01.
什么是国际航运？
国际航运又称国际海上交通运输，是世界贸易最主要的运输方式。与其他运输方式相比，海上交通运输具有运量大、运费低等优点。根据《2023年中国航海日公告》，作为全球贸易量最大的国家和第二大经济体，我国约95%的进出口贸易货物量通过海运完成。
02.
国际航运市场的分类有哪些？
以运输货物种类为标准，国际航运市场可分为干散货运输市场、油轮运输市场、集装箱运输市场和特种船运输市场。其中干散货运输的货物包括铁矿石、谷物、煤炭、水泥等散装货物；油轮运输的货物包括原油、成品油、液体化学品等液态散装货物；集装箱运输的货物主要是件杂货，几乎涵盖除上述货物外的所有货物，主要包括工业产品和机电产品；特种船运输的货物主要是外型不规则、重量超常规或需要使用特殊设备运输的货物，如冷藏船、汽车运输船、大型设备等。国际航运市场以干散货运输市场、油轮运输市场和集装箱运输市场三大市场为主。
以运输组织方式为标准，国际航运市场可分为不定期船运输市场和定期船运输市场。干散货运输和油轮运输一般为不定期船运输；集装箱运输一般为定期船运输，又称班轮运输。
03.
国际航运市场常用船型有哪些？
运输货物种类以及具体航线航道条件不同使得国际航运市场使用的船型也不同。干散货运输市场中，常用船型包括海岬型船、巴拿马型船、超大灵便型船和灵便型船四种船型；油轮运输市场中，常用船型包括巨型油轮、超大型油轮、苏伊士型油轮、阿芙拉型油轮、巴拿马型油轮和灵便型油轮；集装箱运输市场中，以装载集装箱数量对船型进行分类，据克拉克森统计，截止2022年底，全球集装箱船运力分布占比见下表：
04.
国际航运市场的运输规模有多大？
随着全球贸易规模的发展壮大，尤其是代加工、成品贸易规模的增加，国际航运市场规模呈现增长趋势。据克拉克森统计，2022年全球海运贸易总量为119.48亿吨。从运输货物种类看，2022年大宗干散货运输量（包括铁矿石、煤炭、谷物和其它干散货等）为62.19亿吨，占全球海运贸易总量的比例为52.1%；油轮运输量（包括原油、成品油、天然气和化学品等）为39.23亿吨，占全球海运贸易总量的比例为32.8%；集装箱运输量为18.06亿吨，占全球海运贸易总量的比例为15.1%。
05.
国际航运市场主要的贸易术语有哪些？
国际航运市场主要的贸易术语有FOB、CFR和CIF。FOB条款下，买方负责租船订舱、到付运费、办理保险、支付保险；CIF条款下，卖方负责租船订舱、预付运费、办理保险、支付保险；CFR条款下，卖方负责租船订舱、预付运费，买方负责办理保险、支付保险。贸易方式条款是贸易运输能力的一种体现，不同条款下，租船订舱、运费支付、保险办理和支付等服务发生的国别或地区有所不同，对于出口运输市场来说，CIF贸易方式条款居多的话，说明出口方所在地贸易运输服务话语权较强。
06.
全球主要国际航运中心的主要优势和
特色有哪些？
根据2022年“新华·波罗的海国际航运中心指数”排名，新加坡、伦敦、上海分别位居全球航运中心城市综合实力前三位。
新加坡是全球领先的自由贸易港，推行自由港政策，港口内实行贸易、通航、兴办企业、金融、人员流动等多种自由经济政策，并且全部或绝大多数国外货物可以免税进出港口。新加坡的航运服务能力领先，尤其是航运经纪、船舶管理、航运金融以及海事法律服务等。
伦敦拥有高度发达的航运服务业，有数千家大规模的航运服务企业，能够提供船舶注册、船舶买卖、航运交易、海事保险、海事立法、海事诉讼与仲裁、航运信息咨询、航运人才培训以及航运业界交流等各类现代航运服务。其中，伦敦在海事法律服务和航运金融服务方面表现尤为突出，体现了全球领先水平。
上海依托中国经济与对外贸易的高水平增长，其现代航运集疏运体系快速发展，航运服务体系不断完善，营商环境持续改善。随着“一带一路+自贸区+航运中心”深度融合战略的逐步实施以及长江经济带与长三角港航一体化战略的贯彻落实，上海的国际影响力将进一步提升。上海航运市场规模大、要素集聚，航运中心与金融中心并驾齐驱，互为支撑，提升服务能级。
International Shipping Market
01.
What is international shipping?
International shipping, also known as international maritime transport, is the dominant mode of transport for world trade. Maritime transport is superior to the other modes of transport in carrying capacity and freight rate. According to the Announcement of China's Maritime Day 2023, as China is the world's largest trading nation and the second largest economy, international shipping carries about 95% of China's import and export cargo volume.
02.
How is the international shipping
market segmented?
By the type of cargo transported, the international shipping market can be sub-divided into dry bulk transport, tanker transport, container transport, and special ship transport markets. Dry bulk carriers are used to transport iron ore, grain, coal, cement, and the like. Tankers mainly carry crude oil, refined oil, natural gas, liquid chemicals, and other liquid bulk cargoes. Container ships carry virtually all types of cargo—or “general cargo”—except those mentioned above, but principally industrial, mechanical, and electronic products. Special-purpose ships, including reefer ships and cars, large equipment and lumber carriers, are used to transport goods of irregular shapes or excessive weight or needing special equipment. The dry bulk, tanker, and container shipping markets are the three pillars of the international shipping market.
By the type of transport arrangements, the international shipping market can be classified into tramp shipping market and liner shipping market. Dry bulk transport and tanker transport are generally tramp services; container transport is generally liner services.
03.
What are the common types of
ships in the international shipping
market?
The ships used for international shipping differ from cargo type to cargo type and from route to route. The most common ships in the dry bulk shipping market are the Capesize carriers, Panamax carriers, and Handymax and Handy bulk carriers. For the tanker shipping market, it’s ultra large crude carriers (ULCCs), very large crude carriers (VLCCs), Suezmax tankers, Aframax tankers, Panamax tankers, and Handy tankers. In the container shipping market, ships are classified by container capacity. According to Clarksons Research, a breakdown of the carrying capacity of the world’s container ships as of the end of 2022 is shown in the table below:
04.
How big is the international
shipping market?
With the booming global trade, especially in OEM and finished products, the international shipping market has grown. According to Clarksons Research, the total volume of global seaborne trade in 2022 recorded at 11.948 billion metric tons, of which 6,219 million metric tons or 52.1% were dry bulk cargoes (including iron ores, coal, grain, and others), 3.923 billion metric tons or 32.8% of tanker cargoes (e.g., crude oil, refined oil products, natural gas, and chemicals), and 1.806 billion metric tons or 15.1% of container cargoes.
05.
What are the major trading terms
in global shipping market?
FOB, CFR, and CIF are the most common trading terms in global shipping market. Under FOB, the buyer is responsible for chartering the ship, booking space, paying freight at destination, and arranging for and purchasing insurance. With CIF, the seller is responsible for chartering the ship, booking space, prepaying freight, and arranging for and purchasing insurance. With CFR, the seller is responsible for chartering the ship, booking space, and prepaying freight, while the buyer is responsible for the insurance. The shipping term is a reflection of a location’s relative strength in trade and transport, and will affect in which country or region the services—such as ship chartering and space booking, freight payment, insurance arrangement and payment—are provided. For example, the dominance of CIF in an export market means that the exporter’s location has a bigger say in trade and shipping services.
06.
What are the major advantages and
featuresof the world’s leading
international shipping centers?
Singapore, London, and Shanghai were the top three shipping hubs according to the 2022 Xinhua-Baltic Exchange International Shipping Centre Development Index.
As a world leading free trade port, Singapore implements a free port policy, operating on liberal economic policies in areas of trade, passage, business establishment, finance, and employment and allowing most, if not all, foreign goods to enter and exit the port duty-free. Singapore is also a leader in shipping services, especially in shipping brokerage, ship management, shipping finance, and maritime legal services.
London has a highly developed shipping industry comprising thousands of large service providers that provides all types of modern shipping services—ship registration, ship sale and purchase, shipping transactions, maritime insurance, maritime financial derivatives, maritime legislation, maritime litigation and arbitration, shipping information consultancy, professional training, and industry exchanges, to name a few. London particularly excels in maritime legal services and shipping financial services, being a global leader in both areas.
Thanks to China’s thriving economy and foreign trade, Shanghai has seen rapid development in its modern shipping distribution system and steady improvement in shipping services and business environment. Its international influence will further rise with the greater integration of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone, and Shanghai’s international shipping hub initiative and the implementation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and Yangtze River Delta port integration initiatives. Shanghai has a large shipping market and a wealth of resources. Its shipping center and financial center initiatives are individually empowering and mutually supportive, promising to bring its shipping services to a higher level.
