The signals have been flashing curiously green in container shipping of late. Spot rates are up. Charter rates and durations are up. Secondhand ship sales are brisk and asset prices are rising. Idled tonnage is down. Carriers are not sending many older vessels for demolition. The warning Tuesday from leading container shipping consultancy Drewry: Those signals won’t be flashing green much longer.
“We would be confident if the foundations for recovery were in place but we just don’t see them,” said Simon Heaney, editor of Drewry’s “Container Forecaster” report, during a presentation on his company’s latest sector outlook.
