Yes, it is an unusually international industry, with the need for high levels of specific technological knowledge and stringent safety requirements, operating under often extreme conditions.

But at its most basic it is about making money from transporting other people’s goods.

Traditionally, shipping has relied very much on relationships between people; on trust and reputation. These are extremely good attributes — ones that are worth remembering in these days when big money is moving into shipping and it is becoming more and more corporate.

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