What the Future Holds For Container Shipping

If you had a crystal ball, and you could look into the future to see where the ocean freight industry is heading, what might you see?

While we do not have a physical crystal ball, experts in the shipping industry can weigh in and give academic predictions and estimations about 2014. For example, in the future, with carriers adjusting to the harsh realties of the supply and demand in the shipping world, the usage of 3PLs (third party logistics providers), such as freight forwarders, will certainly increase. Freight forwarders have incredible strengths that suit shippers well in 2014. Some of these strengths include offering spot rates for shipping containers, which will help 3PLs who are also registered as an NVOCC. In addition, 3PLs have groundbreaking technology that offers instant freight quotes online.

Carriers are especially concerned about what the future may hold in 2014. There are increasing expenses for carriers, and they are trying to cut expenses at the same time. The Journal of Commerce recently predicted that the top 20 ocean freight carriers in 2014 should continue to lose money. There is also a concern about volatile freight rates. There is also some good news next year for ocean freight shipping. They also predicted that US imports will increase by 6% in 2014 and there is mass excitement about the anticipation of the new P3 Network.

While there are some obstacles in the future for cargo shipping, there are also some reasons to remain confident that the industry will be very successful.