NEPTUNE ON THE
SHIPPING LANES
T
rade makes the world go round. Human history
and civilisation revolves around trading. Our
ancestors in the distant past had the mental
acuity to recognise the fact that sometimes,
others can easily produce and obtain things that
you can’t; and that the only way to get said items
is to give something of equal worth in return.
The earliest traders of old would only carry
what meagre goods they could on their backs
to trade in a neighbouring town or village. After domesticating animals,
they would usually have one, maybe two, pack animals to carry goods
for them. As cultures evolve, these traders would have their animals pull
wagons loaded with goods, allowing them to travel further and faster; thus
creating the first ‘modern’ delivery service.
Humans would eventually come to the realisation that building
settlements next to rivers and large bodies of water was a pretty good
idea. Thus, transportation via boats became the next logical step in trade.
Cargo ships would rule trade and logistics of human civilization until the
age of aviation, thousands of years later.
Today’s trade logistics and shipping have become much more
efficient compared to our early days as a civilization. With the invention
of aircraft, we can now deliver large quantities of goods in a much
shorter time span. Modern carriers can even make priority deliveries
internationally which ensures your items get delivered in days where once
it would take months, even years.
Despite being slower than air transport, sea shipping has not been
made obsolete. Ships are not hindered by the laws of gravity as much as
aircraft are. As such, we are able to create truly humongous cargo ships
that can carry far more goods than any one aircraft ever could. This
combined with the relatively good speeds of modern ships make for a very
efficient form of trading.
The Mediterranean Shipping Company is the world's second-
largest shipping line in terms of container vessel capacity and serves
as an example of how far trade logistics have come. Privately founded
in 1970 by an Italian sea Captain, Gianluigi Aponte, the company has
not only found success, but has continued to grow ever since. In today’s
world of interconnectivity, specialisations and absolute advantages, trade
companies like MSC are absolutely indispensable. With the turmoil that
has been brought about by the ongoing US-China trade war, you can see
the damage that can happen to a modern society if trade is disrupted.ANCHORS AWAY Not much is known about the early life of Gianluigi
Aponte. However, family records state that the Aponte family has had a
long maritime history dating back to the 17th century. Gianluigi himself
became a ship captain before purchasing his first ship. With only $5,000
of capital in hand and his first ship, the Patricia, Gianluigi would set out
on his journey to become a world renown shipping magnate.
Soon after acquiring Patricia, Gianluigi would go on to obtain a
second vessel, naming it Rafaela after his wife. Both were registered
in the name of Mediterranean Shipping Company; and with these two
conventional cargo ships, MSC began a "Liner" service between the
Mediterranean and Somalia in 1971.COMPILED
BY
JORDAN
LOW"APONTE FAMILY
HAS HAD A
LONG MARITIME
HISTORY DATING
BACK TO THE
17TH CENTURY.GIANLUIGI HIMSELF
BECAME A SHIP
CAPTAIN BEFORE
PURCHASING
HIS FIRST SHIP.
WITH ONLY $5,000
OF CAPITAL
IN HAND AND
HIS FIRST SHIP,
THE PATRICIA,
GIANLUIGI WOULD
SET OUT ON HIS
JOURNEY TO
BECOME A WORLD
RENOWN SHIPPING
MAGNATE."