Q&A: Peter Sand, BIMCO's Chief Shipping Analyst

Peter Sand, responsible for analyzing the commercial markets for dry bulkers, tankers and containerships provides an analytical perspective about the challenges the shipping market is currently facing. BIMCO Market Analysis is taking its outset in the global economic development, because the demand for shipping is a derived demand.

Q: What are the current challenges for Shipping lines in the current bulk shipping market? How are thefortunes of specialized ships for cement faring relative to the general bulker market? 

A: The markets of the two are closely linked to each other. As they can substitute one another. The overall dry bulk market is in a terrible condition, with all owners and operators losing money daily. 

In BIMCO's Road to Recovery project for the dry bulk industry, we project that the sector may become profitable again in 2019, if supply side growth is zero and demand side growth is 2% for the years to come.

In short, seaborne shipping of cement is very cheap, by any standards. It should spur exports, but surely you need endconsumption to pick up. Currently we expect global cement demand at 2.1% in 2017. Shipping of cement growing slightly more.

Read more of this exclusive interview in: CemWeek Magazine Issue 36