Shipping plays a key role in the global economy, transporting goods and resources across the world. According to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) (n.d.), remains the cheapest mode of transport per ton. Over 5600 container ships transport approximately 11 billion tons of goods around the world in 2022 (Statista Research Department, 2022). This represents over 80% of globally traded goods (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 2022). 

To the small island state of Singapore, the shipping industry is of crucial importance. Not only is Singapore heavily reliant on container ships for access to international goods and resources, the Shipping industry is also a major contributor to Singapore’s economy. Singapore’s status as a Global Maritime Hub– partly owing to its strategic location along the busy Straits of Malacca, has seen the Port of Singapore gradually grow to become the world’s busiest port in terms of shipping tonnage (Maritime Singapore, n.d.). The shipping industry contributes to around 7% of Singapore GDP’s, employing around 170,000 people (Enterprise Singapore, 2018).

Figure 1: Average CO2 Emissions by Passenger and Freight Transport Mode (Rodrigue, 2020).

Shipping has often been touted as having the lowest environmental footprint in freight transport (per ton) (ICS, n.d.). As seen in Figure 1, average CO2 emissions by maritime shipping are lowest when compared to other forms of freight transport. However, collectively, the shipping industry is a major contributor of pollution to the environment. These include, but are not limited to, air pollution, noise, and water pollution (OECD, 1997). These have consequent negative impacts on not only the surrounding biodiversity and environment but also contribute to global climate change. 

Therefore, this blog will primarily explore the various ways in which shipping pollution affects our planet and the efforts being made to address this issue. Join me as I explore the complex issue of shipping pollution, and the actions we can take to combat it. 

References

Enterprise Singapore. (2018, December 18). Sea transport: Industry profile. https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/industries/type/sea-transport/industry-profile

International Chamber of Shipping. (n.d.). Shipping and world trade: driving prosperity.  https://www.ics-shipping.org/shipping-fact/shipping-and-world-trade-driving-prosperity/#:~:text=Allows%20countries%20to%20access%20the,of%20affordable%20goods%20and%20products.

Maritime Singapore. (n.d.). Premier global hub port. http://www.maritimesingapore.sg/maritime-singapore-globally/

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (1997). The environmental effects of freight. https://www.oecd.org/environment/envtrade/2386636.pdf

Rodrigue, J. P. (2020). The geography of transport systems (5th ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/The-Geography-of-Transport-Systems/Rodrigue/p/book/9780367364632

Statista Research Department. (2022, November, 29). Transport volume of worldwide maritime trade 1990-2021. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/264117/tonnage-of-worldwide-maritime-trade-since-1990/

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2022). Review of maritime transport 2022. https://unctad.org/webflyer/review-maritime-transport-2022