If we go back 30 years, the shipping industry looked completely different to today. Global trade was also at a much lower level than it is today. In 1980 world seaborne trade amounted to some 3.7m tonnes but since then the volume has doubled.
Trade patterns have changed too, along with the globalisation of production and trade, with China replacing the US and Europe as the main drivers of both import commodity demand and consumer goods exports.
We now live and work in a world where vessels have never been more environmentally-friendly while from a communications perspective, the industry has moved from using expensive voice, telex and fax channels to cheap phone calls, widely-available email and integrated, online IT applications.
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Source: Wilhelmsen Maritime Services