Time for a change

摘要

My time at Solutions has been an interesting one for me and coincided with what was probably one of the most dynamic periods in the industry from both a commercial and a technological point of view. When I joined in mid-2001 the Baltic Dry Index had been jogging along merrily, averaging around 1,500 for 15 years or more. Then came the tragic events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and all those working in the industry and beyond predicted dire times ahead. There was indeed a sudden sharp decline, but by the end of 2001 the index was again on the up. Astonishingly, it climbed almost non-stop for three years before reversing again for a short while - seemingly to gather breath - before soaring to record levels by the end of 2007. What happened thereafter truly was a 'fiscal cliff' with the index losing more than 11,000 points before hitting a 23-year low of 663 in the space of a few months. This was followed by a rebound that lasted just one year, and a gradual decline ever since.