ABSTRACT
Economy is associated with both trade agreements and larger size of ports and ships. The growth of global trade has necessitated the increase in ships’ size and subsequently the increase in ports’ size. The twenty-first century’s global trade system is characterized by the development of mega-ports and mega-ships, technological advances, mass industrialization, outsourcing, historic mergers, and the development of multinational conglomerates as well as complex and versatile supply chains and the elimination of the restrictions of geographical borders. Increased demand for cargoes eventually results in the increase of ships’ size, that is, growth in terms of draft, overall length, beam, deadweight, and so on. This effect is due to the financial and efficiency benefits of economy of scale. To accommodate this ever-changing market need, that is, increased volumes of cargo, ship sizes grow. Vast amounts of investment are required for global ports and the global fleet to increase in size.
