SCS Safmarine

The recent devastating effect that the earthquake and tsunami that Japan has suffered has had a negative domino effect on many industries right across the globe.

The motor industry has been hit really hard, and so has the fishing industry.
Some of the smaller ports in Japan have disappeared altogether; the oil refining industry has also been adversely affected.

As Japan slowly recovers and starts to rebuild, it will have to make use of other forms of energy besides making use of oil in the reconstruction of many industries and sectors; this is no doubt going to be a mammoth task. It is obvious that the demand for commodities, including coal, will be in great demand by this hard-hit and devastated nation as it starts to rebuild bit by bit.

Although companies such as Grindrod have been conducting business with Japan from time to time, it seems as though this will increase as the demand for commodities increases, thus escalating the shipping of essential supplies to this country.

Being able to get the commodities out of the port is often a problem; therefore the deliveries are not as fast as they should be.

Shipping in Japan is going to take a while to recover, but the Japanese are renowned for their hard work and tenacity, therefore it should be sooner rather than later that they are up and running as efficiently pre-tragedy