CONTENTS
Page
List of tables, figures and boxes...........................................................................................................       v
Abbreviations and explanatory notes...................................................................................................viii
Summary of main developments..........................................................................................................x
Vessel groupings used in the Review of Maritime Transport.............................................................. xiii
Chapter Page
1.Development of international seaborne trade.........................................................................1
A.World economic background..........................................................................................  1
B.World seaborne trade......................................................................................................  4
C.Sectors of world seaborne trade......................................................................................  7
2.Structure, ownership and registration of the world fleet.......................................................23
A.Structure of the world fleet.............................................................................................23
B.Ownership of the world fleet..........................................................................................31
C.Registration of ships.......................................................................................................35
D.Shipbuilding and the second-hand market .....................................................................42
3.Productivity of the world fleet and supply and demand in world shipping........................49
A.Operational productivity.................................................................................................49
B.Supply and demand in world shipping ...........................................................................52
C.Comparison of cargo turnover and fleet ownership.......................................................54
4.Trade and freightmarkets.........................................................................................................57
A.Crude oil and petroleum products seaborne freight market...........................................57
B.Dry bulk shipping market...............................................................................................64
C.The liner shipping market...............................................................................................68
D.Estimates of total freight costs in world trade................................................................78
E.Container production......................................................................................................78

5.Port and multimodal transport developments........................................................................85
A.Container port traffic......................................................................................................85
B.Improvements in port performance ................................................................................89
C.Institutional change and port development ....................................................................90
D.Inland transport developments........................................................................................95
E.Other developments........................................................................................................99
6.Legal issues and regulatory developments .............................................................................101
A.Negotiations on trade facilitation at the WTO..............................................................101
B.Legal issues affecting transportation.............................................................................102
C.Status of conventions.....................................................................................................111
7.Review of regional developments:  Asia..................................................................................115
A.Economic background ...................................................................................................115
B.Containerization............................................................................................................. 117
C.Asian fleet development................................................................................................124
D.Country focus.................................................................................................................131
E.Other developments.......................................................................................................131
     Annexes
I.Classification of countries and territories .....................................................................137
II.World seaborne trade by country groups, 2006.............................................................141
III(a). Merchant fleets of the world by flags of registration, groups of countries and
   types of ship, as of 1 January 2007 (in thousand GT)................................................143
III(b). Merchant fleets of the world by flags of registration, groups of countries and
  types of ship, as of 1 January 2007  (in thousand dwt)...............................................149