The term shipping can be used in various ways, though it is most commonly employed to describe the transportation of goods and merchandise by land, air, and sea. However, as the term may imply, most of the shipping of goods is done through the use of naval ships.
Often times, this kind of shipping is referred to as merchant shipping, and the crew and fleet of a particular nation involved in the trade are known the merchant navy or merchant marine. Merchant shipping plays a central role in the overall global economy, with almost 90% of all international trade being done through naval shipping. Currently, there 50,000 merchant ships throughout the world.
In the United States, the shipping fleet of merchants is known as the United States Merchant Marine. The Merchant Marines is made up of the country’s merchant ships and crew, with many of them being civilians. Aside being the assembly responsible for marine shipping, they are also meant to assist the United States Navy in the vent of war, helping deliver troops and supplies in various parts of the world.
However, they are mostly concerned with the shipping and transportation of goods by sea. The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 considers all merchant marine personnel as part of the military in the event of war. Currently, there are about 70,000 civilians in the shipping industry through the Merchant Marines, and about 420 ships.
