Letters | G20 leaders must preserve maritime trade to keep world’s vital supplies moving

We have just witnessed G20 leaders convene a virtual summit during the most extraordinary circumstances in recent memory.

While it is right that they focused on the difficult situation that countries are facing over the Covid-19 crisis, they must not forget that commercial shipping moves the world’s food, energy, raw materials, manufactured goods and components. These include vital medical supplies, many products sold in supermarkets, and items that, due to complex supply chains, are necessary for the preservation of many jobs in manufacturing – jobs without which society cannot function. Indeed, 90 per cent of all global trade is transported by commercial shipping.

We need to see a more coordinated approach by governments, working alongside the United Nations’ International Maritime Organisation, the World Health Organisation, and other relevant agencies, as otherwise we will be storing up more problems for the world in the coming weeks and months.