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The Khufu ship for trade during the Egyptian Empire period

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The Khufu is a ship made from wood and used for transportation of cargoes among the River Niles.

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A Trireme is a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean Sea, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans

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The Borodubur Ship during Majapahit Empire

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The Borodubur Ship is a ship of the Javanese people, and derivative vessels of similar size continued to be used in East Java coastal trade at least until the 1940s

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The actuaria was a Roman merchant ship used for trade and transport. It was a type of galley that was equipped with both sails and oars. The actuaria was more expensive to operate than sailing ships, but was used when speed and reliability were important.

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Jongs are used mainly as seagoing passenger and cargo vessels. They traveled as far as the Atlantic Ocean in the medieval era.

Their tonnage ranged from 40 to 2000 deadweight tons, with an average deadweight of 1200–1400 tons during the Majapahit era.

Javanese kingdoms such as Majapahit, Demak Sultanate, and Kalinyamat Sultanate, Malaccan Sultanate used these vessels as warships, but still predominantly as transport vessels.

Mataram Sultanate primarily used jong as a merchant ship rather than a warship.

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The establishment of routes in maritime trade between China and the Arabian Peninsula that had been used since at least the Han dynasty.

That fact, along with the use of a more-than-abundant number of crew members who were regular military personnel, leads some to speculate that the expeditions may have been geared at least partially at spreading China's power through expansion.

After centuries of disruption, the Song dynasty restored large-scale maritime trade from China in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans and reached as far as the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.

When his fleet first arrived at Malacca, there was already a sizable Chinese community. The General Survey of the Ocean Shores, composed by the translator Ma Huan in 1416, gives very detailed accounts of his observations of people's customs and lives in the ports that they visited.

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The Treaty of Tordesillas of 7 June 1494 involves agreements between King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and King John II of Portugal establishing a new demarcation line between the two crowns, running from pole to pole, 370 leagues to the west of Cape Verde islands.

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Portuguese galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships used for trade and warfare during the Age of Sail. They were built in Portugal and Spain, and were the primary warships until the mid-17th century.

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A Spanish galleon in the 1500s was a large, multi-decked sailing ship primarily used by Spain to transport cargo and serve as a warship, known for its large capacity to carry treasure from the Americas to Europe, featuring a distinctive beak at the prow, multiple masts with square and lateen sails, and a high sterncastle; essentially the primary vessel used by Spain during the Age of Exploration to navigate trade routes between Europe and the New World.

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The Dutch Empire used a variety of ships, including fluyts, East Indiamen, galleons, and ships of the line.

Fluyt

A cargo ship developed in Hoorn in the 16th century. It was designed to carry as much cargo as possible while requiring minimal crew. The ship had a shallow draft, flat-bottomed hull, and bulbous shape. It was cheaper and simpler to build than rival ships. The ship was a key factor in the Dutch Empire's rise in the 17th century.

East Indiamen

A trade ship designed to maximize cargo space and minimize crew requirements that allowed the Dutch to transport commodities from the East Indies and the New World back to Europe.

Galleons

A Dutch warship used in the North Sea and beyond. It was armed with dozens of heavy cannons. The ships of the line and it was designed for speed and durability.

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In the last quarter of the 18th century, large European vessels were being classified into types based on their hull configuration, e.g. frigate, hagboat, pink, cat, flute, and bark. The VOC also used the terms retourschip (for large vessels like the Batavia) and jacht (for smaller ships like the Vergulde Draeck).

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Lloyd's Coffee House was opened by Edward Lloyd (c. 1648 – 15 February 1713) on Tower Street in 1686. The establishment was a popular place for sailors, merchants and shipowners, and Lloyd catered to them by providing reliable shipping news.

The shipping industry community frequented the place to discuss maritime insurance, shipbroking and foreign trade. The dealings that took place led to the establishment of the insurance market Lloyd's of London, Lloyd's Register, Lloyd's List, and several related shipping and insurance businesses.

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THE AMAZING STORY OF LLOYD'S OF LONDON | COFFEE COMMERCE

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The Suez Canal is a shipping route that connects the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Construction began in 1859 and was completed in 1869. The canal was designed by French diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps.

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A tramp steamer is a cargo ship that travels without a set schedule, carrying bulk goods like coal, oil, grain, and steel. Tramp steamers are hired by companies through charterparties, rather than bills of lading.

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Liner shipping is the transportation of goods by large ships that follow set schedules and routes. It's a cost-effective and reliable way to move cargo around the world.

RMS Titanic was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. It was the second time White Star Line had lost a ship on its maiden voyage, the first being the RMS Tayleur in 1854.

Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, approximately 1,500 died, making the incident one of the deadliest peacetime sinkings of a single ship. Titanic, operated by the White Star Line, carried some of the wealthiest people in the world, as well as hundreds of emigrants from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and elsewhere in Europe who were seeking a new life in the United States and Canada. The disaster drew public attention, spurred major changes in maritime safety regulations, and inspired a lasting legacy in popular culture.

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The Panama Canal was built between 1904 and 1914 by the United States. The canal was a response to the failure of a French construction team in the 1880s.

The idea for a canal across Panama dates back to 1513 when Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama. In 1811, Alexander von Humboldt considered five possible routes for a canal, including Panama. In 1881, a French company began construction, but failed by 1889.

In 1904, the United States began construction of the canal. The canal was built across a 50-mile stretch of the Panama isthmus. The canal uses locks to raise ships to about 85 feet above sea level and lowers them down again.

The canal was completed in 1914.

Operation and transfer

In 1999, the United States transferred oversight of the canal to Panama.

The canal is still a vital link in world shipping and is periodically upgraded.

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Malcolm McLean invented and patented the first standard shipping container in the USA in 1956. Although he wasn’t an ocean shipper, he owned the largest trucking company in the country at the time. Gradually, McLean came up with how to make intermodal transportation seamless and efficient.

When McLean started his trucking company, the standard practice was to load and unload cargo in odd-sized wooden cases. As he watched dock loaders move and transfer freight, he was amazed by how inefficient this method was. McLean knew that trucking carriers and shipping companies would gain from a standardized, intermodal cargo transfer process.

Knowing it was time to change the logistics industry, McLean purchased Pan Atlantic Tanker Company with all its shipping assets. With it, he started experimenting with better loading and unloading trucks. Eventually, McLean finally came up with the standard shipping container. It’s robust, theft resistant, reliable, and easy to transfer.

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Maritime shipping during World War I was vital for the war effort, supplying raw materials, sustenance, and the means to fight. Many merchant ships were lost in the war, especially along vital shipping routes.

The Merchant Navy's logistical efforts were critical to the British war effort.

The Merchant Navy delivered raw materials and sustenance to the operational theaters. Many merchant ships were lost in the war, especially along vital shipping routes.

Examples

The National Archives has reflected on shipwrecks and losses at sea in February.

Historic England is identifying wrecks of First World War merchant vessels lost in the North Sea.

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During World War II, maritime shipping was vital to the Allied war effort. It involved transporting troops, military equipment, food, fuel, and raw materials across the world's oceans.

The US built over 2,700 Liberty Ships to address a shortage of cargo ships. They were a major component of the Allied Merchant Navy.

Civilian volunteers sailed ships that delivered vital cargoes. They were often in the front lines of the war at sea.

German U-boats sank many merchant ships, killing thousands of mariners and naval gunners. German aircraft destroyed American Liberty ships, including the SS John Harvey, which was carrying mustard gas bombs.

In 1942, the United States sent 350 ships as part of Allied convoys in the Atlantic.

The Germans sank nearly 100 ships in these convoys.

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The earliest container ships after the Second World War were converted oil tankers, built up from surplus T2 tankers after World War II. In 1951, the first purpose-built container vessels began operating in Denmark, and between Seattle and Alaska.

The first commercially successful container ship was Ideal X, a T2 tanker, owned by Malcom McLean, which carried 58 metal containers between Newark, New Jersey and Houston, Texas, on its first voyage. In 1955, McLean built his company, McLean Trucking into one of the United States' biggest freighter fleets. In 1955, he purchased the small Pan Atlantic Steamship Company from Waterman Steamship and adapted its ships to carry cargo in large uniform metal containers.

On April 26, 1956, the first of these rebuilt container vessels, Ideal X, left the Port Newark in New Jersey and a new revolution in modern shipping resulted.

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Viking ships were used for trade, warfare, exploration, and colonization during the Viking Age (790–1100 CE). The Vikings built many different types of ships, including longships and knarrs.

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In the 19th century, especially the second half, experiments with gliders provided the basis for learning the dynamics of winged aircraft; most notably by Cayley, Otto Lilienthal, and Octave Chanute. By the early 20th century, advances in engine technology and aerodynamics made controlled, powered, manned heavier-than-air flight possible for the first time.

In 1903, following their pioneering research and experiments with wing design and aircraft control, the Wright brothers successfully incorporated all of the required elements to create and fly the first aeroplane. The basic configuration with its characteristic cruciform tail was established by 1909, followed by rapid design and performance improvements aided by the development of more powerful engines.

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MSC Irina

The world's largest container ship as of 2024, with a capacity of 24,346 TEU. She is at 1,312 ft long and 200 ft wide. Her maiden voyage in April 2023 from Guangzhou Port in China

HMM Algeciras

She has a haulage capacity of 23,964 TEUs. She is just under 400 meters long and sails under the Panama flag.

MSC Gülsün

She has a load capacity of 23,756 TEUs. Her length is 399.9 meters long and has a Panamanian registration. it was built by Samsung Heavy Industries.

OOCL Hong Kong

She has a carrying capacity of 21,413 TEU.

The lead ship of a series of six G-class vessels that first crossed the 21,000 TEU mark.

CMA CGM Jacques Saadé

The ship has a capacity of 23,112 TEU. She sails under the French flag and is operated by CMA CGM.

Madrid Maersk

She has a capacity of 20,568 TEUs. Her length is 399 meters long and 58.6 meters wide. It was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.