Developments in the world economy and changes in trade growth and patterns are shaping the demand for commodities and determining the distances over which cargo travels, according to the 2013 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) Review of Maritime Transport. “Interestingly, with much talk about the changing geography of world trade and the growing need to diversify sources of supply, often involving shipments over longer journeys, average distances travelled by global seaborne trade appear to have remained steady over time,” says the review. This trend reflects in particular the growing importance of intraregional trade and, to a lesser extent, some of the production moving closer to markets, although in the latter case, the debate on “nearsourcing” remains rather inconclusive, says the review.
'Nearsourcing' debate inconslusive
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