Evolution of Shipping Industry

Along with the dawn of humanity is people's fascination towards exploration of seas and oceans. Boats existed out of people's desire to navigate across bodies of water. For the early civilisation to conquer the world, fishing boats evolved into ships that would help them navigate faraway lands.

Then, as early people learned to trade with foreign lands, the use of ships transformed into a means of transporting goods and merchandise across the vast seas. Today, 90 percent of total world trade is carried out by the global shipping industry under the regulation of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). From there, ship's design and purpose continued to evolve. Now, we have passenger carriers, warships, cargo marine vessels, and modern means of marine mass transportation, among other things.

Today, the evolution of the ship industry has reached its height by becoming one of the most luxurious and most relaxing modes of inter-island and inter-continental navigation. This is the result of people's undying pursuit to new forms of adventure and excitement in their travel and vacation. In fact, the voyage itself has now become the highlight of the journey rather than the place of destination.

Despite the growing popularity of aviation in the world today, the shipping industry continues to survive because of the endless possibilities and fantastic opportunities, which people cannot experience from other forms of transportation. Modern cruise ships are in fact considered by many as floating hotels, since almost, if not all, of the facilities that can be found in a typical hotel can be found in luxury liners. Amenities like pool, suites, theatre, basketball courts, ballroom, and casinos are just part of the total package. Additionally, shipping is the least damaging form of commercial transport, making it even more viable.