Most emerging countries in the Third World are out to carry a bigger share of their trade in their own ships.
多数第三世界的新兴国家都在努力提高用本国商船运载货物的比例。
Developing countries regard a merchant navy as something of a status symbol -the next thing to go for after a national airline. Singapore has expanded their fleet by 6 000 percent in the last 15 years, India by 400 percent.
发展中国家将商船队看成国家地位的象征--是仅次于国家航空事业的优先发展目标。在最近15年中，新加坡将自己的商船队扩大了60倍，印度也扩大了4倍。
The challenge from the Third World has always been foreseen by our shipping companies.
我国的一些海运公司早就预见到了来自第三世界的挑战。
P & O, for example, while still out to increase the total freight it carries, is planning for a gradual reduction in its percentage share of the trade with the new shipping powers of the Third World.
例如，东方轮船运输公司在继续致力于扩大其货运总量的同时，正计划逐步削减其与第三世界新兴海运强国分享生意的比例。
But P & O has no intention of throwing in the towel. The key tactic behind its strategy of holding on to the richest slice of the trade has been to move up-market -to go where the Third World cannot follow: into high-technology investment.
但是，该公司并不打算退出竞争，拱手认输。它为保住贸易上的这块最厚的肥肉所采取的主要策略是转向高层次市场--进入第三世界无法跟进的领域，即进行高技术投资。
Containers, for example, were an American invention, but it was British ship owners who put up the money to pioneer the international deep-sea container service.
例如，集装箱本是美国人的发明，但却是英国船主们投资首创了国际远洋集装箱海运业务。
Containers save time, because the loading is done in the factory or warehouse, rather than on the dockside, and they are very secure against theft; except for a code number on the outside, there is no indication of what is inside the box.
集装箱运输节省时间，因为装货作业在工厂或仓库里即可完成而不必在码头上完成。集装箱运输也非常安全可靠，有利于防盗;除箱体外面的编号外，集装箱上没有任何表明箱内所装是何货物的标记。
To cash in on the container revolution, you need a sophisticated system of roads and railways, something that most Third World countries do not have: And container ships are expensive, around 50 million each.
要有效地利用集装箱这一技术革命的成果，必须拥有可与之配套的先进的公路和铁路运输系统，而这是大多数第三世界国家所不具备的条件。此外，集装箱货船造价高昂，每艘船大约为5000万英镑。