America's Ocean Shipping Industry

Paper Summary:

This paper reveals that major sea routes constitute among the most important paths for American commercial trade and, simultaneously, reflect one of America's greatest economic vulnerabilities. The paper highlights the threats to America's ocean shipping industry of high fuel costs, terrorism, piracy and poor port maintenance. The paper points out that the Bush administration actually argued vociferously in favor of the management and ownership of port securities by a United Arab Emirates' state-controlled firm! The paper believes that prevention should be considered a primary priority for the industry, with a focus on personnel recruitment and resource designation.

From the Paper:

"America is geographically and inherently given over to a high level of economic dependency on its maritime trade. As an enormous landmass surrounded by water and separated from many of its closest trade partners by a bodies of ocean, the United States is a leading entity in the global sea trade. In years prior as a leader in global production, export and retail, today the United States is distinguished for importing massive amounts of natural and consumer resources from its trade partners. Consuming massive amounts of food, lumber, natural minerals and fossil fuels, the American economic depends very much on the consistency of its shipping routes and the continuity of incoming ships from major partners. Particularly with the forces of globalization heavily increasing the emphasis on international trade freedoms, ocean-faring vessels bound for the United States have come to bear an important role and responsibility in the American economy and in the world economy."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Associated Press (AP), 2006, Bush backs transfer of U.S. ports to Dubai firm. MSNBC.com. Online at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11474440/
• Daly, J.C.K., 2003, Al Qaeda and Maritime Terrorism, Part I. The Jamestown Foundation. Online at http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?issue_id=2873
• Kelshall, C., 2004, Radical Islam and LNG in Trinidad and Tobago. Energy Security. Online at http://www.iags.org/n1115045.htm>.
• Mitchell, Lt. Col. C.L., 2008, Countering maritime terrorism in the Caribbean Sea. Maritime Terrorism Research Center. Online at http://www.maritimeterrorism.com/>.
• Ong-Webb, G.G., 2006, Piracy, Maritime Terrorism and Securing the Malacca Straits. International Institute for Asian Studies.

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