merchant marine

merchant marine, the commercial ships of a nation, whether privately or publicly owned. The term merchant marine also denotes the personnel that operate such ships, as distinct from the personnel of naval vessels. Merchant ships are used to transport people, raw materials, and manufactured goods. Merchant fleets can be important economic assets for nations that have limited natural resources or a relatively small industrial base. By carrying the commerce of other nations on the seas, a merchant fleet contributes to its home nation’s foreign-exchange earnings, promotes trade, and provides employment.

At the end of World War II the United States operated nearly half the world’s oceangoing merchant marine, and Great Britain had another major share. Both nations’ fleets declined in the postwar years, however, and Japan and Greece had become the largest oceangoing shippers by the end of the 20th century. Many ships owned in other countries operate under Liberian or Panamanian registry to avoid the heavy taxes and intrusive regulations imposed by their home nations.

Merchant shipping includes cargo ships, passenger ships, and tankers. Cargo ships can be either liners, which travel on established routes at regular intervals between specified ports; or tramps, which instead take cargo where and when it offers and to any port. Some of the newer types of cargo ships are bulk carriers, which transport ores or other dry cargoes in bulk; container ships, which handle standardized containers in a highly mechanized fashion; and roll-on, roll-off ships, which handle cargoes through their bow or stern ports. Passenger ships include ocean liners (which have now largely been supplanted by jet aircraft for transoceanic travel), cruise ships, and ferries. Tankers are used to transport crude oil, oil-based fuels, and natural gas. See also ship.