International Shipping

The modern international shipping industry is more efficient, safer and far simpler to use than ever before.

Consider the problems that the international shipping industry faced in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries: not only were peg-legged pirates notorious for picking off ships along major trade routes, but Europe's major powers were also squabbling over territory in the New World and innocent cargo ships often got caught in the firing line. Even some legitimate companies-such as the Dutch East India Company-found raiding other nation's ships to be more profitable than actual business. In 1628, the Dutch company raided a Spanish silver fleet off the coast of Cuba: it was not only about business; it was also about European nations vying for supremacy.

Thankfully, today's international shipping industry is free from such rivalries on the high seas, and although piracy has received some media attention recently, its prevalence-when compared to that in times past-is negligible.

But it wasn't only piracy and war that made international shipping so inefficient: ships that, in their time, must have seemed very grand were, by today's standards, tiny flimsy wooden boats. In the ocean storms, they would be tossed around like a child's toy, and even if they survived this battering, the cargo might not.

By comparison, modern ships are barely affected by most storms: only the most dangerous are a threat to them.

If a ship was lucky enough to avoid sinking midway between Europe and the Americas in the ferocious Atlantic Ocean, and if it was lucky enough to avoid the pirates or the warring navy of another nation, it still took an incredibly long time to make the voyage. Even in the mid-nineteenth century, international shipping between Europe and North America would take more than a month to deliver its cargo. During this period of time and under these harsh conditions, and protected only by inadequate packaging, the contents of the cargo would often degrade.

Today, of course, the same journey takes only days, not months, to complete-and the cargo remains fresh.

international shipping today is fast, convenient and very safe. For anyone who needs to transport goods from one continent to another within a reasonable period of time, shipping is a very attractive option.

International Shipping - Quote Me or for more information or advice on International Shipping, please feel free to contact our dedicated International Shipping team on 0800 524 4388, +44 (0)20 8324 2057.