Shipping Trade and Transport News 5th November 2015

 

Port News 

 

Panama Canal

Ocean carriers are canceling services and telling some shippers they can expect weeklong delays due to considerable and unexplained congestion through the Panama Canal. Delays are currently as high as ten days according to reports.

Greek Pilots Strike Extended 

The strike by pilots and tugs in the Greek port of Piraeus was extended by 48 hours which kept barge loadings from refineries suspended for the third consecutive day.

APM Terminals completes agreement with MOU with Qingdao Port Group

Qingdao Port Group met with APM Terminals executives in The Hague to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the APM Terminals Vado, Italy port project. We are not aware of the terms at this stage.

Bunker News

Prices remain stable from the fall in September.

Pricing continue to call in Singapore, Rotterdam with increases in Fujairah and Houston
Full details are available on request.

 

EU Daily Updates

EU, New Zeland commence talks over free trade.

New Zealand and the European Union launched free trade talks on Thursday that would give the small farming nation open access to Europe's 500 million consumers

Technical experts fear 'digital protectionism.

As American tech giants extend their global reach, fears are growing on their side of the Atlantic over trade barriers some see as "digital protectionism."

US-EU free trade talks advance with 2016 deal expected

Negotiators for a huge transatlantic free trade pact said Friday they were aiming to conclude a deal next year, after making "substantial progress" this week at talks in in Miami.

The Risk of Brexit: Britain and Europe in 2015 

This is a critical time for the relationship between Britain and Europe, as politicians debate the balance of competencies between governance at EU and national levels. Charting how recent political developments have changed the debate surrounding Britain's membership of the European Union, this book poses a series of questions about how this debate will unfold over the course of the coming months and years: How has the renegotiation agenda shifted? How will EU partners respond to threats of departure from Britain? What is the impact of the rise of right-wing parties like Ukip? What will the 2015 general election and its highly unpredictable outcome change? What are the politics of a referendum on membership in 2017? By seeking answers to these questions, Roger Liddle assesses whether a series of miscalculated gambles by David Cameron and his forebears have left Britain teetering on the edge of Brexit.

Contry economic forecast United Kingdom (full details available)

European Economic Forecast Winter 2014
Forecasts for United Kingdom	2012	2013	2014	2015
GDP growth (%, yoy)	0,3	1,9	2,5	2,4
Inflation (%, yoy)	2,8	2,6	2,0	2,0
Unemployment (%)	7,9	7,6	6,8	6,5
Public budget balance (% of GDP)	-6,1	-6,3	-5,2	-4,2
Gross public debt (% of GDP)	88,6	91,4	93,4	94,5
Current-account balance (% of GDP)	-3,7	-3,8	-3,3	-3,2