MSI appoints North American director

MSI has appointed John Moulopoulos as director, North America, with responsibility for business development in the Americas. The company said Mr Moulopoulos joins from Boston-based maritime intelligence and data delivery service Marsoft Inc, and his role will include working with North American shipowners and maritime investors, while also drawing on his heritage and network to … Continue reading MSI appoints North American director →

China’s demographic cliff: can shipping live without its golden growth engine?

The demographic sweetspot for China, the 21st century’s driving force of shipping profits, has long passed. This month, Beijing reported its steepest birth rate decline since the Communist Party took power in 1949. Splash Extra investigates what a dwindling population means for global shipping. Adam Kent, managing director at MSI, explains to Splash Extra that … Continue reading China’s demographic cliff: can shipping live without its golden growth engine? →

Shipyard capacity surges but relocation will increasingly take centre stage

Strategic and economic shifts by South Korean builders are designed to counter China’s orderbook dominance, writes Stuart Nicoll, director, MSI. Read more at Xinde Marine.

How to spend it in 2026

According to a new report from Fitch Ratings, next year will still be challenging due to a myriad of geopolitical and policy risks. Shipping will also be hit by the lower GDP growth expected across most major economies in 2026 compared to 2025. Adam Kent, managing director at MSI, agrees with several aspects of this … Continue reading How to spend it in 2026 →

Can hydrogen make good on its clean energy potential?

Ten for ambition, five for achievement. Hydrogen’s journey to alternative fuel solution at scale continues to be a slow one, but the tempo is changing, argues Mariam Tzannatos, hydrogen sector analyst at MSI. Read more at Splash247.com

Shipping markets outlook for H2 2025 – Podcast

Geopolitical disruption in shipping has reached new heights in the first half of 2025 and MSI examine the impact on markets and the outlook ahead. In this latest shipping markets outlook episode, we are joined by analysts from MSI to take a look at the outlook for containers, tankers, dry bulk, and shipbuilding in the second … Continue reading Shipping markets outlook for H2 2025 – Podcast →

MSI Consultancy Case Study – Theoretical Emissions Analysis

MSI is increasingly commissioned to research and analyse the impact of environmental regulation and decarbonisation on vessel operations and fleet profiles. This can be supported with access to MSI SEASCAPE. Our expertise in understanding shipping markets extends to specialist analysis of the industry in the energy transition, including impact on vessel types, cargoes and supply … Continue reading MSI Consultancy Case Study – Theoretical Emissions Analysis →

What will be powering ships in the 2030s?

MSI has given an early indication of the impact that the Net Zero Framework will have on the bunker market, based on data from its new SEASCAPE platform. By extending the annual fuel consumption estimates calculated for 2024 through to 2035, and applying MSI’s forecasts for bunker prices, it is possible to project the future … Continue reading What will be powering ships in the 2030s? →

China’s Shipbuilding Dominance and Global Trade Competition in Context

With data for activity in the global shipbuilding industry now available for 2024, MSI’s Stuart Nicoll estimates that global newbuilding contracting for all ship types was 133m GT, with a more even spread among the main sectors than in recent years.  Collation of the latest data couldn’t have been better timed, given the recent release … Continue reading China’s Shipbuilding Dominance and Global Trade Competition in Context →

Cruise orders: a ‘remarkable turnaround’

Twenty-five cruise ship orders were placed in 2024, slightly lower than MSI had previously anticipated, as some orders at the LOI stage in Q4 slipped into 2025 before finally being confirmed. Nevertheless, this marks a remarkable turnaround for an industry making up lost ground in the wake of the pandemic. Read more at Riviera

Overcapacity fears stalk shipping as ordering at levels not seen since 2007

Shipping is facing overcapacity not seen since 2007, according to Adam Kent, managing director of MSI. Read more at TradeWinds

How cruise ship ordering has ‘rebounded with a bang’

Cruise ship ordering has “rebounded with a bang in 2024”, says MSI, director, Niklas Carlen, with orders for 25 new vessels placed during the first nine months of the year. Although this includes a number of orders that are still at the LOI stage pending confirmation of financing, MSI expects these to be confirmed during … Continue reading How cruise ship ordering has ‘rebounded with a bang’ →

The competition for a place in the shipyards is getting tougher

The slots in China and South Korea for 2026 are “counted on the fingers of the hand”, while those with scheduled delivery in 2027 are now drying up at high speed. “The situation regarding the availability of slots is always complicated until the orders are confirmed. “Orderbook data shows significant yard space for 2027 (about 75% … Continue reading The competition for a place in the shipyards is getting tougher →

China dominates shipbuilding amid slowdown as focus shifts to tankers and bulkers

Consultancy and research company Maritime Strategies International concluded that in 2022 and 2023, newbuilding contracting massively exceeded underlying replacement and incremental demand growth requirements. “After the container-boosted wonder year of 2021, we anticipated contracting would ease back in 2022 and 2023. It now looks like around 137m gross tonnes was ordered over the two years, … Continue reading China dominates shipbuilding amid slowdown as focus shifts to tankers and bulkers →

Dual-fuel ships will command charter and asset price premiums

LNG bunker price expected to start trading at a substantial discount to low-sulphur fuel from 2024, helping create a premium for charter ships burning the fuel. For dual-fuel methanol ships, the picture is less clear even with shipping included into the EU ETS, as the price for green methanol would be significantly higher, according to … Continue reading Dual-fuel ships will command charter and asset price premiums →

The challenges for shipping in the midst of a banking crisis

The shipping industry has faced new challenges over the past 12 months due to higher funding costs following the rise in interest rates. MSI’s Managing Director, Dr Adam Kent, contributes his thoughts on the topic in an article published by Naftemporiki

Podcast: In Focus – Shipping markets and shipbuilding impact

MSI Director, James Frew, talks to The Maritime Podcast and puts the spotlight on the outlook for the shipping markets and shipbuilding, including the developing orderbook, alternative fuels and new ship types. Listen to the podcast here Seatrade Maritime

Marine Money ‘Year in Review’

How EEXI and CII will impact the S&P market

Decarbonisation programmes set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), shipping’s regulatory body, will be one of the most difficult tasks for the industry in the coming years. This starts with the implementation of the EEXI, and CII criteria, all of which aim to reduce carbon intensity and will impact prices of the existing fleet. The … Continue reading How EEXI and CII will impact the S&P market →

Cruise operators still searching for reset

A restart to full operations can’t come soon enough for cruise lines, whose financial position has become increasingly precarious given high debt levels incurred from fleet expansions and the fund raising required to survive the current crisis, Maritime Strategies International (MSI) said in a report. Read more here

‘Cruising’s restart can’t come soon enough’ says MSI director Niklas Carlen

Cruising’s restart can’t come soon enough for an industry that has effectively been closed for business during the last 15 months, says Niklas Carlen, Director, Maritime Strategies International(MSI). Read more in Seatrade Cruise

Saga requires all cruise customers to have Covid vaccine

According to a report from the research consultancy Maritime Strategies International, only 7.5m people took cruises in 2020, compared with almost 30m in 2019. MSI said that it expected 11.9m people to take a cruise this year. Read more in the Financial Times

Car carrier sector shows signs of recovery

Car sales crept up toward pre-pandemic levels toward the end of the year. Tonnage is getting scarce, and an ‘extremely low’ orderbook bodes well for future earnings, MSI research director Niklas Carlen says. Read more in Lloyd’s List

Cruise passenger numbers seen to stage strong 2021 leap but remain way behind 2019

The number of people taking a cruise worldwide this year is likely to stage a strong rebound from 2020, but even this would leave the 2021 levels more than 50% below the figure reached before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019, a leading research and forecasting consultancy Maritime Strategies International (MSI) said in a report. Read … Continue reading Cruise passenger numbers seen to stage strong 2021 leap but remain way behind 2019 →

Cruise recovery in 2021 faces big challenges says MSI

Confidence in the safety of cruise shipping and the economic impact of Coronavirus on potential demand will challenge the industry’s attempts at a full 2021 recovery, according to leading research and forecasting consultancy Maritime Strategies International. Read more in ShipInsight

MSI publishes latest Cruise report

MSI cautious on 2021 recovery forecast for cruise shipping: Concerns over vaccine availability, the resumption of US operations and further mutation of the virus cloud the chances of quick return to normality.