Analytics

USM analyzed the financial performance of leading shipping companies for the first six months of 2024.

In 2024, international shipping continues to face serious challenges. The main difficulties for the market are caused by fluctuating demand for container transportation, rising fuel costs and, above all, the protracted crisis in the Red Sea.

In the world, the interest of tourists in cruise vacations is growing, the number of newly built liners is increasing. Meanwhile, protests continue in some ports as the industry is criticized for its environmental impact.

Greek shipowners, who recently left the list of “war sponsors” from the NAC, still continue to transport Russian oil, in particular, to EU ports. USM shows, on the example of one tanker, how unscrupulous companies cooperate with an aggressor country.

In 2023, a new and mysterious company “Kurow Shipping” appeared on the tanker market. The company attracted attention by immediately ordering eight new tankers at one of the Chinese shipyards. In addition, Kurow Shipping may be associated with the transportation of Russian oil.
Why this case is something new for companies of the so-called shadow fleet – read in the USM article.

According to analysts’ forecasts, the sale prices of Ukrainian wheat of the new crop will be higher than last year’s. Farmers plan to sell grain at least $200 per ton. USM analyzed current prices on the Ukrainian and world markets.

Over the past year, the volumes of orders for gas carriers have reached record levels. How the situation in the gas market has changed, who will become the new leader in LNG exports, and what russia has to do with it — read in the USM article.

Argus’ agriculture analytics arm Agritel has revised down its estimate for russia’s 2023 wheat production owing to mixed weather conditions for winter crops, but still expects an output comparable with production highs in 2017 and 2020, if far below 2022’s record harvest.

Four EU countries have already introduced a temporary ban on the import of grain from Ukraine. In fact, it is also about the transit of agricultural products. Negotiations are ongoing, the situation is worsening due to the peak of sowing, the blockade of vessel inspections in the Bosphorus and the uncertainty of the future of the agricultural market.

Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian seaports has caused a lot of damage to our country. It was because of the blockade by russian federation that the Ukrainian ports on the Danube were able to activate and even equalize the actual cargo traffic with the passport traffic. USM tells what the year of war turned out to be for the Danube ports, and what Izmail, Reni and Ust-Dunaisk should expect this year.

In order to pass the difficult for the economy year 2023, Ukraine needs to unblock ports for the export of metallurgical products.