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

Irish Economy: EU/US trade deal - Ireland will benefit more than any other European country except Britain if the European Union and United States hammer out a new trade deal, a leading German think-tank believes. A deal that leads to "deep liberalisation" could boost average incomes here by almost 7% and create more than 18,000 jobs, the Ifo Institute said in a report published this week. The US would be the biggest beneficiary of any agreement with a 13.4% rise in income, according to Ifo, followed by Britain which would see 9.7% rise in incomes.

Container Market: Volumes flatline - Volumes from Asia to Europe grew just 0.1% in the first four months of the year to 4.4m TEU, according to the latest figures from Container Trades Statistics. This growth was mainly fuelled by an up-lift in Asia to Mediterranean services, with volumes declining from Asia to north Europe.

Dry Bulk Market: European coal demand - European demand for coal has slumped since the financial crisis, according to a special report from BIMCO. Ever since 2009, demand has deteriorated, falling by 14 million tonnes from the first to the second quarter. Import volumes during the last three quarters of 2011 indicated that seaborne coal demand was recovering, but the development stalled somewhat in 2012.

For more of the above visit the IMDO Weekly Markets Review (Week 24) and also on Afloat.ie's dedicated Ports & Shipping section