Now that the clouds of economic doom and gloom are showing signs of lifting, the liner shipping industry - carriers, shippers and third-party logistics providers included - have the opportunity to shift from survival mode to driving innovation and true competition into the business.
Numerous firms spent the past two years suspending services, withholding investments and eliminating staff simply to keep their heads above water. Most major players involved with international freight transportation lived through the onslaught largely intact.
While freight volumes are increasing modestly with the gradual return of consumer confidence, there is now enough activity in the pipeline to sustain existing transport capacity, earn some profits, and make some overdue efficiency-based investments.
