The Maritime Transport Crisis

Effective planning and management of urban infrastructure is essential to improving the standard of living in rapidly developing urban areas. Deterioration or cessation of services can create health risks, limit economic productivity, damage public and private property, and lead to congestion in transport and communications. But effective infrastructure services are impossible without adequate records and maps of municipal facilities, particularly those underground. The authors review recent developments in the recording and mapping of urban infrastructure. The paper identifies the institutional, organizational, and technological issues involved and explores some strategic options for addressing these pressing issues. The options discussed include how best to determine the proper institutional structure, develop human resources, and make the best use of technology. The authors perceive an urgent need for development of legal frameworks to make recordkeeping more comprehensive and compatible among various utilities, localities, and governmental bodies. They advise that immediate attention be given to a particular organizational issue: in many utilities no one department is responsible for collecting and processing data, and even when such responsibility is designated, the methods to be used are unclear or the resources are inadequate. The paper offers case studies and concludes that improvements in utility mapping and recordkeeping are cost effective, enhance the efficiency of the utility, and improve the overall quality of urban life.

The world's ocean transport industry faces an unprecedented crisis. Fundamental changes in the seatrade markets and considerable discrepancies between tonnage supply and the demand for transport are the key reasons. The international fleet has become critically overaged and suffers from a deteriorating safety record. Serious retrenching and sharp long- term planning are needed but -- tampered by reduced freight earnings, rising insurance costs, and a shortage of investment capital.

This book analyses the causes and effects of the shipping market crisis in the 1970s and 1980s - the most severe of the twentieth century. It approaches the subject from three viewpoints. The first is the tanker sector, where the crisis began, spread, and caused the most damage. The second is from a national perspective - focusing on the impact on Norwegian shipping and shipowners. The third, narrowed further in scope, analyses the crisis from the business perspective of four individual tanker owners - taking into account their business strategies and eventual fates. The aim of the journal is to add to the knowledge of recent maritime history by examining the transformation of the industry during a period of rapid change. One distinct conclusion is that shipowners, to their detriment, assumed that the demand for tankers would continue to increase as it had consistently done so throughout the century thus far. The overall conclusion is that shipping is a cyclical industry, and that the oversupply of ships produced during the 1970s took its toll toward the end of the century. By 2004 and 2005, however, the industry began to bounce back, offering hope for the future. The book consists of an introductory chapter, seven chapters of analysis, a concluding chapter, select bibliography, and three appendices tabling Norwegian tanker statistics.

The Review of Maritime Transport has been published annually since 1968. The publication provides an analysis of structural and cyclical changes affecting seaborne trade, ports and shipping, as well as an extensive collection of statistical information. The report calls for a "just and equitable transition" to a decarbonized shipping industry. The sector, whose greenhouse gas emissions have risen 20% over the last decade, operates an ageing fleet that runs almost exclusively on fossil fuels. As global leaders prepare for the next UN climate conference (COP28), UNCTAD advocates for system-wide collaboration, swift regulatory intervention and stronger investments in green technologies and fleets. Full decarbonization by 2050 will require massive investments and could lead to higher maritime logistics costs, raising concerns for vulnerable shipping-reliant nations like small island developing states. The report emphasizes the need to balance environmental goals with economic needs but underscores that the cost of inaction far outweighs the required investments. The report recommends policy actions to overcome supply chain hurdles African countries face, including poor logistics, low levels of technology, fragmented markets, limited capital sources, and weak institutions and regulations. Beyond cleaner fuels, the industry needs to move faster towards digital solutions like AI and blockchain to improve efficiency as well as sustainability. In its analysis of global maritime trends, the report highlights shipping's resilience despite major challenges stemming from global crises, such as the war in Ukraine. Maritime trade is expected to grow 2.4% in 2023 and more than 3% between 2024 and 2028.

The Review of Maritime Transport is an UNCTAD flagship publication, published annually since 1968. It provides an analysis of structural and cyclical changes affecting seaborne trade, ports and shipping, as well as an extensive collection of statistical information. The present edition of the Review of Maritime Transport takes the view that the long-term growth prospects for seaborne trade and maritime businesses are positive, with ample opportunities for developing countries to generate income and employment and help promote foreign trade.

This book is open access under a CC BY NC ND 4.0 license. This open access book discusses how Norwegian shipping companies played a crucial role in global shipping markets in the 20th century, at times transporting more than ten per cent of world seaborne trade. Chapters explore how Norway managed to remain competitive, despite being a high labour-cost country in an industry with global competition. Among the features that are emphasised are market developments, business strategies and political decisions The Norwegian experience was shaped by the main breaking points in 20th century world history, such as the two world wars, and by long-term trends, such as globalization and liberalization. The shipping companies introduced technological and organizational innovations to build or maintain a competitive advantage in a rapidly changing world. The growing importance of offshore petroleum exploration in the North Sea from the 1970s was both a threat and an opportunity to the shipping companies. By adapting both business strategies and the political regime to the new circumstances, the Norwegian shipping sector managed to maintain a leading position internationally.

This series contains the decisions of the Court in both the English and French texts.

Turkey is one of the largest and most important shipping and logistics centres in the world. This edited collection brings together industrialists actively involved in the shipping trade with an interdisciplinary team of academics from the region to provide a unique, broad perspective on the industry as a whole. Using Turkey as an in-depth case study, the volume examines issues such as port economics and policy, training and education, ship finance, containerisation and maritime policy in general. This is a useful reference for professionals and academics in both shipping and logistics.