Key US ports, leading global container lines and specialist car carriers will all be adversely impacted should the proposed US auto tariffs be implemented in the second quarter of 2019, according to an impact analysis published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.

The level of satisfaction concerning container carriers among exporters, importers, and freight forwarders falls marginally, according to the third annual shipper satisfaction survey of Drewry and the European Shippers’ Council (ESC).

The container shipping industry is facing an exceptionally high level of uncertainty, ranging from the extra cost associated with IMO 2020 and how much carriers will recover from shippers, to the possibility of a trade recession and unknown future engagement by shipowners in large vessel building programmes, according to Drewry’s latest Container Forecaster.