By the early 1970s, bad times were just around the corner.
70年代初期，贸易萧条时期已经快要到来。
The world shipbuilding boom reached its peak in 1973,but that was the year of the Arab-lsraeli war, which was followed rapidly by the quadrupling of oil prices.
世界造船业的兴盛期在1973年达到顶峰，但就在这一年爆发了阿以战争，紧接着石油价格暴涨了4倍。
By 1974, the industrialised world had begun its slide into the worst depression since the 1980s, and the shipping industry had entered its long years of crisis.
到1974年，世界各工业化国家开始进入30年代以来最严重的一次经济大萧条时期，海运业也随之陷人了长期的危机之中。
The first to be affected were the oil-tanker fleets. As oil demand was cut back, charter rates plummeted, and the estuaries of the world became jammed with the steadily increasing numbers of moth-ball tankers.
在危机中首当其冲的是运油船只。由于石油需求量减少，油船包租率直线下降，于是，闲置不用的油轮越来越多，塞满了世界各地的港口。
Norway and Greece suffered most. British ship owners had not become so involved in the tanker boom in the first place, so they were not so badly affected.
受害最严重者属挪威和希腊。英国海运公司老板们起初在世界油轮发展高潮时期就没有盲目地陷身其中跟着发展油轮业，因此，他们所受的影响还不是那么严重。
By 1976, the slump had begun to bite into the bulk-carrier trade.
到1976年，经济萧条已开始影响到驳船的生意了。
Bulk carriers are ships that carry dry cargo of one particular kind, such as sugar, coal or wheat, with iron ore being by far the most important.
驳船是指装运某种干货，如糖、煤或小麦等的船只，不过最主要的还是装运铁矿。
But with the world steel industry deep in the doldrums, who needed iron ore carriers?
可是，世界钢铁工业已陷于严重萧条状态，谁还需要运铁矿的船只呢?
With its big bulk-carrier fleet, the British shipping industry now began to feel the pinch.
拥有大量驳船的英国海运界现在开始感受到危机的影响了。
Even though the slump spread fast into most shipping sectors, the British fleet was still a long way from bankruptcy.
尽管危机迅速蔓延到海运业的大多数部门，英国商船队还远未到达破产的境地。
The one area which has weathered the economic storms best is that controlled by the conferences: the scheduled freight-liner services -and that is where Britain's fleet is strongly entrenched.
在克服这次经济危机中表现得最为出色的部门是由船业协会控制着的定期货轮运输业务--这也是英国商船队把守得最坚固的一块阵地。