Shipping Conferences: Their Future in the Face of Political and Technological Changes

Shipping conferences developed more than a century ago because a means was required to regulate the intense competition in the international shipping industry. This competition, which is natural, was intensified because of technological innovation, high capital investment, and overtonnage. This study is undertaken to show, through a discussion of the development of conferences, tools available for their use, and current political and technological environment in which they operate, that similar conditions still exist, and although the nature of the shipping industry has been experiencing major changes in technology and operations, the conference system still offers a viable forum for negotiating, compromising, and regulating in an important transportation industry.