Other modes of carriage of goods by sea

Maritime transportation is a mode of transportation with a long history. At present, more than two-thirds of the total international trade is completed by sea transportation. Compared with other modes of transportation, it has its own advantages:

-The traffic is heavy. With the development and improvement of shipbuilding technology, ships are developing towards large scale. The number of giant passenger ships exceeds 80,000 tons, and the number of giant oil tankers exceeds 500,000 tons, that is, general cargo ships exceeding 50,000 to 60,000 tons. Therefore, the advantage of shipping is the large carrying capacity.

-Strong passing ability. Maritime transportation is accomplished by using natural waterways. These waterways extend in all directions, connecting ports all over the world, and are not as easily restricted by roads or tracks as cars and trains. Moreover, in the case of changes in political, economic, trade and natural conditions, the most favorable route can be re-selected at any time.

-The freight is very low. The waterway through which maritime transportation passes is naturally formed, and port facilities are generally built by the government, unlike road or railway transportation, which requires a lot of investment for building roads or railways; On the other hand, ships have large carrying capacity, long service time and long transportation mileage, so compared with other modes of transportation, the unit transportation cost of sea transportation is lower. Due to the above factors, the freight rate of maritime transportation is low.

Of course, maritime transportation also has some shortcomings, such as slow speed and being greatly influenced by weather and natural conditions, but its position, function and importance in transportation still far exceed other modes of transportation.