Marine Transport and Global Economic Relations The Consequences of Underdeveloped of Sea Navigation on East Europe’s Relations with World Economy

Abstract

Highly efficient sea transport has a definitive role in the integration into global economy and in the emergence on world markets even in the rising period of the so-called info- communication/post-industrial society. The acquisition and sales markets of distant continents get an increasing share in the commercial relations of East Europe but in the sea transportation of both export and import since the collapse of domestic fleets the former socialist states are largely dependant from foreign shipping companies. The majority of East Central European sea trade flows through Far-Eastern mega-ports and only a small portion of goods is shipped through the nearby East European inner sea ports.

The utilization and economic value of East European seaports is limited in the north of the Bay of Finland (except Murmansk) by their unfavourable climate and particularly by their remoteness from the West European core areas and from intercontinental (Europe–North America, Europe–Eastern Asia) navigational routes. A region of primarily continental (terrestrial) character was unsuitable for developing out a West European style shipping cul- ture. The region's former isolation stemming from political motives and its backward and autarchy-oriented economy were hindering sea trade, the (technical) development of ports, the large-scale spread of container traffic and the port traffic proportionate with the size of post-socialist countries. The article gives an in-depth review on the disproportions of sea navigation in Eastern Europe with some special features of some port regions and calls the reader's attention on certain unfavourable outcomes.