By Sameh Selim: Merchant Fleets

Mr. Sameh Selim

 

By Sameh Selim: Merchant Fleets

It is the longitudinal economic arm of the state in the seas and oceans, and without it, the state remains imprisoned even if its coasts extend overseas or oceans.

For example, strategic commodities remain essential to the state, petroleum products, basic foodstuffs, dairy, iron and steel, and medicines that the state needs in difficult times, such as epidemics, natural disasters, or wars. The pillars of building the modern state, and not only the development of seaports or the attraction of international shipping lines by opening international shipping agencies in the state's ports that obtain great privileges or even the presence of marine stations as logistical areas for supplying and financing ships or guidance and guidance. All of these things that we mentioned are complementary and very important. Still, they do not dispense with the national commercial transport fleet, which raises the state's flag that owns the ships. The presence of a purely economic dimension generates funds that support the country's economy. Still, it also has a strategic and military size in crises, wars, disasters, and epidemics. In some cases, it even surpasses it due to its strategic importance to the state.

The economic vision differs about the importance of commercial fleets due to the size of the state, its population, the length of its coasts, the number of its ports, the fact that it is an industrial exporting country or an importing and consuming country, and its raw resources such as oil, gas and other minerals, but this is not a general rule. In the world, most shipowners register in these two countries due to the ease of procedures for maritime contracts, safety, or lower taxes.

In this context, Japan and South Korea are among the most important manufacturers of giant commercial ships with large drafts globally. They also own maintenance and repair basins for all types of boats in the ASEAN and Pacific region and the world.