2020, what a year it was. At first, it seemed that the global pandemic did not hit the shipping market as hard as originally thought, but with large cargo volumes still in the pipeline, the worst was yet to come. The development of the shipping market in 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic In March, May, June and July in 2020, industrial activity went down due to lower demand and many factories were shut down as a result of the global pandemic. To stop the spread of the pandemic, people were limited in their movements, which meant that shops closed, tourism stopped and demand for all kinds of products in general came to a dramatic halt. As a result of this, demand for transport was hit hard, which led to ships laying idle and shipping owners not knowing what to do. Layby berths and anchorage areas were full of vessels looking for employment, which provided an imposing landscape to watch, especially here in Rotterdam and surrounding areas.

Written by Bob Kuit, Broker, Hudig & Veder Chartering B.V., The Netherlands