Explaining variations in national fleet across shipping nations

Many studies on national shipping attribute the declines in national fleets of developed economies to the lack of comparative advantage, but little has been done so far to identify factors contributing to countries’ shipping comparative advantage using a systematic approach. Although shipping markets are highly international and competitive, it is not clear whether tonnage owned by countries is governed by country-specific factors. This paper seeks to explain variations in nationally owned fleet across shipping nations. The main variable of interest is national fleet tonnage owned by country of domicile as opposed to registered tonnage. The results of econometric analysis using data from 84 shipping nations indicate that various country-specific factors do indeed contribute to variations in fleet tonnage across shipping nations, albeit at different levels of significance. Financial market development, external trade, ship registration, shipbuilding and shipping history appear to have the most significant impact, followed by the level of development and technology and maritime policy. Based on the results of analysis, implications for policy and future research are also discussed.     

Who mans the world fleet? A follow-up to the BIMCO/ ISF manpower survey

This article uncovers that the BIMCO/ISF manpower survey, both in its data collection and methodology, could be improved upon. It suggests that there is no lack of seafarers in number, but in quality. The major potential supply/demand countries are identified. China has not only the potential to become, it has actually become, a top manpower supplier. Some traditional maritime nations, with the decreasing demands of their national fleets, have become labour supply country, which could contribute in excess of 44000 seafarers to foreign ships. There is a need and opportunity for co-operation on maritime training between suppliers and demanders.     

Merchant fleet development by legislation: lessons from West and Central Africa

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, several developing maritime nations began to invoke their 'legitimate right' to carry, in their own vessels, cargo generated by their own import and export trades as one way to reverse their underdevelopment and dependency on traditional maritime nations. Consequently, they embarked on the establishment and development of national merchant fleets by means of cargo reservation legislation and flag discrimination practices. West and Central African states have pursued a vigorous policy of merchant fleet development for over two decades. This study examines some of the cargo reservation policies and flag discrimination practices in West and Central Africa and concludes that these two measures alone are insufficient to build up a significant merchant marine. Merchant fleet development depends equally on the resolution of problems such as shortage of ship finance or capital, disruptive bureaucratic politics among the state agencies concerned with shipping, low volume of trade, and contradictory and ambivalent fiscal and macroeconomic policies in these countries that impede the development of the maritime sector.     

The growth of fleets registered in the newly-emerging maritime countries and maritime crises

This paper suggests the existence of a feedback relationship between the dynamic entrance of less-developed countries in shipping and the prolongation and deepening of maritime crises. The duration and extent of the transitional period of crisis depends also on the specific terms of the 'succession' procedure between fleets with different cost levels. During the last major maritime crisis, nations at a less advanced stage of development entered the maritime industry producing a service that had become—more or less—'standardized', following the Vernon product cycle more than all other cycles. The distribution of world tonnage among the different groups of countries underwent major changes as the effects of the economic crisis after 1973, which coincided with developments in the supply of tonnage, created favourable conditions for the rise of the lower cost fleets of developing countries, in a feedback relationship. The restoration of freight levels during the late 80s and early 90s, which was accompanied by a certain stabilization in the various groups of countries' shares in the world fleet, corroborates from the opposite direction the hypothesis of a close interrelationship between maritime crisis and changes in the international hierarchy in shipping.     

The impact of transitional changes of maritime passenger transport on Croatian tourism development

At the beginning of the nineties, Croatia witnessed the collapse of communism, arrival of democracy, a war of national survival and the launch of the transition. Extraordinarily under these circumstances, tourism has become one of the most propulsive economic activities in Croatia. To preserve this prosperous industry, one must consider the variables that affect Croatian tourism. Research shows that maritime passenger transport has a substantial influence upon seashore tourism improvement. This mode not only represents a sizable share of international tourism transport, but often provides the only access to island tourism destinations. This paper provides an analysis of the impact of the transitional changes of maritime passenger transport on Croatian tourism development. Following a brief examination of the functions of maritime transport within tourism, the paper focuses on: composition of Croatian fleets, potential opportunities in local and international markets, and structural reforms required to increase the quality of Croatian maritime passenger services. Commercialization programmes are significantly important as Croatia prepares to enter the EU, and open up its markets to free competition.     

The impact of transitional changes of maritime passenger transport on Croatian tourism development

At the beginning of the nineties, Croatia witnessed the collapse of communism, arrival of democracy, a war of national survival and the launch of the transition. Extraordinarily under these circumstances, tourism has become one of the most propulsive economic activities in Croatia. To preserve this prosperous industry, one must consider the variables that affect Croatian tourism. Research shows that maritime passenger transport has a substantial influence upon seashore tourism improvement. This mode not only represents a sizable share of international tourism transport, but often provides the only access to island tourism destinations. This paper provides an analysis of the impact of the transitional changes of maritime passenger transport on Croatian tourism development. Following a brief examination of the functions of maritime transport within tourism, the paper focuses on: composition of Croatian fleets, potential opportunities in local and international markets, and structural reforms required to increase the quality of Croatian maritime passenger services. Commercialization programmes are significantly important as Croatia prepares to enter the EU, and open up its markets to free competition.     

国际运输船舶移籍博弈

由于船籍政策涉及的主体在目标和利益上的不一致性及行为的相互作用和影响,使得船籍政策分析具有显著的博弈特性。建立了两阶段动态博弈模型来分析母国政府和船东之间在船舶移籍问题上的互动关系。     

The ratinality of conference pricing and output policies. Part 1 *

The general recession in the international economy and an increasing desire on the part of the developing countries to establish or expand their own national fleets has led to increased protectionism in international shipping. This paper discusses the various aspects of protectionism in the light of the UNCTAD code of conduct for liner and bulk shipping.     

Protectionism in international shipping and some economic effects

The general recession in the international economy and an increasing desire on the part of the developing countries to establish or expand their own national fleets has led to increased protectionism in international shipping. This paper discusses the various aspects of protectionism in the light of the UNCTAD code of conduct for liner and bulk shipping.     

Shipping's fourth wave: ship management and Vernon's trade cycles

This paper considers the question whether the present recovery of shipping means a return to pre-crisis conditions with hegemony of OECD shipping or whether shipping has irrevocably changed. Shipping is losing its national character as ship management firms contribute towards the fragmenting of traditional ship-owning firms into separately managed activities, making shipping more footloose as an industry and facilitating relocation in least cost factor markets. Trade cycles may be at work in shipping like those observed in many industrial markets, beyond the scope of any single government's ability to control. The dispersion of shipping and shipping firms away from the historical concentration in a few traditional maritime powers towards low-cost countries must be seen as a manifestation of a secular trend, giving rise to a profound reorganization not only of shipping markets but of shipping itself.     

国家应急力量强制清污费用索赔的法律依据

文中通过分析我国现行法律中的相关规定,结合近年来司法审判实践中的具体情况,并借鉴其他国家、国际组织的做法和经验,对海事主管机关是否有权向肇事船东索赔强制清污费用的问题进行研究和探讨。     

船舶登记制度对我国航运的影响

船舶所有权的取得、转让必须经过登记才能受到国际法的保护。船舶登记是当事人取得法律依据保护其合法权益的途径,也是海事机关对船舶所有权及其流转实施管理的手段。通过分析我国船舶登记制度的现状以及造成我国船舶移籍海外的原因,提出了缓解我国船舶移籍海外现象,吸引方便旗船回归的几点建议。     

海南自由贸易港背景下航运新特征对海事管理的要求及对策研究

随着海南自由贸易港建设的深入推进,我国将在海南实施更加开放的航运政策,建立与国际接轨的国际船舶登记制度,海南航运业将呈现新的特征.作者对海南自由贸易港建设背景下海南航运进行了展望,分析了未来海事管理工作面临的新考验,并提出海事部门要强化自身建设,不断推进海事治理能力和治理体系现代化,以适应高速发展的航运经济.     

Who is safe and who is at risk: a study of 20-year-record on accident total loss in different flags

The study examines 20-years of data on 36 world principal fleets and on worldfleets in general, analyses their developments, and particularly their safety records in terms of accidental total loss rates. This study confirms that the open-registry ships tend toward substandard ships. However, some open-registry countries' safety records are quite acceptable. It finds that the safety record of developing maritime countries as a group is better than that of developed maritime countries, of which some are worse than the world average.     

Who is safe and who is at risk: a study of 20-year-record on accident total loss in different flags

The study examines 20-years of data on 36 world principal fleets and on worldfleets in general, analyses their developments, and particularly their safety records in terms of accidental total loss rates. This study confirms that the open-registry ships tend toward substandard ships. However, some open-registry countries' safety records are quite acceptable. It finds that the safety record of developing maritime countries as a group is better than that of developed maritime countries, of which some are worse than the world average.     

The subsidization of seaports: an alternative approach

The introduction of the tonnage tax for shipping companies has been a response to the declining fleets in many European countries. There are strategic and commercial reasons why a maritime presence is desirable, not least of which is to maintain an important skill base. Although regimes have differed they all offer some form of preferential rates of tax for those ships on the register. In certain cases this tax subsidy has been linked to a requirement to train seafarers, notably in the UK. This article analyses the impact of the tonnage tax system and its success in achieving its objectives of fleet expansion and employment with particular reference to the UK.     

探路、开路、筑路——为创立世界修船业共生时代再出发

中国修船业在国家改革开放的浪潮中,经历了三十多年的快速发展,如今已稳居世界修船大国的国际地位,而中国修船企业正在引领世界绿色修船科技的进步,也引起了国际修船业的高度关注.然而,在人类社会生态环境面临严峻挑战的当下,作为世界贸易和港口经济重要组成部分的修船产业,如何形成发展新格局,从生态层面推进绿色、低碳、数字"一体化"...     

Tonnage tax: is it working?

The introduction of the tonnage tax for shipping companies has been a response to the declining fleets in many European countries. There are strategic and commercial reasons why a maritime presence is desirable, not least of which is to maintain an important skill base. Although regimes have differed they all offer some form of preferential rates of tax for those ships on the register. In certain cases this tax subsidy has been linked to a requirement to train seafarers, notably in the UK. This article analyses the impact of the tonnage tax system and its success in achieving its objectives of fleet expansion and employment with particular reference to the UK.     

Global maritime domain awareness: a sustainable development perspective

The International Maritime Organization defines maritime domain awareness as the effective understanding of any activity that could impact upon the security, safety, economy or environment. The traditional approach to manage it is based on state sovereignty over national territorial waters where authorities exercise their responsibilities within the defined specific area. Lately, new issues of transboundary dimension (i.e. piracy, overfishing, pollution) are changing the high seas from an open space governed by the rule of freedom into a common domain requiring new governance approach to manage its complex international problems. This paper investigates the use of sustainable development methodology to explore governance solutions within the socio-technical domain of maritime awareness. The outcome suggests that the use of sustainable development tools can and should be used to support the development and implementation of cooperative governance models which are more appropriate for creating global maritime domain awareness than the traditional state-centric and sector-based models. A modelling diagram for potential governance framework under International Maritime Organization’s leadership is included.     

立足未来国际海事履约新基点——我国应及早应对“目标型标准”（GBS）的挑战

文中介绍了“目标型标准”（GBS）的由来、现状及其在国际海事界的发展趋势。通过列举MSC会议所通过的诸多决议案以及已经生效的SOLAS修正案等情况,从必然性角度阐述了GBS作为未来国际海事界履约新基点的观点,提出我国必须及早对其进行研究,以确保我国未来造船、航运在国际上的应有地位。此外,文中以欧盟SAFEDOR项目为例,介绍了国外先进海事国家在GBS方面所投入的巨大精力以及其产出,提出了我国为积极应对GBS可以开展的若干工作意见。