ABSTRACT
Post-World War II, Germany remained host to a vast shipbuilding industry, but today most container vessels are constructed in South Korea, using ore smelted from Australia and Canada, radar and electronics from Germany, and engines designed in Switzerland. German officers (who I was told prefer Filipino crews) command, according to the master, up to 70 percent of the container ships sailing from European ports. A combination of tax incentives, controlled labor costs, and German maritime universities provide the cohesion for this East-West fusion of seaman, shipping expertise, and mercantilism.
