Sharjah, United Arab Emirates — Gulftainer, one of the world’s leading privately owned, independent port management and logistics companies, attended the TPM23 trade conference. Joining over 3,500 industry leaders at the TPM23 Conference, Simon Aynsley, Chief Sales Officer at Gulftainer, engaged in insightful sessions to discuss the future of shipping and logistics.
Commenting on the outlook for 2023, Simon Aynsley said: "The industry is recovering from an unprecedented period of growth and disruption where relationships throughout entire supply chains have been challenged. While we are facing new market challenges in 2023, now is a good time for carriers and shippers to collaboratively repair fractured relationships and create confidence and opportunities in the industry's future."
Supply growth is accelerating markedly, with MSI forecasting a 7% fleet growth year-on-year in 2023 and 2024. This has been compounded by new industry regulations relating to emissions that came into force on January 1 2023 (EEXI/CII), leading to increased investment in equipment and port upgrades which Simon Aynsley said have put stakeholders on edge. He commented: "Supply and demand are re-balancing post Covid-19, but despite increased vessel scrapping and replacement of older tonnage due to the new industry emissions regulations, the huge injection of new tonnage over the next two years has created apprehension among all stakeholders."
Organised by The Journal of Commerce, TPM is one of the world's largest trade conferences and signifies the traditional starting point for annual transpacific contract rate negotiation for shippers and carriers who are still reeling from the supply chain crisis of 2021-2022. This year's theme, 'Picking up the Pieces,' explored the post-pandemic reality and how it would impact container supply chains in the future.