'Nearsourcing' debate inconslusive

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.