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Transport > Merchant marine > Foreign-owned: Countries Compared

DEFINITION: Merchant marine may be defined as all ships engaged in the carriage of goods; or all commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. This entry contains information in four fields - total, ships by type, foreign-owned, and registered in other countries.
Total includes the number of ships (1,000 GRT or over), total DWT for those ships, and total GRT for those ships. DWT or dead weight tonnage is the total weight of cargo, plus bunkers, stores, etc., that a ship can carry when immersed to the appropriate load line. GRT or gross register tonnage is a figure obtained by measuring the entire sheltered volume of a ship available for cargo and passengers and converting it to tons on the basis of 100 cubic feet per ton; there is no stable relationship between GRT and DWT.
Ships by type includes a listing of barge carriers, bulk cargo ships, cargo ships, chemical tankers, combination bulk carriers, combination ore/oil carriers, container ships, liquefied gas tankers, livestock carriers, multifunctional large-load carriers, petroleum tankers, passenger ships, passenger/cargo ships, railcar carriers, refrigerated cargo ships, roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, short-sea passenger ships, specialized tankers, and vehicle carriers.
Foreign-owned are ships that fly the flag of one country but belong to owners in another.
Registered in other countries are ships that belong to owners in one country but fly the flag of another.

CONTENTS

#
COUNTRY
AMOUNT
DATE
GRAPH
HISTORY
NOTE
Eurozone averageEurozone average (profile) 166.56 2010
European Union averageEuropean Union average (profile) 132.26 2008
1 Netherlands AntillesN. Antilles 123 2008
Group of 7 countries (G7) averageGroup of 7 countries (G7) average (profile) 77 2010
2 French Southern and Antarctic LandsFrench Antarctic+ 76 2006
3 VanuatuVanuatu 70 2010
4 MoldovaMoldova 63 2010
Non-religious countries averageNon-religious countries average (profile) 55 2004
5 KiribatiKiribati 51 2010
=6 HondurasHonduras 49 2010
=6 TuvaluTuvalu 49 2010
NATO countries averageNATO average (profile) 47.09 2007
High income OECD countries averageHigh income OECD countries average (profile) 46.52 2007
8 MongoliaMongolia 44 2010
Emerging markets averageEmerging markets average (profile) 27 2010
=9 TogoTogo 23 2010
=9 Cook IslandsCook Islands 23 2010
11 SlovakiaSlovakia 21 2010
12 JamaicaJamaica 19 2010
13 AlgeriaAlgeria 12 2010
14 Faroe IslandsFaroe Islands 11 2010
OPEC countries averageOPEC countries average (profile) 7.56 2010
=15 BoliviaBolivia 7 2010
=15 Papua New GuineaPapua NG 7 2010
17 ParaguayParaguay 6 2010
18 Sri LankaSri Lanka 5 2010
=19 SeychellesSeychelles 3 2010
=19 TongaTonga 3 2010
=19 YemenYemen 3 2004
=22 MozambiqueMozambique 2 2010
=22 GhanaGhana 2 2010
=22 FijiFiji 2 2010
=22 VietnamVietnam 2 2008
=22 AustriaAustria 2 2008
=22 PolandPoland 2 2008
=22 MauritiusMauritius 2 2007
=22 SwitzerlandSwitzerland 2 2006
=22 Serbia and MontenegroSerbia+ 2 2005
=22 Federated States of MicronesiaMicronesia 2 2005
=22 Dominican RepublicDominican Rep. 2 2004
=22 KuwaitKuwait 2 2004
=34 KazakhstanKazakhstan 1 2010
=34 Democratic Republic of the CongoCongo, DR. 1 2010
=34 EcuadorEcuador 1 2008
=34 Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad+ 1 2008
=34 CubaCuba 1 2008
=34 The GambiaThe Gambia 1 2007
=34 CameroonCameroon 1 2007
=34 TunisiaTunisia 1 2007
=34 GuyanaGuyana 1 2006
=34 French PolynesiaFr. Polynesia 1 2006
=34 GuadeloupeGuadeloupe 1 2005
=34 GreenlandGreenland 1 2005
=34 ReunionReunion 1 2005
=34 British Virgin IslandsBrit. Virgin Isl. 1 2004
=34 New CaledoniaNew Caledonia 1 2004
49 LebanonLebanon None 2013 2 (Syria 2)
50 JordanJordan None 2013 2 (UAE 2)
51 ChinaChina None 2013 22 (Hong Kong 18, Indonesia 2, Japan 2)
52 GibraltarGibraltar None 2013 254 (Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 7, Finland 2, Germany 123, Greece 8, Iceland 1, Italy 4, Jersey 1, Morocco 4, Netherlands 34, Norway 46, Sweden 11, UAE 5, UK 6)
53 MalaysiaMalaysia None 2013 26 (Denmark 1, Hong Kong 8, Japan 2, Russia 2, Singapore 13)
54 SpainSpain None 2013 27 (Canada 4, Germany 4, Italy 1, Mexico 1, Norway 10, Russia 6, Switzerland 1)
55 BrazilBrazil None 2013 27 (Chile 1, Denmark 3, Germany 6, Greece 1, Norway 3, Spain 12, Turkey 1)
56 DenmarkDenmark None 2013 27 (Germany 9, Greenland 1, Norway 2, Sweden 15)
57 United KingdomUnited Kingdom None 2013 271 (Australia 1, Bermuda 6, China 7, Denmark 43, France 39, Germany 59, Hong Kong 12, Ireland 1, Italy 3, Japan 5, Netherlands 1, Norway 32, Sweden 28, Taiwan 11, Tanzania 1, UAE 8, US 14)
58 LatviaLatvia None 2013 3 (Estonia 3)
59 TaiwanTaiwan None 2013 3 (France 2, Vietnam 1)
60 EstoniaEstonia None 2013 3 (Germany 1, Norway 2)
61 Cape VerdeCape Verde None 2013 3 (Greece 1, Spain 1, UK 1)
62 NigeriaNigeria None 2013 3 (India 1, UK 2)
63 South KoreaSouth Korea None 2013 31 (China 6, France 2, Japan 14, Taiwan 1, US 8)
64 DominicaDominica None 2013 32 (Australia 1, Estonia 6, Germany 5, Greece 4, India 2, Latvia 2, Norway 1, Russia 3, Saudi Arabia 2, Syria 4, Turkey 1, Ukraine 1)
65 SwedenSweden None 2013 35 (Denmark 4, Estonia 3, Finland 16, Germany 3, Ireland 1, Italy 5, Norway 3)
66 MaldivesMaldives None 2013 4 (Singapore 4)
67 GreeceGreece None 2013 42 (Belgium 17, Bermuda 3, Cyprus 3, Italy 5, UK 6, US 8)
68 TanzaniaTanzania None 2013 42 (Japan 1, Romania 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Syria 23, Turkey 13, UAE 3)
69 LuxembourgLuxembourg None 2013 48 (Belgium 11, Denmark 1, France 15, Germany 9, Japan 3, Netherlands 3, Switzerland 1, UK 5)
70 FinlandFinland None 2013 5 (Cyprus 1, Estonia 2, Iceland 1, Sweden 1)
71 MexicoMexico None 2013 5 (France 1, Greece 2, South Africa 1, UAE 1)
72 IrelandIreland None 2013 5 (France 2, Spain 1, US 2)
73 BahrainBahrain None 2013 5 (Kuwait 5)
74 PanamaPanama None 2013 5,162 (Albania 4, Argentina 5, Australia 4, Bahamas 6, Bangladesh 5, Belgium 1, Bermuda 27, Brazil 3, Bulgaria 6, Burma 3, Canada 6, Chile 14, China 534, Colombia 2, Croatia 2, Cuba 2, Cyprus 5, Denmark 41, Ecuador 3, Egypt 11, Finland 2, France 7, Gabon 1, Germany 24, Gibraltar 1, Greece 379, Hong Kong 144, India 24, Indonesia 10, Iran 5, Ireland 1, Israel 1, Italy 25, Japan 2372, Jordan 11, Kuwait 12, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 3, Luxembourg 1, Malaysia 12, Maldives 2, Malta 2, Mexico 5, Monaco 11, Netherlands 6, Nigeria 6, Norway 81, Oman 10, Pakistan 3, Peru 9, Philippines 5, Portugal 10, Qatar 1, Romania 3, Russia 49, Saudi Arabia 11, Singapore 92, South Korea 373, Spain 30, Sweden 2, Switzerland 15, Syria 34, Taiwan 328, Tanzania 2, Thailand 6, Turkey 62, UAE 83, UK 37, Ukraine 8, US 90, Venezuela 13, Vietnam 43, Yemen 4)
75 FranceFrance None 2013 50 (Belgium 7, Bermuda 5, Denmark 11, French Polynesia 11, Germany 1, New Caledonia 3, Singapore 3, Sweden 4, Switzerland 5)
76 GermanyGermany None 2013 6 (Finland 3, Netherlands 1, Switzerland 2)
77 QatarQatar None 2013 6 (Kuwait 6)
78 CyprusCyprus None 2013 622 (Angola 1, Austria 1, Belgium 3, Bermuda 1, Canada 2, China 6, Denmark 6, Estonia 6, France 16, Germany 192, Greece 201, Hong Kong 2, India 4, Iran 10, Ireland 3, Italy 6, Japan 16, Netherlands 23, Norway 14, Philippines 1, Poland 24, Portugal 2, Russia 46, Singapore 1, Slovenia 5, Spain 6, Sweden 5, Turkey 1, UAE 3, UK 7, Ukraine 3, US 5)
79 IndonesiaIndonesia None 2013 69 (China 1, France 1, Greece 1, Japan 8, Jordan 1, Malaysia 1, Norway 3, Singapore 46, South Korea 2, Taiwan 1, UK 2, US 2)
80 SingaporeSingapore None 2013 966 (Australia 12, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 1, Bermuda 25, Brazil 9, Chile 6, China 29, Cyprus 6, Denmark 149, France 3, Germany 32, Greece 22, Hong Kong 46, India 21, Indonesia 60, Italy 5, Japan 164, Malaysia 27, Netherlands 1, Norway 153, Russia 2, South Africa 13, South Korea 3, Sweden 11, Switzerland 3, Taiwan 77, Thailand 33, UAE 10, UK 6, US 36)
81 Hong KongHong Kong None 2013 976 (Bangladesh 1, Belgium 26, Bermuda 20, Canada 77, China 500, Cyprus 3, Denmark 42, France 4, Germany 10, Greece 27, Indonesia 10, Iran 3, Japan 79, Libya 1, Norway 48, Russia 1, Singapore 13, South Korea 3, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 25, UAE 1, UK 33, US 44)
82 CroatiaCroatia None 2013 2 (Norway 2)
83 IranIran None 2013 2 (UAE 2)
84 TurkeyTurkey None 2013 1 (Italy 1)
85 ChileChile None 2013 1 (Norway 1)
86 RomaniaRomania None 2013 1 (Russia 1)
87 AngolaAngola None 2013 1 (Spain 1)
88 AlbaniaAlbania None 2013 1 (Turkey 1)
89 AzerbaijanAzerbaijan None 2013 1 (Turkey 1)
90 The BahamasThe Bahamas None 2013 1,063 (Angola 6, Australia 1, Belgium 6, Bermuda 15, Brazil 1, Canada 96, Croatia 1, Cyprus 23, Denmark 69, Finland 8, France 15, Germany 30, Greece 225, Guernsey 6, Hong Kong 3, Indonesia 2, Ireland 3, Italy 1, Japan 88, Jordan 2, Kuwait 1, Malaysia 13, Monaco 8, Montenegro 2, Netherlands 23, Nigeria 2, Norway 186, Poland 34, Saudi Arabia 16, Singapore 7, South Korea 1, Spain 6, Sweden 11, Switzerland 1, Thailand 4, Turkey 3, UAE 23, UK 18, US 109)
91 MaltaMalta None 2013 1,437 (Angola 7, Azerbaijan 1, Belgium 7, Bermuda 15, Bulgaria 8, Canada 5, China 6, Croatia 6, Cyprus 32, Denmark 34, Egypt 1, Estonia 16, Finland 3, France 8, Germany 135, Greece 469, Hong Kong 4, India 3, Iran 48, Ireland 4, Israel 3, Italy 45, Japan 5, Kuwait 3, Latvia 8, Lebanon 6, Libya 5, Luxembourg 3, Malaysia 1, Monaco 3, Netherlands 3, Norway 96, Oman 5, Poland 21, Portugal 3, Romania 7, Russia 45, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 4, Slovenia 4, South Korea 2, Spain 8, Sweden 1, Switzerland 20, Syria 4, Turkey 233, UAE 1, UK 21, Ukraine 29, US 34)
92 GeorgiaGeorgia None 2013 95 (Bulgaria 1, China 10, Egypt 7, Hong Kong 3, Israel 1, Italy 2, Latvia 1, Lebanon 1, Romania 7, Russia 6, Syria 24, Turkey 14, UAE 2, UK 5, Ukraine 10, US 1)
93 IndiaIndia None 2013 10 (China 1, Hong Kong 2, Jersey 2, Malaysia 1, UAE 4)
94 BermudaBermuda None 2013 105 (France 1, Germany 14, Greece 8, Hong Kong 4, Ireland 1, Israel 3, Japan 2, Monaco 2, Nigeria 11, Norway 5, Sweden 14, UK 14, US 26)
95 North KoreaNorth Korea None 2013 13 (Belgium 1, China 3, Nigeria 1, Singapore 1, South Korea 1, Syria 4, UAE 2)
96 ThailandThailand None 2013 13 (China 1, Hong Kong 1, Malaysia 3, Singapore 1, Taiwan 1, UK 6)
97 EgyptEgypt None 2013 13 (Denmark 1, France 1, Greece 8, Jordan 2, Lebanon 1)
98 United Arab EmiratesUAE None 2013 13 (Greece 3, Kuwait 10)
99 ArgentinaArgentina None 2013 14 (Brazil 1, Chile 6, Spain 3, Taiwan 2, UK 2)
100 MoroccoMorocco None 2013 14 (France 3, Germany 1, Italy 1, Spain 9)
101 BulgariaBulgaria None 2013 14 (Germany 12, Russia 2)
102 BelgiumBelgium None 2013 15 (Denmark 4, France 7, Russia 1, UK 2, US 1)
103 Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia None 2013 15 (Egypt 1, Greece 4, Kuwait 4, UAE 6)
104 RussiaRussia None 2013 155 (Belgium 4, Cyprus 13, Estonia 1, Ireland 1, Italy 14, Latvia 2, Netherlands 2, Romania 1, South Korea 1, Switzerland 3, Turkey 101, Ukraine 12)
105 PhilippinesPhilippines None 2013 159 (Bermuda 47, China 4, Denmark 2, Germany 2, Greece 5, Japan 77, Malaysia 1, Netherlands 17, Singapore 1, South Korea 1, Taiwan 1, UAE 1)
106 ItalyItaly None 2013 90 (Denmark 4, France 2, Greece 7, Luxembourg 14, Netherlands 2, Nigeria 1, Norway 6, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 13, Taiwan 10, Turkey 4, UK 2, US 23)
107 VenezuelaVenezuela None 2013 9 (Denmark 1, Estonia 1, Germany 1, Greece 4, Mexico 1, Spain 1)
108 United StatesUnited States None 2013 85 (Australia 1, Bermuda 5, Denmark 31, France 4, Germany 5, Malaysia 2, Norway 17, Singapore 16, UK 4)
109 NorwayNorway None 2013 81 (Bermuda 24, Canada 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 7, France 5, Iceland 2, Lithuania 1, Saudi Arabia 3, Sweden 27, US 10)
110 PortugalPortugal None 2013 81 (Belgium 8, Colombia 1, Denmark 4, Germany 14, Greece 2, Italy 12, Japan 9, Mexico 1, Norway 2, Spain 18, Sweden 3, Switzerland 3, US 4)
111 LithuaniaLithuania None 2013 8 (Denmark 8)
112 BangladeshBangladesh None 2013 8 (China 1, Singapore 7)
113 PeruPeru None 2013 8 (Chile 6, Ecuador 1, Spain 1)
114 UruguayUruguay None 2013 8 (Argentina 1, Denmark 1, Greece 1, Spain 5)
115 New ZealandNew Zealand None 2013 7 (Germany 2, Hong Kong 1, South Africa 1, Switzerland 2, UK 1)
116 AustraliaAustralia None 2013 17 (Canada 5, Germany 2, Singapore 2, South Africa 1, UK 5, US 2)
117 CanadaCanada None 2013 19 (Estonia 1, France 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 4, Sweden 2, US 10)
118 NetherlandsNetherlands None 2013 196 (Australia 1, Bermuda 1, Denmark 27, Finland 13, France 2, Germany 86, Ireland 8, Italy 6, Japan 1, Norway 19, Sweden 12, UAE 4, US 16)
119 BurmaBurma None 2013 2 (Germany 1, Japan 1)
120 LibyaLibya None 2013 2 (Kuwait 1, Norway 1)
121 LiberiaLiberia None 2011 2,356 (Angola 1, Argentina 3, Australia 2, Belgium 1, Bermuda 4, Brazil 20, Canada 4, Chile 7, China 10, Croatia 2, Cyprus 7, Denmark 4, Finland 2, Germany 1049, Gibraltar 5, Greece 454, Hong Kong 47, India 1, Indonesia 4, Isle of Man 19, Israel 31, Italy 48, Japan 102, Latvia 9, Lebanon 1, Monaco 10, Netherlands 35, Nigeria 4, Norway 42, Poland 13, Qatar 5, Romania 3, Russia 108, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 27, Slovenia 5, South Korea 1, Sweden 10, Switzerland 17, Syria 1, Taiwan 88, Turkey 15, UAE 27, UK 25, Ukraine 16, Uruguay 1, US 39, Vietnam 3)
122 BarbadosBarbados None 2011 89 (Canada 13, Greece 14, Iran 4, Lebanon 2, Norway 41, Sweden 6, Syria 1, Turkey 1, UK 7)
123 Puerto RicoPuerto Rico None 2011 3 (US 3)
124 Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSt Vincent+ None 2011 382 (Austria 2, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 6, Bermuda 1, Bulgaria 10, China 82, Croatia 8, Cyprus 2, Czech Republic 1, Denmark 19, Dominica 1, Egypt 4, Estonia 10, France 2, Germany 2, Greece 63, Guyana 2, Hong Kong 4, Israel 3, Italy 5, Japan 3, Kenya 2, Latvia 15, Lebanon 4, Lithuania 10, Monaco 3, Netherlands 2, Nigeria 1, Norway 12, Oman 1, Pakistan 1, Poland 1, Romania 1, Russia 15, Slovenia 2, Sweden 2, Switzerland 5, Syria 13, Turkey 18, UAE 4, UK 7, Ukraine 12, US 19, Venezuela 1)
125 CambodiaCambodia None 2011 426 (Belgium 1, Canada 2, China 203, Cyprus 8, Egypt 12, Estonia 1, French Polynesia 1, Gabon 1, Greece 2, Hong Kong 11, Indonesia 2, Japan 2, Latvia 1, Lebanon 6, Netherlands 1, Romania 1, Russia 60, Singapore 4, South Korea 11, Syria 22, Taiwan 1, Turkey 26, UAE 2, UK 3, Ukraine 37, US 4, Vietnam 1)
126 SyriaSyria None 2011 5 (Jordan 2, Lebanon 2, Romania 1)
127 South AfricaSouth Africa None 2011 1 (Denmark 1)
128 UkraineUkraine None 2011 1 (Iran 1)
129 JapanJapan None 2011 1 (Norway 1)
130 Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda None 2011 1,186 (Albania 1, Colombia 1, Denmark 20, Estonia 20, Germany 1050, Greece 5, Iceland 9, Isle of Man 2, Latvia 16, Lithuania 4, Mexico 2, Netherlands 18, Norway 9, NZ 2, Poland 2, Russia 3, Slovenia 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 7, Turkey 7, US 6)
131 Marshall IslandsMarshall Isl. None 2011 1,284 (Australia 1, Bermuda 34, Brazil 1, Canada 4, China 16, Croatia 12, Cyprus 38, Denmark 7, Egypt 1, Germany 247, Greece 358, Hong Kong 3, India 8, Iraq 2, Isle of Man 2, Israel 1, Italy 1, Japan 41, Jersey 9, Latvia 18, Malaysia 11, Mexico 4, Monaco 21, Netherlands 16, Norway 57, Pakistan 1, Qatar 24, Romania 2, Russia 6, Singapore 28, Slovenia 6, South Korea 25, Switzerland 12, Taiwan 2, Turkey 72, UAE 17, UK 7, Ukraine 1, US 168)
132 Isle of ManIsle of Man None 2010 223 (Bermuda 7, Chile 9, Denmark 30, Germany 56, Greece 62, Ireland 1, Japan 19, Malaysia 6, Norway 30, South Africa 2, US 1)
133 ComorosComoros None 2010 73 (Bangladesh 1, Bulgaria 4, China 1, Cyprus 2, Greece 4, Kenya 2, Kuwait 1, Latvia 2, Lebanon 2, Lithuania 1, Nigeria 1, Norway 1, Pakistan 5, Russia 12, Syria 5, Turkey 8, UAE 8, UK 1, Ukraine 10, US 2)
134 Saint Kitts and NevisSt Kitts+ None 2010 73 (Belgium 1, China 1, Egypt 1, Greece 2, India 2, Japan 2, Malaysia 1, Norway 3, Pakistan 1, Russia 13, Singapore 10, Turkey 18, UAE 8, UK 1, Ukraine 8, US 1)
135 SamoaSamoa None 2010 1 (NZ 1)
136 Equatorial GuineaEqu. Guinea None 2010 1 (Norway 1)
137 TurkmenistanTurkmenistan None 2010 1 (Turkey 1)
138 Cayman IslandsCayman Islands None 2010 102 (Germany 3, Greece 9, Italy 7, Japan 23, Switzerland 1, UK 2, US 57)
139 BelizeBelize None 2010 152 (Bulgaria 1, China 61, Croatia 1, Estonia 1, Greece 2, Iceland 1, Italy 3, Latvia 9, Lithuania 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 2, Russia 30, Singapore 4, Switzerland 1, Syria 4, Thailand 1, Turkey 16, UAE 3, UK 4, Ukraine 6)
140 Sao Tome and PrincipeSoa Tome+ None 2010 2 (China 1, Greece 1)
141 BruneiBrunei None 2010 2 (UK 2)
142 Sierra LeoneSierra Leone None 2010 98 (Bangladesh 1, China 19, Cyprus 2, Egypt 3, Estonia 2, Hong Kong 7, Japan 4, Lebanon 2, North Korea 2, Romania 2, Russia 7, Singapore 9, Syria 13, Taiwan 7, Turkey 9, UAE 1, UK 1, Ukraine 5, Yemen 2)
143 SomaliaSomalia None 2008 1 (UAE 1)
144 Wallis and FutunaWallis+ None 2008 8 (France 6, French Polynesia 2)

Citation

Transport > Merchant marine > Foreign-owned: Countries Compared Map

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Created with Highcharts 4.0.1Transport > Merchant marine > Foreign-owned, 2013Netherlands AntillesFrench Southern and Antarctic LandsVanuatuMoldovaKiribatiHondurasTuvaluMongoliaTogoCook IslandsSlovakiaJamaicaAlgeriaFaroe IslandsBoliviaOther

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