Survey shows shipping confidence up

Survey shows shipping confidence up    Shipping companies have more confidence about the future than they have in the past 15 months, according to the latest survey by the accounting and consulting firm Moore Stephens.
   It found owners, managers and charterers were all more confident of making a major investment over the next 12 months, while there was a noticeable rise in the numbers of respondents expecting to see an increase in freight rates in the tanker and containership sectors.
   On a scale of 1 to 10, the average confidence level expressed by respondents in the markets in which they operate was 5.9, compared to 5.7 in the previous survey in November 2009.
   The London-based group said the biggest change was in the containership sector, where 45 percent of respondents are expecting rate increases over the next 12 months compared to just 26 percent three months earlier. Containership charterers, owners and brokers all saw a brighter outlook for the sector.