SME Malaysia – July 2019

M

aritime

transport is

ma n k i nd’s

oldest form

of interna-

tional

logistics.

Ships of

every stripe

have criss-crossed the globe since the

Age of Sail.

Even now, in the age of the jet

engine, seaborne transport comprises

roughly 90 per cent of world trade.

Containerisation and the growing

size of ships have made shipping

the cheapest form of transport, and

the life blood of the global economy.

Without shipping, intercontinental

trade, the bulk transport of raw

materials, and the import/export of

affordable food and manufactured

goods would simply not be possible.

There are over 50,000

merchant ships trading

internationally, transporting every

kind of cargo. The world fleet is

registered in over 150 nations, and

manned by over a million seafarers

of virtually every nationality.

Contrary to popular news

coverage, shipping is the safest and

most environmentally benign form

of commercial transport. Perhaps

uniquely among industries involving

physical risk, commitment to safety

has long pervaded virtually all deep

sea shipping operations. Shipping

was among the very first industries

to adopt widely implemented

international safety standards.

Because of its inherently

international nature, the safety of

shipping is regulated by various

United Nations agencies, in

particular the International Maritime

Organization (IMO). The IMO

has developed a comprehensive

framework of global maritime safety

regulations, which are enforced on a

worldwide basis.

Seaborne trade continues

to expand, bringing benefits for

consumers across the world through

competitive freight costs. Thanks to

the growing efficiency of shipping as

a mode of transport and increased

economic liberalisation, the prospects

for the industry’s further growth

continue to be strong.

TOP 8 SHIPOWNING NATIONS

GREECE 330

JAPAN 224

CHINA 183

GERMANY 107

SINGAPORE 104

HONG HONG SAR 98

SOUTH KOREA 77

UNITED STATES 69