After 279 years of continuous publishing, one of the oldest newspapers in the world is to go digital-only before the end of the year.

Lloyd’s List, the daily newspaper serving the shipping industry, will axe its print edition from 20 December following months of research into reader habits carried out by publisher Informa Business Information.

“We are very proud to take this next step in the evolution of Lloyd’s List,” said editor Richard Meade. “Lloyd’s List first started in 1734 as a notice pinned to the wall of a coffee shop in London offering customers trusted shipping news and information. That aim has not changed, but the technology has and our customers are now accessing the industry’s most sophisticated intelligence source in any coffee shop, anywhere in the world 24 hours a day.”