Cargo Ships

The general cargo ships has pretty much gone the way of the dinosaur, but has been to a degree replaced by the container ship. Ships are getting larger and larger all the time, as marine architects find new ways to create faster, larger ways to get around on the water and carry goods. It’s another  manifestation of the marketplace.

I spoke with Capt. Johnson recently about ship emissions. He agreed that pollution is an issue, but made an interesting point – that if you calculate the carbon footprint of ship borne cargo, because so much is hauled in one ship at a time the amount of fuel expended per item is actually quite small compared to items shipped using other means.

That doesn’t mean we don’t need to address the issue of ship emissions, but it does once again raise the point that maritime shipping is one of the most cost effective and overall efficient means of transportation anywhere.

The bottom line is that humans currently use a whole lot of energy and despite our fears about global warning, we aren’t making any real strides to lower the amount of fuel we burn.

- Joanne