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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Table 1-24: Number and Size of the U.S. Flag Merchant Fleet and Its Share of the World Fleet

Friday, October 21, 2016

Excel | CSV

(Oceangoing Self-Propelled, Cargo-Carrying Vessels of 1,000 Gross Tons and Above)

 196019651970197519801985199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016
World fleet17,31718,32919,98022,87224,86725,55523,59623,94323,75324,33125,09225,60826,85827,55727,82828,25928,31825,84726,78227,69428,98830,07131,50733,03534,75034,96633,58634,98736,00036,30738,49640,93141,674
U.S. fleet2,9262,3761,579857864737636619603565543509495477470463282274261246233231229220225217221214198187179170169
U.S. Percentage of the world fleet16.913.07.93.73.52.92.72.62.52.32.22.01.81.71.71.61.01.11.00.90.80.80.70.70.60.60.70.60.60.50.50.40.4
Freighters, total2,1381,7471,076511471417367359349322308295292288289284142140139136140141142133140137138138139131122112108
DWT (thousands)21,87718,12711,7337,0516,8857,3537,2657,1567,2117,0406,8666,5176,4196,4586,7326,6964,4064,3344,2474,2404,3234,6054,4324,1264,4354,3104,5844,5284,5284,2884,1403,9763,754
General CargoNNN3562592091661651821691521421461421401372223201822172020191918202222211617
DWT (thousands)NNN4,6403,3292,9802,6052,5922,9732,9132,6772,4722,4672,4202,4002,404555563411296335284297297250229174191224239231161179
ContainerNNN109121104929283878681838591898177797875817370787680798075696763
DWT (thousands)NNN1,7732,2892,6512,8562,8562,7222,8122,8022,6002,6392,7433,0963,0563,0042,9323,0193,1243,1043,4283,1062,9523,3063,2193,5963,5373,5543,3573,2573,2302,998
Partial containershipsNNN37686359523033311NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
DWT (thousands)NNN5109409048367414565757571717NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Ro-RoNNN92341505054636769626058583940404043434943434240393734322928
DWT (thousands)NNN1283278189689671,0601,2581,3301,3881,2961,2781,2361,2368478398178208848931,029877879862814799751692652585577
Tankers, total422341294267308258233226220210200181173161154154117111968467636363615962604948495053
DWT (thousands)7,8157,5617,7399,71116,15215,53415,64114,99314,18013,04811,94511,02810,3789,6969,2899,3736,8546,3855,3794,5583,6553,6553,9844,0014,0283,9664,1044,0163,3263,3403,3863,5043,768
Petroleum/chemical shipsNNNNN244219212206196186167159148145146117111968467636363615962604948495053
DWT (thousands)bNNNNN14,57414,68114,03313,27912,14311,04010,1239,4738,8578,7378,8456,8546,3855,3794,5583,6553,6553,9844,0014,0283,9664,1044,0163,3263,3403,3863,5043,768
Liquefied petroleum/natural gas shipsNNNNN14141414141414141398NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
DWT (thousands)NNNNN960960960901905905905905839552528NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ITB, total3092271716065371010111213131514121112121212121212121299422222
DWT (thousands)2,0701,4881,10738844629991929710411511513913611699462462462462462462462462462324324991515151515
Dry Bulk, total5761381920252624232122201514151411111414141512121212121286666
DWT (thousands)8051,1077675446071,1521,2701,0149919491,042925575321604579685685823823823875533533533533533533388260260260260

KEY: DWT = deadweight tons; N = data do not exist; RO/RO = roll-on/roll-off vessels.

NOTES

Excludes non-merchant type and/or U.S. Navy-owned vessels currently in the National Defense Reserve Fleet.

Excludes ships operating exclusively on the Great Lakes and inland waterways and special types such as: channel ships, icebreakers, cable ships, and merchant ships owned by military forces.

All yearly counts are from January of that year.

MARAD has recently reverted back to regarding the merchant fleet as vessels of 1,000 gross tons and greater. They will no longer publish the fleet using “10,000 DWT and greater” as a criterion. Therefore, this report is not comparable with the previous' issues.

The vessel categories used for this report include the following types:

Tankers: Petroleum Tankers, Chemical Carriers, LNG Carriers, LNG/LPG Carriers, LPG Carriers.

Container: Fully Cellular Containerships.

Dry Bulk: Bulk Vessels, Bulk Containerships, Cement Carriers, Wood Chip Carriers, Ore/Bulk/Oil Carriers, Bulk/Oil Carriers.

Ro-Ro: Ro-Ro Vessels, Ro-Ro/Containerships, Vehicle Carriers.

General Cargo: General Cargo Carriers, Partial Containerships, Refrigerated Ships.

ITB: Integrated Tug/Barge

SOURCES

World fleet:

1994: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Merchant Fleets of the World (Washington, DC: Annual issues), and unpublished revisions.

1995-2009: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, personal communication as of June 2010 and September 2011.

2010-13: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Maritime Statistics, Top 25 Flag of Registry, available at: http://www.marad.dot.gov/library_landing_page/data_and_statistics/Data_and_Statistics.htm#Cruise%20Statistics as of Feb. 24, 2015.

2014: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, personal communication, August 16, 2016.

2015-16: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Fleet Statistics, available at: https://www.marad.dot.gov/resources/data-statistics/ as of Aug. 15, 2016.

All other categories:

1960-99: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Merchant Fleets of the World (Washington, DC: Annual issues), and unpublished revisions.

2000-16: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, Maritime Statistics, 2000-2016 U.S. -Flag Privately-Owned Fleet Summary, available at: http://www.marad.dot.gov/library_landing_page/data_and_statistics/Data_and_Statistics.htm#Cruise%20Statistics as of May 11, 2016.