The oceans and the seas are the major transportation systems of world commerce. The Merchant Navy is an industry that comprises of non-combatant commercial fleet dealing with transporting cargo and occasionally, passengers by sea using ships. It is also known as merchant marine or merchant fleet.

Merchant Navy is one industry which touches everyone’s life in some way or the other. The material for building your house may have been brought by a bulk carrier, the fuel used in your vehicle was transported by a tanker and fruits in the market from different countries were probably packed in a refrigerated container carried on a ship.

Maritime transport can be broadly classified on the basis of two criteria: service and distance.

Service-based maritime transport covers bulk shipping and liner shipping for cargo, and passenger ferries and cruise ships for carrying passengers.

Distance-based maritime transport covers deep sea and short sea shipping. Deep sea transport involves long distances and is generally carried out by liner shipping services. Short sea shipping, on the other hand, does not involve an ocean crossing and includes sea/river transport by coastal vessels to and from ports in the hinterland.