Mostafa Nachoui
The invention of the container in the 1950s, and its progressive use in the transport of goods, revolutionized the shipping industry in all its components, and by extension the entire global economy, from states to companies and individuals. The major container shipping companies, constantly striving to achieve critical mass and market share, are constantly concentrating their efforts through mergers and acquisitions and the creation of mega-alliances. This has led to a small number of companies reaching gigantic dimensions, organized into three or four mega-alliances, monopolizing almost 80% of the world container shipping market, sometimes forcing competition authorities to intervene to regulate this increasingly oligopolistic market. These developments confirm Alfred Mahan’s idea that: 'The fleet that dominates the ocean commands maritime trade, destroys that of the enemy, and enriches and sustains that of its homeland'. Thus, containerized shipping has become a global geopolitical issue between the great powers.
