Without the shipping industry, it would be impossible to facilitate international trade, to say the least. This industry accounts for the carriage of nearly 90% of global trade, making it the life force of the world’s economy. Here are some fun facts about the shipping industry:
1. The largest container ship can carry up to 18,000 containers, which is equal to nearly 745 million bananas. This means one person in Europe can receive at least one banana.
2. A container ship engine is roughly 1,000 times more powerful than an average car. Large container ships can travel at a maximum speed of 23 knots, meaning they can travel up to 26.5 miles per hour.
3. Long journey times are not a problem for most container ships. In fact, they usually travel around three-quarters of the distance to the moon in just one year during their ocean travels.
4. Among all the countries involved in international trade, Greece, Germany, and Japan possess the largest fleet of container ships based on total deadweight tonnage. Most of these ships are controlled by parent shipping companies, which are also situated in these nations.
5. A large percentage of seafarers work in the global shipping industry. In fact, about 1.5 million of them are employees of this industry, working as ship captains, crew members, etc.
6. About 97% of the total number of shipping containers in the global shipping industry are produced in China. This is partly due to the country’s relatively affordable labor costs and a large percentage of goods being manufactured there.
7. Roughly 33% of ship crews do not have access to communication when they are traveling the waters, and only 10% of them have internet access.
8. Shipping containers can last around 30 years or more if they are taken care of properly. 40-foot containers typically have longer life spans because they do not reach their weight limits easily.
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