Transporting of goods and passengers by water.
Early civilizations, which arose by waterways, depended on watercraft for transport. The Egyptians were probably the first to use seagoing vessels (с 1500 BC); the Phoenicians, Cretans, Greeks, and Romans also all relied on waterways. In Asia, Chinese ships equipped with multiple masts and a rudder were making sea voyages by с AD 200; from as early as the 4th century BC the Chinese also relied heavily on internal waterways to transport food to their large cities (see Grand Canal ). Japan, too mountainous to rely on roads for mass transport, also relied on internal and coastal waterways for shipping from early in its history. The spice trade was a great stimulus to shipping trade; Arabians were sailing to the spice islands before the Christian era and European merchant marines grew up largely because of it. The tea trade had a similar effect, as did the discovery of gold in the New World. From the 17th to the 19th century, the slave trade was a major feature of Atlantic shipping. The U.S. and England were the ascendant shipping nations in the 19th century; Germany, Norway, Japan, The Netherlands, and France joined them in the early 20th century, with Greece dominating the industry by the century's end. Transoceanic shipping remains a vital part of the world economy. Many U.S. merchant ships are registered in a third nation to avoid heavy taxes. See also British East India Co. ; Dutch East India Co. ; French East India Co.