#Ports&Shipping –The latest IMDO Weekly Shipping Market Review includes the following stories as detailed below.

Container Market: Box volumes at North European ports to maintain growth - Box traffic in Northern Europe's six largest ports will rise by 6.9% in the latter half of 2014, Lloyd's List has reported. According to the latest Global Port tracker report published by Hackett Associates and the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics, imports will increase 5.1% and exports 2.5% throughout Europe during the six-month period.

Tanker Market: US Shale to drive LPG market and tanker demand-  Record shipments of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the US, resulting from increasing shale oil production, is set to cause rising tanker demand, Bloomberg has reported. US exports of LPG – used primarily for cooking, heating and in the petrochemicals industry as a feedstock – reached record levels of 506,000 bpd during April, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), as production has gradually risen in response to higher oil prices and improved techniques for extraction of gas trapped in shale rock.

Ports: Congestion at European ports set to continue -Rising congestions at North European ports is set to continue as vessel sharing alliances develop, the latest research from Drewry indicates. A number of factors have led to the current congestion, particularly at Rotterdam and Hamburg. Upgrading of existing facilities and larger volume surges resulting from the increased average size of box ships have both placed constraints on terminal capacity.

For more on each of the above and other stories click the PDF downloadable IMDO Weekly Markets Review (Week 27). In addition to coverage on Afloat.ie's dedicated Ports & Shipping News section.