still playing out, with restrictions placed on outbound trade bringing some shipyards to a standstill. However, in the long term, will the merger of two of China’s biggest shipbuilders – announced before the start of the year - have an impact on competition in Asia?

We ask what ports can do to help tackle people smuggling; what authorities of the Suez and Panama shipping canals are doing to mitigate climate change; and how Nigeria is aiming to bolster its position as a key gateway to Europe.

Also in this issue, we find out how an EU-funded project is attempting to usher in a new era of lightweight materials in shipbuilding, find out about a new UK-based research facility aiming to boost cybersecurity awareness, and ask whether current methods for tracking and tracing ship pollution are good enough.

Joe Baker, editor