Making Waves: Looking back at a year of Freight
A year in review through the eyes of Vortexa’s Lead Freight Analyst, Arthur Richier.
Making Waves, my personal newsletter, was launched to lift the curtain on the exciting intricacies of the shipping world. As the year draws to a close we revisit each issue, illustrated with the cartoons of the talented Dr Sheridan Hart.
January 2021: Everything we ought to know about LNG this month
In January, a surge in LNG freight rates set the scene as a fascinating example of freight market economics in action.
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February 2021: Shipping needs to go green to earn some green
In February, tanker market earnings provided a gateway as to how fuel oil fit in the shipping equation. Furthermore, we discussed how the global drive to decarbonise has been at the centre of conversations within the shipping industry as well.
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March 2021: Taking stock of gender diversity in shipping for Women’s History Month
In March we decided to look into more detail at gender diversity within the shipping industry, how far we’ve come and what more can be done.
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April 2021: How the Ever Given grounding shone a light on the world’s maritime choke points
April’s issue allowed me to revisit a past trip to Panama, take a look back on the grounding that captured the world’s attention and identify the weak spots in the seaborne energy trade.
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May 2021: Learning how to sail in an ocean of data
May’s issue allowed a deep dive into freight analytics, what they look like today and could look like in the future, whilst assessing their incredible potential to solve the industry’s challenges.
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June 2021: The shipping cycle and why it’s different this time round
The shipping cycle, an economic cycle identifying fluctuations between growth and recession within the industry, was the focus of the June newsletter. Why? Because it’s never been harder to figure out where we are in the current cycle.
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Summer Special 2021: Shipping and the choppy waves of climate change
On August 9th, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”), a body of the United Nations focused on scientific research around climate change, released a landmark report on humanity’s involvement in global warming. Where do shipping emissions lie in this debate? The Summer Special issue answered that question.
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October 2021: Fist bumps, business cards and an industry comeback
Ever wondered how assassination attempts, London’s alleyways and merchants of the East India Company are all connected? The answer lied within the name of the event that brought a physically fragmented industry back together, after close to 18 months apart: London International Shipping Week. We had missed each other more than we realised.
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December 2021: Why freight pricing used to be an art, not a science? until now
In the final issue of the year we lifted the curtain on freight pricing, and explored how a future fuelled by data is transforming this space. Worth a read to find out how the latest feat by F1 driver Lewis Hamilton during the Brazilian GP tied in with this topic.
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