Factors enabling a shrinking world

Containerisation and relatively low fuel costs have meant that the transport costs for each unit transported is very low.

It costs around 1500 to 2500 Euros to transport a TEU container from Singapore to Rotterdam.

5,7806,7107,2897,316 United States of AmericaLong Beach15

6,0646,4827,0198,176 BelgiumAntwerp14

7,3217,4858,4708,355 United States of AmericaLos Angeles13

3,3084,6856,6009,200 People's Republic of ChinaGuangzhou12

4,0065,2087,0689,349 People's Republic of ChinaNingbo11

5,1406,3077,7029,462 People's Republic of ChinaQingdao10

7,0038,0888,8629,890 GermanyHamburg9

9,7149,4719,77510,257 TaiwanKaohsiung8

6,4297,6198,92310,653 United Arab EmiratesDubai7

8,2819,2879,65510,791 NetherlandsRotterdam6

11,43011,84312,03913,270 South KoreaBusan5

13,61516,19718,46921,099 People's Republic of ChinaShenzhen4

21,98422,42723,53923,881 People's Republic of ChinaHong Kong3

14,55718,08421,71026,150 People's Republic of ChinaShanghai2

21,32923,19224,79227,932 SingaporeSingapore1

2004 2005 2006 2007 Country Port

Rank

Container Traffic (in thousands TEU Twenty foot equivalent containers)

How far is it from your home to school?

We tend to think of distance in terms of travel times.

Travel times are being reduced because of the increase in air travel. Also air travel is becoming more affordable.

For example in the year 2000 Bratislava to London. £75 by bus 22 hours.

2008 Bratislava to London. £40 by low cost airline 2.5 hours.

Aviation transports more than 2.2 billion passengers annually Aviation carries over 44 million tonnes of freight annually and 35% of interregional exports of goods by value

IATA (International Air Transport Association) 2008

Enabling Technologies;

Information and communication technology.

Internet

Mobile phones

Products from home country.

British, Korean, US section in Tesco

Polish shops and Kurnky in UK