Thomas H. Belknap, Jr., Editor
It seems that every time I write one of these notes, it is against the backdrop of some new global upheaval—the latest, of course, being the war in Ukraine. I am of a certain generation whose memory of World War II was through our parents, but not so distant that we were not regularly exposed to people with first-hand experiences with the horrors of that war. How many times have we said never again, only to be proved wrong?
The world currently hangs between the terrible tragedy that has already unfolded and the terrifying unknown of just how much worse things could still get. And yet, through this all, I have been repeatedly inspired by our Ukrainian friends who have shown the world the true meaning of the term “soldier on,” both in simultaneously defending their homeland and continuing to work and care for their families and friends. Their experience certainly puts our own “problems” in perspective.
Apart from the human tragedy, this war has imposed new complications and challenges on the global economy and, particularly, in shipping. As with the pandemic, the true impacts of this global disruption will be felt for months and years to come in ways we can only now imagine. And yet, as always, with great disruption comes great opportunity, and we have no doubt that our clients and friends are already hard at work looking for new ways to proactively harness this rapidly changing business environment. In today’s age, it seems, rapid change is “business as usual.”
In this issue of Mainbrace, we address the impact of the war on maritime commerce as well as some of the “business as usual” stories that are always relevant to players in the shipping field. We hope you enjoy these articles. As always, we welcome suggestions for topics for future issues of Mainbrace.
Peace to all.