How can Western ship owners react to undercutting of 40 per cent that would drive them out of business if they did the same?
如果西方船运公司也学苏联人那样削价40%，它们就得关门大吉。那么，面对苏联的这一做法，西方船主们能采取何种对策呢?
There is a limit, of course, to what any British government can do on its own.
任何一届英国政府单靠自己的力量所能够发挥的作用当然都、-是有限的。
Shipping is an essentially international business, and Britain can only counter the challenges of the developing world and the Russians at an international level.
海运业从本质上说来毕竟是一项国际性商务活动，英国也只有通过发动国际社会的参与来抵御第三世界和俄国方面的挑战。
But whom could we count on for support?
但我们能指望从哪儿获得支持呢?
The EEC is so divided about shipping that it is almost powerless to act.
欧共体在海运问题上存在着严重分歧，几乎无力采取任何行动。
Take the challenge of the developing world.
就以发展中国家的挑战为例来说吧，
The French do not mind the UNCTAD code on liner shipping because it would help them to increase their share of the liner trade; the same is true for the Germans and the Belgians.
法国人对于联合国贸易和发展会议有关海运方面的规定并不在意，因为这个规定可能还会有助于提高他们在海运生意中的分成比例。德国和比利时的情形也和法国一样。
So Britain cannot rely on concerted EEC action on that issue.
所以，英国不能指望欧共体在这个问题上采取一致的行动。
As far as the Russians are concerned, Britain, along with West Germany and Denmark, has been calling for a coordinated response; the monitoring of Russian ship movements and restrictions on the number of Russian ships allowed to call at EEC ports.
在对待俄国方面，英国一直同西德和丹麦一道呼吁采取协调行动，监测俄国商船的动向，并限制停靠欧共体国家港口的俄国船只的数量。
But, last June, the French, because of their Russian ties, blocked plans along these lines. It will be November before the question is considered again.
但在6月份，法国人却因其与俄国的特殊关系而阻碍这一计划的通过。而要到11月份，这一计划才能得到重新审议。
British ship owners are so far happy with the strength of the British government attempts to force the EEC into action.
迄今为止，英国船主们对于英国政府在敦促欧共体采取行动方面所具有的影响力是感到满意的。
They believe that the Trade Department, which looks after shipping, understands their problems.
他们相信主管海运事务的贸易部对于他们面临的困难是理解的，
But they are far less sure about other government ministers, especially those in the powerful Industry Department, which oversees shipbuilding.
但对于政府的其他各部门，尤其是对于主管着造船业的很有实权的工业部的大臣们的态度，并无多大的信心。
Ship owners fear that saving jobs in Britain's ailing shipyards comes well before saving its merchant fleet.
船主们担心这些大臣优先考虑的是拯救英国的奄奄一息的造船厂，而不是如何拯救英国的商船队。
British shipyard, s are currently churning out 24 vessels for Poland. The Poles were lured to Britain by the gift of a28 million subsidy and the promise that British shipbuilders would raise all the credit;
英国的造船厂目前正为波兰制造着24艘轮船。波兰人之所以倾向于英国是因为受到英国为他们提供2 800万英镑的资助款这一厚赠以及英国造船商将负责为他们筹集所有的贷款这一承诺的引诱。
so while our shipping fleet is under attack from communist ships, our government is using British taxpayers' money to out their shipbuilding costs.
所以，当我国商船队正受到共产党国家商船的威胁的同时，我们的政府却在用英国纳税人的钱来帮助他们降低造船成本。
We are doing the same for developing countries' fleets.
对于发展中国家的商船队，我们也在采取同样的做法。
India is now a major Third World shipping power, yet Britain is to build six ships for the Indians-for nothing.
印度现在已经是第三世界的一个海运强国，但英国却准备无偿地为印度人打造六艘船只。
In the end, British companies could be driven out of shipping altogether.
英国海运公司最终将有可能被完全挤出海运行业。
Some, such as P & O, have already moved into other fields, from house building to oil.
有些海运公司，如东方远洋船运公司，业已转向从房屋建筑到石油开采等其他领域发展业务。
Smaller shipping lines do not have the resources to diversify.
而那些规模较小的海运公司却没有足够的财力来从事多样化经营，它们面临着破产的命运。
They face extinction. And when they go, so does a huge slice of the few traditional industries worth keeping.
一旦这些海运公司破产，英国有限的几个值得保留的传统产业的一大部分也会随之消亡。