Percentage of world's commerce on boats

[Theo Moore]

I remember once reading a website/internet article that said something along the lines of "upwards of 90% of the world's commerce is transported by cargo ships at sea".

I'm unsure of the exact percentage, but I remember it being very very high (the reason being that air-transport is very expensive).

Does anyone know where I can find a reliable source that can give me a similar quote? It's for an academic article.

The International Chamber of Commerce would be my first bet, Lloyds London my second.

Regards
Richard

[Theo Moore]

Ahah! I found something.

The vast flow of goods is shifted about the globe by fleets of ocean carriers, of great variety. [...] Of total world trade, almost 99 percent is by ships, a little over 1 percent by air.

The source is a little old (1982), but I suspect the situation is not that different 30 years later. Hopefully, the current version of the World Almanac Book of Facts will have something similar.

Uhh no, much has changed since 1982, very much. Just imagine the "new" markets behind the iron curtain and the developing Asian economy.

[Theo Moore]

Originally Posted by apex1

Uhh no, much has changed since 1982, very much. Just imagine the "new" markets behind the iron curtain and the developing Asian economy.

Point taken. I suppose we could still say that not much has changed in terms of oceanic transport in the last 30 years...?

[daiquiri]

90% figure coincides with european figures too:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases...guiLanguage=en

[Theo Moore]

Originally Posted by daiquiri

90% figure coincides with european figures too:
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleases...guiLanguage=en

Perfect! Thank you!

If you guys stumble across any more sources, please let me know.