Maritime shipping continues to be the backbone of global trade. According to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Greece, China, and Japan control over 40% of the world’s commercial maritime shipping capacity.
The dominance of these countries in fleet ownership not only shapes maritime logistics but also drives economic power, geopolitical influence, and strategic control over global trade routes.
According to UNCTAD, the power of the world’s largest fleet-owning countries in maritime shipping also means strategic power.
The top 10 countries according to their share of global transport capacity are as follows:
Greece – 16.4% – 5,124 ships – 398 million DWT
China – 14.4% – 10,440 ships – 347 million DWT
Japan – 9.9% – 4,083 ships – 241 million DWT
Singapore – 6.3% – 2,922 ships – 153 million DWT
Hong Kong – 5.8% – 2,081 ships – 139 million DWT
South Korea – 4.1% – 1,700 ships – 98 million DWT
Germany – 3.0% – 2,016 ships – 71 million DWT
Taiwan – 2.6% – 1,063 ships – 64 million DWT
UAE – 2.4% – 1,598 ships – 57 million DWT
United Kingdom – 2.4% – 1,275 ships – 57 million DWT
7DENIZ
