The UN trade and development body has warned that global maritime trade is entering a period of fragile growth, rising costs and mounting uncertainty.
After firm expansion last year, seaborne trade volumes are forecast to rise by just 0.5 per cent in 2025, the slowest pace in years, according to UNCTAD's Review of Maritime Transport 2025, launched in Geneva.
The slowdown comes as geopolitical tensions, new trade barriers and climate pressures reshape shipping routes, push up costs, and expose vulnerabilities in the global economy.
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Business News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.