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Amerchant navy ormerchant marine is the fleet ofmerchant vessels that areregistered in a specific country. On merchant vessels,seafarers of variousranks and sometimes members ofmaritime trade unions are required by theInternational Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW)[1] to carryMerchant Mariner's Documents.
King George V bestowed the title of the "Merchant Navy" on the British merchant shipping fleets following their service inWorld War I; since then a number of other nations have also adopted use of that title or the similar "Merchant Marine".In most jurisdictions, they are seen on the same level as Road or Air Transportation. However, in some countries, such as the UK, due to their uniformed identity and previous war and peace time contributions they are seen as a uniformed 'service'. This is demonstrated in the UK by the Red Ensign and Blue Ensign being on the sides of the Cenotaph in London.
The following is a partial list of the merchant navies or merchant marines of various countries. In many countries the fleet'sproper name is simply the capitalized version of the common noun ("Merchant Navy").
During the First World War, the government requisitioned Australian merchant vessels for use as transport ships,hospital ships andcargo ships.[2] During World War II, they were commissioned for use as hospital ships,supply ships and armed merchant cruisers,[3] in particular in thePacific campaign.[4][5] Since 2008, 3 September has been officially commemorated asMerchant Navy Day, on the same day as the pre-existing Australian National Flag Day,[6][7][4] which allows theAustralian Red Ensign to be flown on land for the occasion as a matter of protocol,[8][9] as an official recognition of the merchant navy's contribution in wartime.[4][5] TheAustralian Merchant Navy Memorial inCanberra, the national capital city of Australia, is a memorial honouring the Australian Merchant Navy's involvement in both world wars.[10]
The British Merchant Navy comprises the British merchant ships that transport cargo and people or conduct specialist tasks during times of peace and war.
For much of its history, the merchant navy was the largest merchant fleet in the world, but with the decline of theBritish Empire in the mid-20th century it slipped down the rankings. In 1939, the merchant navy was the largest in the world with 33% of total tonnage.[11] By 2012, the merchant navy held only 3% of total tonnage.[12]
Canada, like several other Commonwealth nations, created its own merchant navy in a large-scale effort in World War II. Established in 1939, the Canadian Merchant Navy played a major role in theBattle of the Atlantic bolstering the Allies' merchant fleet due to high losses in the British Merchant Navy.
Eventually thousands of Canadians served in the merchant navy aboard hundreds of Canadian merchant ships, notably the "Park Ship", the Canadian equivalent of the American "Liberty Ship". A school atSt. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia, trained Canadian merchant mariners. "Manning pools", merchant navy barracks, were built in Canadian ports.
The Greek maritime fleet is today engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of themerchant vessels owned byGreek civilians, flying either theGreek flag or aflag of convenience.
Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since ancient times. In 2015, the Greek Merchant Marine controlled the world's largestmerchant fleet in terms oftonnage with a totalDWT of 334,649,089 tons and a fleet of 5,226 Greek owned vessels, according toLloyd's List.[13] Greece is also ranked highly regarding all types of ships, including first fortankers andbulk carriers.
The birth of the modern Indian Merchant Navy occurred before independence from the United Kingdom, when in 1919SS Loyalty sailed from India to Britain.[14] Today, India ranks 15th in the world in terms of totalDWT. India currently supplies around 12.8% of officers and around 14.5% of ratings to the world seafaring community. This is one of the highest of any country.[15]
India has many merchant shipping companies. Some of the prominent shipping companies in India areGreat Eastern Shipping, Tolani Shipping, SCI now a private company, and Seven Islands Shipping which is an ownership company.
In December 1939, 3,000 seafarers were employed and 186 merchant vessels were on the New Zealand Registry (many larger New Zealand vessels were however registered in London for insurance purposes). Some foreign vessels were impressed, including the four-masted barque,Pamir.
New Zealand, like several other Commonwealth nations, created a merchant navy. However, the "wartime Merchant Navy was neither a military force nor a single coherent body", instead it was "a diverse collection of private companies and ships".[16]
Although some ships were involved in the Atlantic and North Pacific trade, mostly this involved domestic and South Pacific cargos. New Zealand-owned ships were involved in trade with the United Kingdom (84% of all New Zealand exports in 1939)[16] and the majority of New Zealand seamen had served with the British Merchant Navy.
Over the course of the war, 64 ships were sunk by enemy action on the New Zealand–UK route,[17] and 140 merchant seafarers died (a similar number were also taken prisoner).[18]
The Pakistan Merchant Navy was formed in 1947. The Ministry of Railways and Communication (Port and Shipping Wing), Mercantile Marine Department and Shipping Office established by theGovernment of Pakistan. Who were authorized to flag the ships and also ensured that the vessels were sea worthy. All of the private shipping companies merged and formed the National Shipping Corporation (NSC) and the Pakistan Shipping Corporation (PSC) and as a result they had a common flag. Among these companies were theMuhammadi Steamship Company Limited and theEast & West Steamship Company.
In theIndo-Pakistani war of 1971 Pakistan suffered a great loss, and most of Pakistani vessels were left in Bangladesh, because of havingBengali speaking crew on them. On 1 January 1974, President of PakistanZulfiqar Ali Bhutto nationalized the National Shipping Corporation and Pakistan Shipping Corporation, and formed thePakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) with the intent of reestablishing the Pakistan Merchant Navy. Later, the company was incorporated under the provisions of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation Ordinance of 1979 and the Companies Ordinance of 1984.
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Today, thePakistan National Shipping Corporation is the national flag carrier. The corporation's head office is located in Karachi. A regional office based in Lahore caters for upcountry shipping requirements. The corporation also has an extensive overseas network of agents looking after its worldwide shipping business. The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation also has several subsidiary companies.[19]
The Polish Merchant Navy (Polish:Polska Marynarka Handlowa, PMH) was created in theinterwar period when theSecond Polish Republic regained independence. DuringWorld War II, many ships of the Polish Navy joined the Allied merchant navy and its convoys as part of thePolish contribution to World War II.
After the war, the Polish Merchant Navy was controlled by thePeople's Republic of Poland and, after 1989, by modern Poland. As of 1999[update], the PMH controlled 57 ships (of 1,000 GT or over) totaling 1,120,165 gross tonnage (GT)/1,799,569 tonnesdeadweight (DWT) including 50bulk carriers, twogeneral cargo ships, twochemical tankers, oneroll-on/roll-off ship and two short-seapassenger ships.
Switzerland, despite being alandlocked country, has a civilian high seas fleet of merchant vessels, whose home port isBasel, on theRhine. The first ships were purchased and operated by thegovernment in order to ensure the supply of critical resources during World War II. After the war, a privately owned merchant fleet emerged, spurred in part by government subsidies that paid for the fleet's operation up until 1953. As of 2006, 26 ships (mostlycontainer carriers) totalling 479,624 tons, operated by five shipping companies, flew theSwiss flag.
The United States Merchant Marine is made up of the nation'scivilian-owner merchant ships and government owned ships (Military Sealift Command,NOAA,Army Corps of Engineers,Department of Homeland Security), and the men and women who crew them. The merchant marine transports cargo and passengers during peacetime. In time of war, the merchant marine[20] is an auxiliary to thenavy and can be called upon to delivertroops and supplies for themilitary.
The people of the merchant marine are called "merchant mariners", and are civilians except in times of war, when, in accordance with theMerchant Marine Act of 1936, they are considered military personnel. As of 2009, the U.S. merchant fleet numbered 422 ships[21] and approximately 69,000 people.
Not included in these numbers are the over 700 ships which are owned by American interests but are registered, orflagged, in other countries.
Media related toMerchant marine at Wikimedia Commons
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