7 Mind Blowing Facts about Shipping!

Maritime shipping dates back thousands of years ago, to the extent of earliest humans. Today, maritime shipping is just as important as it has ever been. It may be the oldest in the world, but global economy would not exist without shipping containers. Today, shipping company like NSMS plays a very important factor as it has ever been.

Here are 7 mind blowing facts about shipping.

Shipping is Affordable

Head turning? Right! Yes! Shipping is still one of the most affordable ways to transport cargos. For example, it is cheaper to ship tuna from New Zealand to Thailand and do the processing then ship it back to New Zealand than it is to have the processing completed in New Zealand.

Shipping is Safe

Woah? Safe? Yes! Shipping is safe. It is still the safest form of commercial transport. In fact, shipping is one of the very first industries to adopt widely implemented international safety standards. International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labor Organization (ILO) are the one responsible for shipping safety regulations.

Shipping is Really Profitable

The shipping industry is very massive. In 2008, shipping industry generates roughly an estimate of $380 billion in freight charges alone based on International Chamber of Shipping. It is said that marine shippers transported over 7 billion tons of cargo. 90% of world trade is carried by the international shipping industry.

A Ship Cargo Travels Long Distance

An average container ship travels the equivalent of 3/4 of the way to the moon and back, as it travels across the seas in a year. In its lifetime, a large container ship travels the distance of the moon and back about ten times. Very long distance!

1.5 Million Workers

The world fleet is manned over 1.5 million seafarers. For a comparison, this fleet is larger than the population of Luxembourg – 517,000 and slightly less than the population of Gambia – 1.8 million. For another fact, a typical ship-worker is a male Filipino. They make up 33% of all crews around the world. That is about 250,000 in head counts.

Super Nations

Three nations have the biggest fleets in the world – Greece, Japan and Germany, based on total deadweight tonnage controlled by parent companies located in these countries.

Japan has 3,962 ships, Greece has 3,032 and Germany has 2,321. China and USA are the fourth and fifth place respectively.

For a bonus fact, Denmark’s A.P. Moller-Maersk is the largest shipping company in the world, with about $936 million profit reported in fourth quarter of 2013.

6 types of World Merchant Fleet Ships

Six merchant types includes

• General cargo ships
• Fishing vessels
• Container ships
• Passenger ships
• Bulk Carriers 
• Tankers

Mind blowing, head turning, jaw dropping facts isn’t it? Do you know something that was not on the list? Share them to us! That will be great!