18 shipping nations warn of structural shift in global maritime trade

Eighteen major shipping nations have warned that global maritime trade is undergoing a structural shift as conflicts, trade restrictions and growing fragmentation put pressure on established shipping rules. The Consultative Shipping Group (CSG) said recent disruptions should no longer be viewed as isolated events. The group pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, drought in the Panama Canal and conflict in the Middle East as examples of mounting pressure on maritime supply chains. “These are not episodic shocks; they are signals of a structural shift in the operating environment of global trade,” the CSG said. The group added that shipping routes are increasingly becoming instruments of leverage and risk.