Maritime security in the wake of Covid-19

Brett Hosking and Akshat Arora, of the Standard Club, remind the shipping sector that it cannot ignore security in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic

The start of 2020 saw many shipping companies and analysts forecasting an uptick in world trade. Indeed, the watchword of many CEOs was cautious optimism or similar sentiments. Now, with the global spread of Covid-19, any business leader willing to provide a reliable prediction beyond tomorrow is either very brave or has been self-isolating for so long that they have failed to notice the world has changed immeasurably since the beginning of the year. It is no surprise that the World Trade Organization recently suggested that world trade is set to decline 13 per cent to 32 per cent in 2020.