One of this year’s big surprises has been the high number of non-newbuilding crude tankers switching to clean trades to take advantage of better rates. This practice effectively reduces the duration that long-range product tankers can significantly outperform suezmaxes and VLCCs

The ‘opening salvo’ in the next trade war came two months before Donald Trump’s inauguration. The president-elect’s tariff threat against China is real, and will impact container shipping immediately. Tariffs targeting Mexico and Canada are viewed as more of a negotiating tactic, with the effects on ocean shipping more hypothetical

Lower share prices could spur more private takeovers of public companies in 2025. M&A transactions could also be driven by the urgent need for fleet renewal, although deal flow could hinge on whether asset values for modern tonnage retreat to levels acceptable to buyers

The Houthi rebels wanted to inflict pain on Israel — but there were unintended consequences. The Red Sea crisis has boosted container shipping profits and equity values, providing Israeli billionaire Idan Ofer the opportunity to cash out of his Zim stake at a high point

The larger China’s role in shipbuilding and the greater its control of the global fleet, the more Western owners could ‘be playing with an increasingly shrinking percentage of the pie’ — particularly if geopolitical tensions flare

Spot freight rates for container shipments from Asia to the US west coast continue to slide. Either US importers are not frontloading cargo yet in anticipation of a port strike and Trump tariffs, or there are too many containerships in the Pacific