Battening down the hatches: How should the maritime industries weather the financial tsunami?

This paper investigates the major impacts of the financial tsunami on the maritime industries, notably port and shipping. The maritime industries are still reeling from market declines, with stakeholders still attempting to weather the storm as best as they can through various strategies. However, such strategies are not uniform, where significant diversifications have been noted between major markets and stakeholders. Looking ahead, this paper has identified four major issues, of which they are believed to play key roles in shaping the maritime industries in the post-2008 world. They include the changing patterns of global trades, the importance of being green, the changing government-industrial relations and the need for transparency. Each of these issues has the potential to alter the future maritime industries in diversified, but significant, ways.