Ocean carriers are predicting a slow year for imports. With consumers holding on to their US dollars, imports in the United States are still not where they were just a few years ago.
Shipping companies are slowing the speed of their ships in order to reduce fuel prices.
European countries are working on bailing out both Greece and Italy.
This comes at a bad time, since many shipping lines had increased the size of their ships. New orders for ships are delayed at this time.
One concern at this time is that empty shipping vessels may have to remain in dock, taking up space while awaiting cargo. Some of the large ships are now sailing at below capacity.
The bright side does appear in the United States where US rail shipments are up over last year.
Since shipping and imports are usually a leading edge indicator of coming out of a recession. While the US appears to be making progress, economies around the world seem to have an effect on US worldwide shipping.
The information listed above was taken Handy Shipping Guide wrote an article going into depth about the problems that carriers are encountering as well as predictions for the next year.
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