William R. Bennett III, Editor
Political turmoil in the United States, war in the Middle East, and invasion and occupation in Europe. The time period: 1973–74; which confirms the aphorism that Winston Churchill repeated in a speech he gave in 1948 to the British House of Commons, that “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” If you were H. G. Wells’ Time Traveler and transported in time from 1974 to 2024 and began reading headlines in the newspaper you would be reasonable to conclude that not much has changed. However, if you were a shipping man in 1974 and joined the Time Traveler, you would notice massive change.
In 1974, vessels built in the United States, Great Britain, and Denmark dominated the list of new ship buildings with no mention of China. Today, vessels built in China dominate the list of new launches. And, in 1974 the largest container ship in the world was the Hamburg Express with a capacity of 2984 twenty-foot equivalent units (“TEUs”). Today, the largest container ship in the world is the MSC Irina with a capacity of 24,346 TEU–a whopping increase of 800 percent. But, the most important changes that have occurred in the maritime industry involve the rules, regulations, and norms of the international maritime shipping community focused on safety, starting with the 1974 SOLAS Convention, which specified minimum safety standards for the construction, equipment, and operation of ships.
Change for the sake of change is rarely beneficial. Thoughtful and purposeful change directed by the stakeholders in any venture typically ends with positive results. The maritime industry is a great example. The rules, regulations, conventions, and industry norms promulgated and promoted by the international shipping community–International Maritime Organization, Flag State, classification societies, owners, managers, etc.,—which primarily focus on safety of personnel, the environment, and the vessel, while also considering the commercial implications of such rules, have been extremely effective since 1974 in reducing harm to personnel, the environment, and vessels and, consequently—in my humble opinion—the maritime industry is a model for other industries to follow when change is necessary.
