Incluye glosario.

Incluye bibliografía

Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- Abstract -- 1. Introduction -- 2. The international maritime transport industry at present -- 3. Developments in the international seatrade markets -- 4. How the maritime transport industry copes with volatile seatrade -- 5. The principal issues in international maritime transport -- 6. Correcting world merchant fleet deficiencies -- 7. The financing dilemma -- 8. Concluding observations -- Annex -- Glossary of maritime terms.

This report reflects the findings of a research effort within the Bank ' s Transport, Water, and Urban Development Department which was aimed at developing a clearer understanding of the crisis in the international maritime transport industry. The intention was to identify and analyze the root causes, to assess the attributable effects on the industry ' s performance, and to establish a basis for projecting the future course of international maritime transport. An overview is given of the status of the international maritime transport industry in early 1993 in terms of fleet composition, tonnage volumes, ownership patterns, and vessel registration practices, together with indications of the current level of new building orders. The report describes the international seatrade markets, by analyzing developments in these markets since the mid-1970s, their status in the early 1990s, and projecting expected trends during the remainder of the current decade. The response behavior within the international maritime transport industry to volatile changes in global demand for sea transport is portrayed.