Figure 7
Worldwide Overseas Oceanborne and Air Cargo by Weight: 1995-2007

Excel | CSV | Table Version

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, based on data from various sources. Oceanborne cargo-United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Review of Maritime Transport, various issues, available at www.unctad.org/rmt as of Oct. 3, 2009. Air cargo-International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), special tabulations, Sept. 28, 2009.

• By weight, air carriers carry less global merchandise trade than ocean vessels. Air carriers transport high value-per-ton commodities. During the past decade, however, the tonnage of air cargo transported globally grew at a faster rate than total oceanborne cargo.


• Air cargo tonnage grew as demand for international express traffic increased and shippers sought more time-definite deliveries. While ocean carriers provide lower transportation costs, air carriers provide faster delivery times.


• Containerized cargo, a segment of the maritime industry that, like air cargo, includes high value-per-ton goods, grew faster than air cargo and total oceanborne cargo during this period.