“International Shipping:
Life Blood of World Trade”

This map shows the frequency of shipping traffic along shipping routes around he world, ranging from low (blue) to high (red).

 

The heading of this article is taken from the title of a short film, which the “International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)” commissioned some time ago together with the “International Shipping Federation (ISF)”. The film, which can be seen on YouTube, is intended to contribute to improving the image of international maritime transport systems worldwide.

Those who work in and for the shipping industry, as well as those involved in global trade, or who live on the coast know about the important role of shipping in a globalised world. But for those, however, with no involvement with the sea or who live inland, shipping and the impact it has on all our lives, is often forgotten. With the festive days approaching it is important to remind ourselves that most of the things that enrich our lives are brought to us by sea.

The share of seaborne transport costs in the selling prices of many consumer goods is meanwhile so extremely small that it makes little impact. But also covering our energy requirements and the supply of foodstuffs largely depend on properly functioning shipping. In this connection it is frequently claimed in summary, “that without shipping half of the world would starve and the other half would freeze!”

To highlight the importance of shipping to a wide public, there are several initiatives that take place in Europe. These include the “Maritime Industries Forum (MIF)” – a collecting point for different kinds of maritime information including the current annual report of the European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA, the organisation of the shipowner associations of the European economic area). This tells us that the fleet registered in the European economic area has reached a size of 220 million gross tons (this corresponds to more than 5,000 times the “HLL Atlantic”) and represents a share of 22 % in the global merchant fleet. If we look at the total fleet controlled from the European economic area, including ships registered elsewhere, the share in the world merchant fleet increases to a remarkable 41 %. In the field of container shipping, Germany makes a major contribution to this prominent role of European shipping in the world: in terms of the global container ship capacity in TEU, the share of the fleet controlled by German shipowners is 38 %. Also in the other shipping segments, German shipping companies are active on a wide front and, compared with the rest of the world, they operate a predominantly modern fleet, which corresponds to the latest requirements regarding environmental protection and safety.

Until now the German Federal government has also supported the operation of ships under the German flag through state aids for the shipping industry. These are designed to compensate for cost disadvantages vis-à-vis other shipping nations as well as to promote training and employment on ships under the German flag.

On the occasion of the seventh National Maritime Conference in Wilhelmshaven in May 2011, Enak Ferlemann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Transport, Construction and Urban Development, drew attention to the effect of the whole German maritime industry on employment: “With a work force of more than 380,000 and an annual sales volume of some 50 billion Euros, the maritime economy is an important branch of the economy in Germany. The number of high-quality jobs ashore, e.g. at shipping companies and shipbrokers, has developed positively. The capital spending volume of German shipowners has steadily increased. The whole of the German maritime cluster (e.g. the components supply industry) – also in the Federal States far from the coasts – has also benefited from this.”

To this extent it is hoped that German maritime shipping will once again find stronger support from the political arena. The representatives of the maritime economy should not let up in their efforts to make clear to the political decisionmakers the outstanding role of the maritime economy.

An important milestone on this path will be reached in three years time: on 20th May 2014. This is “European Maritime Day”, which was launched in 2008, and will be held for the first time in Germany, in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. This will be a good opportunity to convey to the citizens of Europe – and their politicians – how much of our modern way of life is owed to shipping.

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