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The Soviet Union underwent a significant expansion in international 
trade during the early 1960’s, causing the percentage of goods carried 
on Soviet vessels to drop from 72 percent in 1950 to as little as 
37 percent in 1962. The massive procurement program of the early 
1960’s reversed this trend. Today, between 55 and 60 percent of 
Soviet overseas trade is carried in Soviet vessels. In the United States, 
the percentage of goods shipped in domestic vessels has continued 
to drop since the end of the Second World War, when the Nation 
emerged as the world’s leading maritime nation. The percentage of 
ocean-borne trade carried in U.S. vessels declined from 81.9 percent 
in 1947 to 4.5 percent in 1969—percentage of total cargo tonnage.! 
Passage of the Merchant Marine Act of 1970 resulted in an increase 
in merchant ship construction. The percentage of overseas trade car- 
ried in U.S. vessels, in volume, increased to about 6.5 percent in 
1974, but it declined to 5.1 percent in 1975. 
The composition of the merchant fleets of the U.S.S.R. and the 
United States is quite different. The former is still dominated by 
conventional general purpose dry cargo ships on which general cargo 
is loaded piece by piece. The U.S. merchant fleet is more specialized, 
with tankers, container ships, and bulk carriers making up the bulk 
of the fleet. The ongoing Soviet 5-year plan emphasizes procurement 
of tankers and bulk carriers, roll on/roll off, and Seabee cargo vessels. 
By comparison with the merchant fleet of Japan, Great Britain, 
Norway, or Liberia, the Soviet fleet is unimpressive in size, composi- 
tion, and technological sophistication. Comparing carrying capacities 
of major maritime powers such as the United States and the U.S.S.R., 
one needs to take into account that the volume of United States 
overseas trade is about four times that of the Soviet Union. Hence, 
while the two fleets are about equal in size, the Soviet Union is 
able to transport a much higher percentage of its overseas trade 
in its own ships. 
MISSIONS OF THE SOVIET MERCHANT MARINE 
The composition and purpose of the two merchant fleets is more 
important than the comparative size of the United States and Soviet 
merchant marine. 
The Soviet Union began its major merchant fleet procurement pro- 
gram during the early 1960’s for a number of reasons. Trade grew 
so rapidly in the late 1950’s that the percentage of trade shipped 
in Soviet vessels dropped dramatically, from 72 percent in 1950 to 
37 percent in 1962, causing a drain on foreign exchange. The desire 
to reduce this dependence on Western shipping was probably the 
principal reason for the buildup of the 1960’s. 
Reduction of dependence on Western shipping and foreign exchange 
savings could have been accomplished by entering the most lucrative 
trade routes with specialized vessels. Instead, the Soviet Union initially 
emphasized the construction of dry cargo ships and small tankers. 
It gradually extended shipping service to every area in the world. 
ob Bloc Congress. Senate. Committee on Commerce, National Ocean Policy Study, Soviet Ocean 
Activities: A Preliminary Survey, op. cit., p. 19. 
