International maritime transport is one of the most prominent modes of transport in international logistics and has made a huge difference to the world.
International maritime transport has the following characteristics:
I. International maritime transport makes use of natural shipping lanes, which are not constrained by roads and tracks and have greater capacity for passage. In a changing political, economic and trade environment, natural conditions change so that transport tasks can be readily adapted and rerouted. Often an international trade whose production process involves individuals and organisations in different national regions, the maritime industry is also subject to international law and regulation, and to the political and legal constraints and influences of States.
2. International maritime corridors are naturally formed, and port facilities are generally constructed by the Government, so that enterprises operating maritime business can save a great deal of infrastructure investment. As ships have a large carrying capacity, they are used for a long period of time, have a long transport mileage and have a low unit transport cost, which provides favourable conditions for the low-value transport of large-volume goods. Along with the development of the international shipping industry, modern shipbuilding technology has become more and more exquisite, and the scale of ships has become larger and larger.
3. Among the various means of transport, sea transport is the slowest one. Because sea transport is at sea, it is more affected by natural conditions such as typhoons, which can drag a transport ship to the bottom of the sea, the risk is higher, in addition to the invasion of pirates, the risk is not small. Maritime transport is only one part of the whole transport process, and the ports at its two ends must rely on other modes of transport. There are also obvious defects in maritime transport: for example, maritime transport is susceptible to natural conditions and climate, sailing time is not easy to be precise, and the probability of distress is greater.