International sea transport is a method of transporting goods that was born earlier than other methods of transport such as road, air, etc. Since ancient times, around the 5th century BC, people have known how to take advantage of the sea as a traffic route to communicate with many regions and countries around the world. Until now, international sea transport has been strongly developed and has become a modern transport industry in the international transport system.
1. Technical and economic characteristics of sea transport.
* Sea transport can serve to transport all types of goods in international trade.
* Sea transport routes are mostly natural traffic routes.
* The carrying capacity of maritime transport is very large. In general, the carrying capacity of maritime transport means (ships) is not limited like the means of other transport modes.
* The outstanding advantage of sea transport is low cost. However, sea transport has some disadvantages: – Sea transport depends a lot on natural conditions.
– The speed of ships is still low and the increase in the speed of exploitation of ships is still limited
From the above mentioned technical and economic characteristics of sea transport, we can draw a general conclusion about the scope of application as follows:
+ Sea transport is suitable for transporting goods in international trade.
+ Sea transport is suitable for transporting large volumes of goods over long distances but does not require fast delivery times.
2. The effect of sea transport on international trade.
* Sea transport is an inseparable factor in international trade
* Sea transport promotes the development of international trade
* The development of sea transport contributes to changing the structure of goods and market structure in international trade
* Sea transport affects the international balance of payments.
3. Technical facilities of maritime transport
* Sea routes are routes connecting two or more ports on which ships operate carrying passengers or cargo.
* A seaport is a place where ships enter and anchor, a place to serve ships and goods on board, and an important traffic hub of a coastal country.
* Means of transport: The main means of sea transport are ships. There are two types of ships: merchant ships and military ships.
