Nature and History of Shipping

Commercial shipping probably began in the Mediterranean Sea where the merchants of Phoenicia owned ships and traded widely. Many of their practices were adopted by Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Later, in the Middle Ages, the merchants of Venice carried on and further refined these practices. Even today, commercial shipping practices associated with marine insurance and the carriage of goods can still be traced to those early roots. 

From the 15th to the 18th centuries, deep-sea shipping was closely linked to colonial trade especially that of the Spanish Empire, the Portuguese Empire, the Dutch Empire, and the British Empire, and to the growth of the great enterprises like the Hudson’s Bay Company and the East India Companies. During the 19th century and until the middle of the 20th century, most of the world’s merchant fleet operated under the British Flag or the Flag of one of the long established maritime nations like Norway, France, Germany, and Japan. Shipping truly throughout the world have a unilateral rules and regulations in Sea traffic, Port entry clearance, which was derived and developed by the British during their rule across the globe. However cargo movement restrictions vary from country to country depending upon their culture, Domestic Trade and their Government Policy. 

Nature of Shipping Industry, 

Shipping is a mode of transport through sea for cargo as well as passenger transport around 90% of the international cargo transport is being done through sea. Shipping industry and Export and Import are inter dependent. A country where Export and Import are flourishing, there the shipping business also be very active. Compared to air traffic, Sea traffic is safe and economical.

Apart from Cargo Transport many of the European countries use passenger vessels, for human transport as it is economical compared to the Air Transport and it develops the Tourism in such countries. 

Indian Shipping 

The Indian shipping tonnage has developed fairly after independence. India now has a shipping fleet of 6 million gross register tonnage (GRT). 

The Indian shipping industry is classified into two categories, like coastal shipping and overseas shipping. Indian shipping is a very long history and has its roots from the early centuries. 

The position of Indian shipping during 1947 was just 59 vessels. Out of which, 48 were coastal and 11 were overseas. 

There are 45 trade routes that emanated from the Indian continent. During the time of independence the British vessels dominate the coastal scene. So, the government of India declared a "Coal Reservation Policy" in 1950 in reference to coastal trade. Soon, the Indian ship owners formed," Indian coastal Conference" in 1951.This agreement tried to regulate the business through various measures. But still, there were problems like under rating, rebated and other malpractices continued. However, by 1953, Shares of British shipping were reduced to nil. Indian shipping grew in quantum leaps. But the problems faced by the industry are very complex and complicated due to various reasons like increase in operational coasts, railways penetrating the market, etc. 

Regrading, the overseas shipping, after 1850 Indian shipping industry began to decorate due to various reasons. By the end of the century it was practically nil. The British Government was keen on nursing its own interests and never made any attempts to retrieve the Indian industry. 

In 1912 the Scandia steam Navigation Company was incorporated. It launched the first modern overseas services from Bombay to U.K. Later various companies, both from private and public sector came into existence. With the evaluation of new Government polices after independence, the shipping reads began to grow rapidly. Indian Government also signed various trade agreements for the benefit of the Indian shipping industry, like Indo- UAR, Indo-USSR, India - Romania Bulgaria and Indian polish. 

Shipping conference administer their own freight rates through their own tariffs. This is unlike the transporting sector where freight rates are determined through the market force of supply and demand, The administered freight rates are which member liner of conference caters to the requirements of shipper have often been a bone of contention between shippers and the concerned conference. As India's foreign trade become modernized. The freight making policies of these shipping conferences also become much more complicated. 

In most cases, the actual carriers of the Shipping lines never touch the Indian port. Instead, reaches the Colombo port the transshipment port for this port of Asia. The cargo from various Indian ports is transported to the Colombo port, through the shuttle service operating between these ports and the Colombo port. From there, the cargo is transshipped to various destinations. This is done in order to reduce the time and cost involved in carrier touching all the ports in the same ports in the same region. The shuttle service will be more or less a regular one and it is know as the 'Feeder Service' and the actual carrier is known as the 'Mother Vessel'