Maritime Trade

I'm doing some research into maritime trade and the geostrategic impact of key naval powers. Maritime trade is the backbone of the global economy. 90% of global trade (by volume) was transported via sea routes in 2006.

Maritime trade routes are "strategic by its control and commercial by its usage," writes Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Associate Professor, Dept. of Global Studies and Geography, Hofstra University.

Here is some basic statistical informaiton from the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics' report entitled 'Maritime Trade & Transportation 2007:

The top 10 merchants fleets by country of owner, year-end 2006, number of vessels:

1. Japan, 3001 vessels
2. Greece, 2801 vessels
3. Germany, 2337 vessels
4. China, 2330 vessels
5. Norway, 885 vessels
6. South Korea, 808 vessels
7. Singapore, 790 vessels
8. United States, 772 vessels
9. United Kingdom, 674 vessels
10. Taiwan, 563 vessels

Top 10 world container ports in 2006:

1. Singapore (Singapore)
2. Hong Kong (China)
3. Shanghai (China)
4. Shenzhen (China)
5. Busan (South Korea)
6. Kaohsiung (Taiwan)
7. Rotterdam (Netherlands)
8. Dubai (United Arab Emirates)
9. Hamburg (Germany)
10. Los Angeles (United States)

I'll likely add similar tidbits of information in time, prior to writing up a series of articles on the subject.

(This post is adapted from a piece published at nmaleki.com)