Maritime transport
Maritime transport has always been of great economic, social, strategic, and political importance. It still plays the main role in international transport today, an efficient way for the economic exchange of material goods. This type of transport is the cheapest and has the largest part of the volume of goods transported worldwide. Maritime transport is characterized by low CO2 emissions compared to other means of transport, especially road transport, but also railways. Maritime transport is one of the oldest and most efficient ways to transport goods in a relatively short time and generates minimal costs.
The advantages of maritime transport
These types of transport come with several economic advantages, the most important being:
- Large transport capacity: most of the ships that are intended for cargo transport are large tonnage ships that measure hundreds of meters and can carry very large quantities of cargo, these ships have been specially designed to be able to cope with a large volume of cargo that they have at the board.
- Increased efficiency over long distances: Cargo ships are ships designed to withstand extreme weather conditions or extreme situations, these ships can float even with 5 watertight compartments flooded. Their tough structure and advanced aerodynamics prevent marine accidents.
- The impossibility of replacing them in trade relations between continents: Because they are a relatively safe and efficient method of transporting goods between continents, sea transport cannot be replaced by other types of transport because they would generate too high economic and time costs. Because some continents that are surrounded by seas and oceans, shipping is the only efficient way to deliver goods to these continents.
- Relatively lower cost price: Shipping is a type of transportation that generates the lowest costs when it comes to transportation, ships are means of transportation that do not consume so much compared to trains and planes.
Classification of the maritime transports
Naval transport is classified into:
- maritime transport (on seas and oceans), which creates the link between the base of raw materials and production and between production and consumption.
- inland transports (on rivers, streams, and navigable canals) carry out the transport of bulk goods, necessary for economic agents in the vicinity of these waterways, also participating in the realization of transports in traffic combined with automobile or railway means.
Maritime Transport in Turkiye
One of the most important countries from the point of view of maritime transport is Turkiye, this country connects maritime transport between the countries opening to the Black Sea and the countries opening to the Mediterranean Sea. One of the most important canals is the Bosphorus canal, this canal has major economic and strategic importance. It is the only way of communication between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Maritime transport has played and still plays a very important role in the economy of this country. During the economic crisis of 1994, all economic sectors of the country were affected bringing an increase in inflation by 150% until 1995 and a decrease in the volume of economic activity by 6%[1]. So maritime transport was and still is the economic branch that saves the country from bankruptcy.
Maritime Transport in the Baltic sea
The Baltic Sea is epicontinental in northern Europe, connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the North Sea. It covers an area of 432,800 km2. It features two large gulfs, the Gulf of Bothnia in the north and the Finnic Gulf in the east. Navigation on this sea is quite difficult due to unfavorable weather conditions and ice, the transport of oil and oil products is one of the most polluting transports, after that of radioactive materials[2]. These shipments can affect the Baltic Sea ecosystem through accidents resulting in oil spills into the sea. The oil is very toxic to the ecosystem and marine life, and because of these accidents, some species of animals are on the verge of extinction.
Maritime transport in the economy of Poland
Maritime transport plays a major role in Poland's economy, through the opening of the port to the Baltic Sea, maritime transport reaches all over the world thus making Poland an important exporter. The most important exports of this country are grain exports. After the revolution in Poland in 1989, the Polish regime was changed so that Poland became a democratic polity with an open, capitalist economy. To introduce Poland into the market economy, the government adopted 1990 an economic reconstruction program[3] that also included maritime transport. Through this program, both national and international companies had the same rights and freedoms as any other democratic state, any company could produce and deliver goods to any state it wanted[4]. Today maritime transport plays a very important role in the economy of Poland, contributing greatly to the GDP.
Footnotes
| Maritime transport — recommended articles |
| Sea freight — Types of transport — Free trade zone — Globalization — International division of labor — International transport — Agroforestry — Intermodal transport — Combined transport |
References
- Barla, M., Sag, O. (2017) Developments in Maritime Transport and Logistics in Turkey. Plymouth Studies in Contemporary Shipping and Logistics.
- Roe, M. (2020) Developments in the Baltic Maritime Marketplace. Revivals.
- Weintrit, A., Neumann, T. (2013) . Maritime Transport & Shipping. The Nautical Institute.
Author: Pelivan Vasile
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