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Shipping was back on the front pages in spectacular fashion last week. For once, it was not the usual case of the industry being painted as evil polluters and mercifully there were no injuries, but pictures of the Suez Canal blocked and the satellite images of the rapidly building queue of ships waiting for the waterway to reopen, put the industry firmly in the public eye. Media speculation that this will lead to shortages of fuel, food and other essentials are probably wide of the mark, but the temporary disruption to shipping will inevitably see rates climb and it has brought attention to the vital role shipping plays to a usually disinterested public, and that is something the industry can take advantage of. Shipping is no longer an out of sight, easy target There were no doubt cries of “Does anyone know anybody in shipping?” across newsrooms around the globe as the first reports came in of the Ever Given getting stranded and an ‘expert’ opinion was sought. In general, the coverage seems to have been fairly balanced despite a few hysterical headlines about world trade being halted. As always with the mainstream media, confusion seemed to reign when it came to deciding exactly what type of ship it was, even though that might seem pretty obvious from the photos and TV footage, but several heavyweight British newspapers distinguished themselves by referring to the ship as a containership, bulk carrier and tanker all in the same article. Meanwhile, one of the scourges of online media, the comments section, saw the keyboard warriors and armchair experts spring forth with plenty of conspiracy theories and solutions to the incident, including one suggestion of “just blow it up” and plenty of pundits asking, “Why do these journalists refer to the ship as Ever Given? It’s the Evergreen, it’s written down the side.” The weeks ahead will see the backlog of ships cleared, the insurance claims filed and the inquiry into why the incident happened all take place. Most important of all will be what is done to try and ensure it does not happen again. It is less than a decade since Maersk Line raised the bar with the introduction of their first Triple E mega containerships and the 20,000+ teu ship is now a staple of all the major liner companies and has been a major contributor to the growth and efficiency of global trade. If it turns out that the sheer size of the ship and exposure to the desert winds were a contributing factor, it’s not really an option to demand that these ships follow the fully laden VLCCs round the cape. The liner companies, their customers and not least the Suez Canal Authority would be reluctant in the extreme to see such disruption to their business models. Whilst hoping that a sensible solution to avoiding such incidents in the future is found, Ever Given has thrust the importance of the shipping industry firmly into the global spotlight. Whilst it is unlikely that it has prompted many teenagers to set their hearts on a career as a P&I Club claims manager, we can only hope that this recognition will see more respect for the role of the seafarer and lead to a more considered approach when any new regulation is being imposed. Shipping is no longer an out of sight, easy target.

Hold the front page – shipping is important

Closure of the Suez Canal will lead to temporary trade disruption, but our special correspondent hopes it will bring a wider appreciation for this largely unseen industry

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