Shipping The World

For thousands of years we have traded by sea, with oceans once serving as the frontier for daring explorers who braved uncharted waters to discover new worlds. In the last few centuries, those voyages evolved into a global network of maritime trade, laying the foundations for a multibillion-dollar industry in the 21st century. Today, 95% of the worlds cargo moves by ship, with over 50,000 container ships, bulk carriers, and tankers traversing vast oceans to deliver manufactured goods to our doorsteps. These colossal vessels are feats of engineering and technological ingenuity, a testament to humanitys drive to tame the elements and expand its reach. Shipping the World dives into the supersized world of modern shipping, blending science with social history to show how human innovation and ambition built one of the largest industries on Earth. In 2017 alone, the industry moved around US$12 trillion worth of goods, 60% of which were in containers. Across four one-hour episodes, the series explores the ports, people, and technology that define maritime trade, using stunning visuals, archival footage, expert insights, and dynamic CGI to reveal the scale and complexity of the ships, routes, and systems that keep the world moving.