Shipping Nations Warn Global Trade Is Fracturing — And Everyone Pays
Eighteen shipping nations in the Consultative Shipping Group warned in a joint statement that armed conflicts, trade wars and extreme weather are signs of a structural shift, not one-offs. They said shipping routes are increasingly instruments of leverage and risk, and that fragmentation undermines the rules-based maritime framework. The group also noted hundreds of ships are circumventing sanctions outside standard insurance, safety and transparency frameworks, creating a two-tier system.
Why it matters: This matters for the briefing's theme of fragmentation: the group warns that when shipping supply chains fragment, the global economy fragments with it.