[ad_1]
Growth expected in Klaipeda
Algis Latakas, the new director of the Klaipeda State Port Authority, also acknowledged the impact of the pandemic on the maritime business.
“This period has not been easy for many ports, especially in Latvia. Klaipeda’s performance is better than the average of all eastern Baltic ports. Cargo handling in eastern Baltic ports decreased on average by 7 percent. , in Klaipeda, 6.6 percent, “he said.
Not only Klaipeda, but also other ports in the region will suffer damage due to the interruption of the cruise season.
Much is expected in the port of Klaipeda from the second half of the year. A good cereal harvest is expected, with more petroleum products, miscellaneous or general cargo, including containers.
It is probable that in the second half of the year no measures will be taken to slow down the economy and the movement of goods. COVID-19 is expected to continue to be affected by trade relations between Europe and Asia, as was the case in the first half of the year.
The worst is in the past
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is experiencing its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Fortunately, the worst-case scenarios did not materialize.
Clarksons Research, a leading analytics firm for the maritime industry, has estimated that by 2020 In the first half of the year, the volume of international maritime trade will decline by 5.6 percent. That’s neither too much nor too little: a billion tons of cargo. In May alone, the drop was 10.9 percent.
Trend: “Vakarų laivų gamykla” started operating new docks in a timely manner, as the construction of new large ships may require more frequent repairs. / VLG Photo
According to Clarksons Research, this decline in shipping billing is even greater than during the 2008-2009 recession. Then the volume of maritime trade was reduced by 4.1 percent.
Lloyd’s experts see a more optimistic picture. They estimate that maritime trade will be only 3% lower by 2020. They see a trend than in 2021. Maritime trade will increase 5% between now and 2022-2024. on average 3% each. every year.
Maritime trade is mainly reflected in container traffic. Litmus Paper is the world’s largest Danish shipping company, Maersk Line. Their volumes fell 15-18% during the crisis in the second quarter of this year, and even as much as 25% in May. For some analysts like SeaIntelligence Consulting, this suggests that the world will lose about 10 percent by 2020. containers. That works out to about 80 million. TEU.
The world economy is too tied to China. The first to experience an epidemic and stifle the economy, it partially pushed the rest of the world into the abyss. Now Chinese production is already recovering. It already reaches about 85 percent. 2019 volume. This is encouraging for the overall recovery in shipping.
Opportunities for ship repairers
However, the maritime business is not just about shipping. Without a doubt, the global cruise business will fall into the biggest economic crisis. There is hardly any region where it would develop. Hundreds of cruise ships are out of work and causing huge losses to their owners as the ships need maintenance.
World shipbuilding has also been affected by the crisis. In 6 months, 758 new ships have been built around the world. 2019 during that time, 873 were built. Shipbuilding volumes fell by an average of around 20 percent and worst-case scenario didn’t materialize, as much as 40 percent was forecast. decrease.
Some ships are built by inertia or due to previously signed contracts. The question remains how new vessels will be contracted, as the ship surplus is now around 10 percent.
Impact: Maersk Line’s activity is considered the litmus test for maritime transport, which fell between 15% and 18% in the first half of this year. / Editorial file photo
The impact of the pandemic on the shipbuilding business will continue for several years. This year alone, order activity for new ships has dropped by as much as 80 percent. Ships carrying cars are hardly ordered anymore. Tanker orders fell dramatically. But there have also been some interesting trends. Smaller cruises with several hundred people have begun to be ordered. It is like a response to cases related to COVID-19, where the dangers of invading large ships have been identified.
The general trend is 2019. During the first half of the year, 105 passenger ships, including cruise ships, were built in the world, and in the first half of this year only 17 of them were built. Hundreds of people from Lithuania, mostly from the Western Lithuanian region, worked on passenger ships and cruise ships under construction at various European shipyards.
There is also a positive trend that Klaipeda ship repairers can use. With ship orders declining globally, ship repair volumes may increase at least for some time, especially if shipping recovers as expected.
[ad_2]
