Malaysia may lose recent gain in world ranking

Business Times 28 February 2005

Malaysia powered its way up by moving five places to clinch the 18th position in the league of world’s top 35 maritime countries at the beginning of 2004.
 
However, by the end of the same year the speed of its ascent was matched by its steep descent as shipowners disposed of vessels totaling about 20 per cent of the national fleet to capitalize on high ship prices.

Close to two million deadweight tones of national fleet tonnage was wiped out following the sale of vessels by Malaysian shipowners, notably Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Bhd, which sold more than 30 vessels making up 1.8 million dwt.

Reviewing the world merchant fleet development during the year 2003, the latest issue of UNCTAD Maritime Review ranked Malaysia as the 18th largest maritime nation ranked in terms of deadweight tones in January 2004.

Malaysia led other countries in the size of increase in its fleet in the list of top 35 countries and was ranked ahead of countries like Span, France, Indonesia, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden and the Philippines.

Much of the increase was contributed by the fleet expansion of Malaysia International Shipping Corporation.

In Asia, notably improvement was made by Thailand which made it into the 34th position, replacing Croatia while elsewhere, Ukraine which was outside the list of top 35 countries in 2003, claimed the 35th position by replacing Chile.

Greece remained in the top of the 35 countries which made up 97.5 per cent of the world merchant fleet.

Based on the UNCTAD report, apart from Malaysia, Canada, Sweden and Cyprus moved up by three places, Germany and Belgium by two places, and Singapore, the Russian Federation, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Spain by one place.
 
Countries that fell from 2003 ranking included moved down included China, United States, Taiwan Province of China, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Monaco, Australia and Indonesia each by one place while Turkey, Philippines and France fell by two places.

The world merchant fleet stood at 857.0 million deadweight tons (dwt) on 1 January 2004.

This represents a 1.5 per cent increase over 2003, at which time the world fleet had already expanded by 2.3 per cent over the tonnage
in 2002.  

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