The 2007 edition of the Review of Maritime Transport provides a detailed account of main developments affecting world seaborne trade, freight markets and rates, ports, surface transport, logistics services as well as world fleet-related issues, including ownership, control, age, tonnage supply and productivity.

The Review contains a chapter on legal and regulatory developments as well as a regional chapter that focuses on Asia.

Key developments reported in the 2007 edition include the following:

• In 2006, world seaborne trade (goods loaded) increased by 4.3 per cent to reach 7.4 billion tons
• At the beginning of 2007, the world fleet, breaking for the first time the 1 billion deadweight tons (dwt) mark, expanded by an impressive 8.6 per cent and reached 1.04 billion dwt. Developed countries controlled 65.9 per cent of the world total, with developing countries and economies in transition controlling 31.2 per cent and 2.9 per cent, respectively
• At the beginning of 2007, the average age of the world fleet dropped marginally to 12 years. Containerships represented the youngest fleet with an average of 9.1 years
• According to the latest data available for 2005, global freight costs represented 5.9 per cent of the value of world imports. Developing countries and the economies in transition continued to bear the incidents of high transport costs
• In 2006, world container port throughput increased by 13.4 per cent to reach 440 million TEUs. Developing countries handled 65 per cent of this total. During the same year, international rail freight transport also expanded, lead by growth in China and India, while the global road transport market grew by 4.5 per cent
• Important regulatory developments in 2007 include the resumption of negotiations on trade facilitation at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the adoption of a new International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
• Relevant developments in the field of transport and supply chain security include those under the auspices of the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the IMO. In 2007, UNCTAD published a report relating the results of a wide-ranging survey which, for the first time, establishes some actual data on the range and order of magnitude of costs related to the implementation and compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS).

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An ad hoc expert group meeting on "globalization of port logistics: opportunities and challenges for developing countries" will be held on Wednesday, 12 December 2007, in room IX of the Palais des Nations, Geneva, starting at 10 a.m.

The purpose of the meeting is to examine the most suitable ways for developing countries to meet the challenges and opportunities that the globalization of logistics may pose to their national trade and investment policies, in the light of recent trends in international maritime transport and developments in sea, river and inland terminals.


 

The issue of transit transport is at the forefront of deliberations by the international community, including through the process initiated by the Almaty Programme of Action, which was adopted in 2003. The United Nations General Assembly has confirmed that an Almaty mid term review will take place in 2008 with the aim to take stock of the developments and progress thus far.

The lack of territorial access to the sea adversely affects the competitiveness of landlocked countries in the global economy and hence their ability to participate in and benefit from international trade. UNCTAD has for many years worked on removing obstacles faced by landlocked developing countries and transit developing countries, and has brought tangible solutions. In its experience, the establishment of efficient transit transport systems which use infrastructure and facilities along the transit route depends mainly on successful cooperative arrangements between landlocked developing countries and their neighbours. To this extent, emerging transport management techniques, such as those incorporating information and communication technology in integrated transport systems and door-to-door logistic services, can be highly relevant in improving transit transport efficiency.

The expert meeting will analyse recent trends in regional cooperation in transit transport. It will identify models and best practices to improve international transit transport operations based on practical solutions, including the use of information technologies and systems. It will also review the institutional operational arrangements for multimodal door-to-door transport operations and best practices of successful transit arrangements, and will elaborate central elements for improving the efficiency of transit transport operations.


 

Item4: Efficient Transport and trade facilitation 
Developing countries need to consider new developments in the area of transport and trade facilitation when identifying their priorities and formulating related policies. Lack of transport connectivity and trade facilitation, and high transport costs, increase the risk of marginalization of landlocked developing countries. Enabling legal and regulatory frameworks, and access to global transport networks, are paramount to transport and trade facilitation.

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The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) are organizing a two-day workshop to strengthen the work of national and regional trade facilitation bodies.

The workshop aims to identify best practices in establishing effective national and regional trade facilitation bodies and ensuring their sustainability. It will highlight the needs and main challenges in facilitating trade at the national and regional level. Speakers will also present the latest developments in trade facilitation tools and instruments


 

Recent developments in international trade and transport have led to an increased use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by traders and transport service providers. This also has a significant bearing on Customs and other operations at border crossings and in ports. In the context of the Doha Round, Members of the World Trade Organization have now started text-based negotiations on trade facilitation. Possible commitments resulting from these negotiations will invariably be linked to the availability of trade and transport related ICT tools in developing countries. ICTs are expected to play an increasing role in the design and implementation of Customs modernization programmes and other trade and transport facilitation measures. ICT applications can reduce waiting times at border crossings and at ports, secure appropriate processing of fees and Customs duties, simplify formalities, and provide timely information to transport operators. The use of ICTs in areas such as Customs automation, electronic documentation and advance information in logistics is likely to continue to grow in coming years. Developing countries must be proactive in reaping full benefits from ICT tools available worldwide to reduce transaction costs and enhance supply capacities.

During the three-day meeting, experts will analyse recent trends in the use of ICT in global trade and transport, as well as the resulting requirements for Customs modernization and other trade and transport facilitation measures. These requirements will be related to available ICT tools and their applicability to the realities of developing countries and least developed countries. Experts will further discuss capacity building and technical assistance requirements to implement specific technology-based trade facilitation measures, including those concerning the institutional, commercial, legal and operational environment for Customs and other operations at border crossings and in ports.

Immediately after this three-day event, a Global ASYCUDA Users´ Meeting has been scheduled to be held on Thursday, 19 October 2006. The objective of this meeting is to present the latest developments of the ASYCUDA Programme, including the web-based ASYCUDAWorld system.

 

The current Doha Round negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) under the auspices of the World Trade Organization (WTO) cover, among other services, the transport services sector. New ideas seeking to extend negotiations on maritime transport services to reflect the underlying logic of door-to-door transport have emerged during the negotiations. Highlighting the importance of supply chain efficiency for trade, growth and development, several WTO Members have called for an extension of the scope of the negotiations to cover multimodal transport and logistics services. It is argued that emerging market realities and recent trends in the fields of transport and trade should be reflected in the Doha Round of negotiations. Against this background, this paper reviews relevant developments in WTO negotiations on transport and logistics services and examines issues that call for consideration by developing countries when they are devising their negotiating strategies and formulating their GATS market access requests and offers. To conclude, the paper offers suggestions on how developing countries could contribute in a positive manner to the negotiations, while aware of the potential implications of new commitments.

This CD-Rom provides information on existing Customs and transit conventions and procedures with an opportunity of a self-practice exercise.

International transportation of goods is increasingly carried out on a door-to-door basis, involving more than one mode of transportation. International multimodal transport may reduce transit times and transaction costs, but unless Customs formalities at each border crossing are simplified, the potential advantages of multimodal transport will not be achieved. Various multilateral conventions have been ratified by developed countries and increasingly so by developing countries to solve Customs problems affecting transit. To strengthen understanding of the impact of international conventions on international transport, this CD-Rom provides an introduction to transit-related Customs procedures and reviews the main international Customs and transit conventions. The self-practice exercise allows for an individual learning process and provides feedback on progress made.

To order a copy of the CD-ROM please contact trade.logistics@unctad.org

This document reviews the current approach to maritime transport security and suggests an alternative analytical framework that reflects better the complex nature of increasingly integrated international transport systems. The development and application of risk assessment and management techniques to maritime security must take into account the complex regulatory and operational context in which the maritime industry operates. The focus is to shift the subject of maritime security from the current agenda of facility-security to an extended framework of supply chain security.

The paper introduces an initial security risk assessment and management framework capable of reflecting the logistics scope of transport networks. The document also reviews existing approaches to measuring transport security compliance costs and funding schemes adopted by industry and governments in order to finance the costs of security regulations.

While advocating the adoption of any particular security measure is not within the scope of this analysis, the paper nevertheless argues that the new international security regulatory framework is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity to be seized. Although the new security requirements impose an additional regulatory burden on all concerned parties, security-driven business practices and operational procedures have the potential of improving efficiency and trade competitiveness.

Item4: Transport and trade facilitation 
are crucial for the competitiveness and development potential of developing countries. At the same time, a country´s level of development affects its capacity to implement facilitation measures, and this should be considered during the ongoing multilateral negotiations on this issue at the World Trade Organization. Ongoing changes in the legal and regulatory framework of international trade and transport also have important implications for development. UNCTAD´s research and analytical work, advisory services and technical assistance should further support developing countries in these matters. In this context, the Commission will consider the report of the Expert Meeting on Trade Facilitation as an Engine for Development. (See EM24)

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This year´s Review indicates that, while world output grew by 4.1 per cent in 2004, world seaborne trade (goods loaded) increased by 4.3 per cent. Worldwide fleet expansion continued at a pace of 4.5 per cent. World container port traffic expanded by 9.6 per cent over that of the previous year, reaching 303.1 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units), with ports of developing countries handling 122.4 million TEUs, or 40.4 per cent of the total...  More

Long waiting times at border crossings or at ports, inappropriate fees or formalities, and unclear trade and transport rules and regulations can all become serious obstacles to trade and as a consequence adversely affect investment and the creation of employment. Developing countries depend on effective trade facilitation for their development process; they will only benefit from the opportunities arising from the "new geography of trade", including increased exports of manufactured goods and more South-South trade, if their imports and exports are not confronted with excessive transaction costs, uncertainty and delays. Developing countries must be proactive in designing and implementing trade and transport facilitation measures for enhancing efficiency, reducing transaction costs and maintaining supply capacities. 

With its inclusion in the WTO General Council Decision (the July Package), trade facilitation remains at the forefront of the development agenda of most developing countries, with increased activities aimed at raising awareness and capacity building. WTO Members have started a negotiating process on trade facilitation with a focus on the clarification and improvement of GATT 1994 Articles V, VIII and X, which deal respectively with transit issues, fees and formalities, and the transparency of trade procedures. 

During the three-day meeting, experts and resource persons will analyse the increased need for trade and transport facilitation and the insertion of facilitation measures into the development process. They will further discuss ways of establishing national needs and priorities as regards trade and transport facilitation, as well as the requirements in terms of technical assistance and capacity building to implement specific trade facilitation measures that aim at building the required institutional, commercial, legal and operational environment for effective integration into the global economy.
 

A day before the Expert Meeting on Trade Facilitation as an Engine for Development, the GFPTT/UNTFN will hold its biannual meeting at the Palais des Nations, Geneva.

The programme of the meeting includes:
1. The Changing Scenario for Trade and Transport Facilitation
2. Mobilizing Institutional Support: An Exercise in International Cooperation
3. Panel: The Private Sector's Role in the Support to the Trade Facilitation Agenda

For further information, please contact: Jan.Hoffmann@UNCTAD.org

Although landside expansions are a cornerstone of strategic port planning, inland infrastructure/ superstructure development plans are usually designed to satisfy the needs of shipping services, e.g. through the provision of container freight stations and marshalling areas to accommodate ships’ cargo. Similarly, the segmentation of the port market has traditionally been oriented towards the sea-leg component of the transport chain; with port marketing and competitive strategies being typically formulated to meet the requirements of sea transport and related shipping services. This situation is far from being desirable not only because it disintegrates the port system from the total transport and logistics chain, but also because it unnecessarily binds the entire port system to sea transport and impedes ports’ potential to integrate land operations and management. This study attempts to analyse ports’ potential to develop landside connections and facilities and integrate the land-leg interface of the trade, logistics, and supply chain system. It examines main operational and management practices in international shipping services versus those of land transport systems, and proposes a framework for port's landside integration, with particular emphasis on appropriate tools of assessment and analysis. Finally, a number of policy initiatives, such as organizational reform and technological developments, are put forward with a view to ensure successful landside integration and management particularly for ports in developing countries.

A Single Window is a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements. Guatemala introduced a first Single Window for export procedures in 1986. This first initiative led to a reduction of the time to process and issue an export licence from 10–12 days to 6–8 days. In 2000, a pilot of an electronic and more advanced version of the Single Window was successfully launched. By 2003, the new system covered companies accounting for 65 per cent of all export transactions and an export licence can now be obtained within a few minutes. Other advantages of the new system include a reduction of costs, the possibility to obtain licences