Shipping between Sweden and Foreign Countries.
The extent of Swedish foreign shipping, that is to say, the number and
tonnage of vessels leaving Sweden for foreign ports, or arriving in Sweden
from foreign ports, is indicated for the period elapsed since 1875 in Table
114. The average tonnage of such vessels entered and cleared during the
years 1876—80 amounts to 6-43 million tons. In 1912 a tonnage of 25-51
million tons had been reached.
On the whole, the foreign shipping with Swedish ports is quite exceptionally
extensive in comparison with the population. The average for
the years 1906—10 amounted to nearly 400 tons for every hundred of the
population.
Of all the countries in Europe, only Denmark, Holland, and Norway
can present higher figures than these; even Great Britain and Ireland
stop short at 300 tons for every hundred of the population. I f we bear
in mind, besides, that the home-shipping in Sweden is more extensive
than in the countries just named as surpassing us in foreign shipping, the
final result will be, probably, that the total shipping of the Swedish ports
is, in proportion to the population, more lively than in any other country
in Europe. The cause of this circumstance is that the goods that Sweden
handles are, on the whole, of a very bulky nature. This is the case, too,
even with the imports, of which fossil coal is the chief; but above all it
is the case with the exports, of which, as is well known, the bulk consists
of timber, minerals, and metals.
The result of this circumstance is that Sweden stands in a position of
far greater international importance in respect to the tonnage she keeps
employed than in respect to her actual commerce. According to Kheer’s
investigations, it is probable that, at the present time, no article of the
world’s commerce requires so great a ship-tonnage for its carriage as timber
does; and it is, of course, Sweden that is the greatest seller of timber
throughout the world. Even in the coal-trade, Sweden plays an im-
T a b l e 114. Shipping between Sweden and Foreign Countries.
Annually
1
Vessels entered Vessels cleared Total
Number Tonnage Number Tonnage Number Tonnage
1876—80 ................ 21 919 3 196 448 21472 3 231885 43391 6 428333
1881—85 ................ 27 611 4 226 782 26182 4 204 253 53 793 8431 035
1886—90 ................ 28640 4 934 938 27 012 4 933 878 55 652 9868816
! 1891-95 ................ 30 241 5 931 836 29 485 5 970121 59 726 11901957
1896—00 ................ 34140 7 781 894 34179 7 793 822 68 319 15575 716
j 1901-05 ................ 35 958 8 896 728 36 036 8 888 616 71994 17 785344
1906—10 ................ 35164 10132 689 35246 10141969 70410 20 274658
1 9 1 1 ........................ 11 634 258 36 318 11 756 389 72 559 23 390 647
1 9 1 2 ........................ 38057 12 681250 38 584 12 830 640 76 641 25 611890
Regular Swedish Transoceanic Lines, 19147
SHIPPING BETWEEN SWEDEN AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 553