Will 2017 be a better year for shipping?

WE ARE just a few weeks away from this year's Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) and it is clear that anybody interested in finding out what the industry's prospects look like will have to be very selective in what they attend or be completely overwhelmed.

Running from April 17 to 22, there is something for everybody, but I won't try to go through what is on offer. A calendar of events is on the web at http://www.smw.sg/2017/

But in a way SMW has already started, with pre-event briefings for the Sea Asia 2017 conference and exhibition which takes place during SMW. At the most recent briefing René Piil Pedersen, chairman of the International Committee of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), said that despite challenges in 2016, this year is looking to be a better year for the industry, with projected growth of 2 to 4 per cent in container shipping demand, as well as growing demand in bulk and tanker segments.