issue 51   |   February 2018

The latest UN Review

of Maritime Transport notes that seaborne trade grew by 2.6% in 2016, up from 1.8% growth the previous year. But supply is still outpacing demand, with the industry expanding its carrying capacity by 3.2% last year. We explore the challenges of balancing supply and demand in the shipping industry.

We find out more about a project to use a schooner, powered by wind and vegetable oil, to carry cargo on the Hudson River, take a look at the conclusion of an investigation into the August 2016 grounding of a container ship on approach to Southampton Port, and profile a new carbon calculator to centralise emissions data for the Panama Canal.

Finally, we take a broad look at the use of drones in the maritime industry, and find out more about workers’ rights in Papua New Guinea, following a government decision to award port operations to a company notorious for poor working conditions.

Katie Woodward, Editor