The COVID-19 outbreak which started in China in late 2019 and then spread worldwide necessitated a set of containment measures, such as border closures and restrictions on mobility. This affected freight turnover which was hindered by limited infrastructure and influenced the behavior of logistics market players who were forced to search for new routes. In this context rail transport became preferable over other modes of transport due to its reliability and uninterrupted functioning.
The half-year health check on the state of the maritime markets finds shipowners in a better place than they anticipated 12 months ago. While tankers will have to wait for a meaningful vaccine-led recovery, box and bulk are booming.
The paths of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recovery of the global economy remain impossible to predict. But it is becoming increasingly clear that, disruptive impact on international trade will leave a lasting mark. Companies should take a fresh, holistic view of the markets and trade relationships that are likely to drive growth and secure competitive advantage in the post-COVID-19 world.
COVID-19 will likely affect trade more profoundly than any other recent crisis. The extent of the disruption will vary by commodity, trade lane, and mode of transport, and it will be steered by local differences in the crisis’s severity
The crisis has demonstrated how essential the logistics industry really is. The impact on logistics companies has varied depending on the types of goods they transport and which industries they serve
The PwC’s Quarterly Review describes the state of the Chinese economy during the most challenging phase of pandemic-related constraints. The research focuses on the state of the private sector of the economy, the country’s exports and imports, and employment.
