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First commercial crossing of the Atlantic
In 1818, the Black Ball line [a 4 packet ship consisting of The Amity, Courier, Pacific and James Monroe] offered the first regular passenger service with emphasis on passenger comfort, from England to the United States -
First crossing of the Atlantic
The SS Savannah was an American Hybrid Sailing ship that was built in 1818. It crossed the Atlantic from May to June 1819 -
First cruise ship - The cruise of the Augusta Victoria in the Mediterranean and the Near East
The cruise of the Augusta Victoria in the Mediterranean and the Near East from 22 January to 22 March 1891, with 241 passengers including Albert Ballin and wife. -
The Blue Riband
This is an award given to passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. This award is given for the highest average speed [not passenger time]. 13 of the 25 were Cunarders [ Cunard Line is an American-British owned shipping company in England] -
First use of container ships
During WW2, the earliest container shps were converted tankers. These operated in Denmark, between Seatle and Alaska. The first successful container ship was 'Ideal X'. On April 26, 1956, the first of these rebuilt container vessels, the Ideal X, left the Port Newark in New Jersey and a new revolution in modern shipping resulted. -
Inceasing size of ships for Panama Canal
Since the 1970s, the size of shpis have just been too big to pass through the Panama Canal -
Piracy
Piracy has been a threat to international shipping since the beginning of the Somali Civil War [East Africa] -
Busiest Container Port - Hong Kong
In 2002, Hong Kong was the world's busiest container port with 19,144 thousand TEU (20ft equivalent units) -
Decrease in business
Firms that operate the container ships that traverse the world's oceans saw a dramatic reduction in business during the global financial crisis. There were sharp drop in shipping prices + ports suffered large declines in arrivals -
Busiest Container Port - Singapore
In 2008, Singapore was the busiest container port with 29,918 thousand TEU (20ft equivalent units) -
Idle Ships
In March '09, the number of ships sitting idle were around 450 as a result of the global financial crisis -
Largest Bulk Carrier - Berge Stahl
In 2009, the Berge Stahl carried 364768 tonnes of iron ore between Brazil and Rotterdam. -
First ultra-large container vessel
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Largest Container Carrier - CMA CGM Marco Polo
the CMA CGM Marco Polo made its maiden call to Britain packed full of goods from the Far East that will be distributed across the UK. -
Ultra-large container vessels
Predicted 200 ulta-large container vessels in operation -
Upgrading of Panama Canal
In 2014, the Panama Canal is expected to be upgraded to allow bigger ships to pass through resulting in a major improvement in global shipping movement. This will provide ships with crucial intercontinental shortcut -
Largest cruise ship - Oasis of the Sea
