Shipping HAZARDS

Merchant shipping is an essential component of the world’s economy. The international shipping industry accounts for some 90% of all world trade, turning financial deals and arrangements into the physical import and export of goods – a process essential for the modern world. For the most part, the shipping industry will go largely unnoticed by the public eye. It’s only very rarely that the world of maritime news, of shipping forecasts, favourable weather conditions, or the politics of shipping lanes and international waters crosses over into the mainstream agenda. When it does, it’s generally only the most dramatic events; pirate attacks, smuggling interceptions or maritime disasters – and even then, the latter will only gain attention if it’s a major event. Hundreds of smaller incidents will go completely unnoticed outside of the ocean faring community. Yet shipping is an industry on a truly global scale.