Challenging maritime protectionism

ECONOMIC protectionism has always been present in the shipping business, and when it actually relates to transport by ships there is a specific word for it - cabotage.

So when the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) published a study titled Protectionism in Maritime Economies, it aroused my interest.

Cabotage has been a controversial issue, primarily where governments have sought to relax or remove such restrictions on their coastal or inland shipping sectors. This an issue that tends galvanise unions into fighting to keep seafarer jobs and ensure local employment rules are maintained.