Slowing Boat From China Provides Clue to Health of World Trade

``Shipping companies have been "slow steaming" since the global financial crisis in 2008, as a way to save costs and keep as many ships active as possible... Nike sneakers and Barbie dolls made in China can now take two weeks to arrive in Los Angeles and a month to reach Le Havre, France -- a week longer than if the ships were moving at full speed. And there's scope for ships to go even slower, according to A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S. "This is the new norm," said Rahul Kapoor, a Singapore-based director at Drewry Maritime Services Pvt. "The overall speed of the industry has gone down and there's no going back."''