www.joc.com THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE 21
TOP
TRANS-ATLANTIC
CARRIERS
AND
PORTS
SPECIAL
REPORT
THE TRANS-ATLANTIC TRADE remains
an oasis of calm with modest move-
ments in traffi c and freight rates amid
accelerating consolidation in container
shipping and the launch of two new
carrier alliances that are impacting
other major routes. But political threats
and opportunities could shake up the
trade.
By year-end, the Asia-South Asia
market is likely to overtake the Europe-
North America trade as the fourth-
largest deep-sea route, following the
trans-Pacifi c, Asia-North Europe, and
Asia-Mediterranean lanes. The trans-
Atlantic route can claim to be the most
politically charged, considering it faces
positive and negative developments that
The politically charged
trans-Atlantic trade
maintains slow growth
despite agendas
in the US and EU
By Bruce Barnard
MAKING
POLITICAL
WAVES
