Unlike the rest of British industry, ship-owners invested big. In the early 1960s, the shipping companies cashed in on government grants and tax concessions.
与英国其他各行业情形不同的是，海运业的船主们花了大本 钱投资。60年代初期，英国的海运公司利用政府资助和减税等有利条件大发其财。
Between 1966 and 1976, British shipping lines invested at a rate of over 1 million a day. By the early 1970s, it seemed that, some-where in the world, a new British ship was being launched every week.
在1966至1976年间，英国海运业的投资率每天竟超 过100万英镑。到70年代初，几乎每个星期就有一艘新的英国船只 在世界的某个港口下水。
The result is that Britain has a very modern fleet: the average age of our merchant ships is only six years, and over half the fleet is under five years old.
结果是英国拥有了一支非常现代化的商业船队：我们的船只的平均年龄只有6年，而且一半以上的船只投 入使用还不到五年。
For some time now, British shipping managers have stayed ahead of the competition by investing in the most sophisticated ships.
在目前这一阶段，英国海运业的经营者们在投 资建造最先进的船只这方面是走在了其他国家的竞争对手的前头。
The other major factor which has played a key role in the dominance of the British merchant navy is an institution invented by the British well over 100 years ago: the conference.
英国商船队得以称雄的另一个重要因素是英国人100多年前首创的一种组织："商船协会"
In the middle of the 19th century, competition between sailing-ships and steam-ships became out-throat, and price cutting ruined many long-established companies.
19世纪中叶，帆船与汽船之间的竞争愈演愈烈，已到了你死我 活的程度，由竞争所带来的降价使得许多历史悠久的船运公司纷纷破产。
So the ship owners got together to establish a more settled system, and they set up a system of price fixing. In other words, every possible type of cargo had a price, which all owners agreed to charge.
于是，船运公司老板们联合起来，共同建立起一种比较稳定的行业秩序，并订立了一个航运价格管理制度。换言之，每一种需要运载的货物都有一个由全体船主商定的统一价格。
It was, in fact, a cartel, though the British ship owners gave it the more dignified name of a conference.
这实际上是一种卡特尔组织，但英国船主们却给它取了"船业协会"这么一个更文雅的名称。
The system has certainly stood the test of time. Today, there are about 300 conferences governing the trade-routes of the world, and the British still play a major role.
这种制度无疑是经受住了时间的考验。今天，世界上总共大约有300多家这样的船业协会控制着全球各地的贸易运输线.但英国的船业协会依然占有着主导地位。
By reducing competition, shipping conferences have taken some of the risk out of the dodgy business of moving goods by sea.
通过缓和同行业的竞争，船业协会为海上运输这种风险性极大的行业减去了一部分风险。
They make it harder, perhaps, to make a big killing in good times, because you have to share the trade with other conference members.
它也许会使其成员公司在贸易景气的时候难以暴发横财，因为你得与其他成员公司分享生意机会;
But they make it easier to weather the bad times, because there is no mad, competitive scramble for the available trade.
但在生意萧条时期，协会却能帮助其成员公司比较顺利地渡过难关，因为在现有的生意范围内不存在疯狂的、不择手段的倾轧。