As outlined in yesterday's member notice, an FTA / APSA contingent met with the Trade Minister and advisors who heard our shipping / air cargo concerns and commenced discussion to proactively examine a way forward – hopefully we will be in a position to share more detail soon.
We have also shared with the Trade Minister and Deputy Prime Minister's office the attached latest Global Shippers Forum (GSF) /MDST Review covering Q1 2021.
A joint News Release is also attached that summarises and comments on the Review's findings.
Given the evidence, GSF has been forthright in connecting the threat that the disruptions and capacity constraints in the shipping market are now presenting to nations' economic activity and speed of recovery from the effects of the Covid pandemic. It clearly forges a connection between the container shipping industry's under-performance and the availability of goods and inflationary pressures in their economies.