Editing Ship (section)

===21st century===
[[File:Colombo.Express.wmt.jpg|thumb|''[[Colombo Express]]'', a 8749 [[Twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEU]] container ship owned and operated by [[Hapag-Lloyd]] of [[Germany]]]]
In 2016, there were more than 49,000 [[merchant ship]]s, totaling almost 1.8 billion [[Deadweight tonnage|deadweight tons]]. Of these 28% were [[oil tanker]]s, 43% were [[bulk carrier]]s, and 13% were [[container ship]]s.<ref name="UNCTAD" /> By 2019, the world's fleet included 51,684 commercial vessels with [[gross tonnage]] of more than 1,000 [[ton (volume)|tons]], totaling 1.96&nbsp;billion tons.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://unctad.org/en/pages/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=2563| title = UNCTAD Review of maritime transport 2019, p. 37}}</ref>  Such ships carried 11&nbsp;billion tons of cargo in 2018, a sum that grew by 2.7% over the previous year.<ref>UNCTAD Review of maritime transport 2019, p. 7.</ref>  In terms of tonnage, 29% of ships were [[tanker (ship)|tankers]], 43% are [[bulk carrier]]s, 13% [[container ship]]s and 15% were other types.<ref>UNCTAD Review of maritime transport 2019, p. 29.</ref>

In 2008, there were 1,240 [[warship]]s operating in the world, not counting small vessels such as [[patrol boat]]s. <!--Adding total tonnage before this next sentence would make it clearer!-->The [[United States]] accounted for 3 million tons worth of these vessels, [[Russia]] 1.35 million tons, the [[United Kingdom]] 504,660 tons and [[China]] 402,830 tons. The 20th century saw many naval engagements during the two [[world war]]s, the [[Cold War]], and the rise to power of naval forces of the two blocs. The world's major powers have recently used their naval power in cases such as the [[United Kingdom]] in the [[Falkland Islands]] and the [[United States]] in [[Iraq]].

The size of the world's [[fishing fleet]] is more difficult to estimate. The largest of these are counted as commercial vessels, but the smallest are legion. [[Fishing vessel]]s can be found in most seaside villages in the world. As of 2004, the United Nations [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] estimated 4&nbsp;million fishing vessels were operating worldwide.<ref name="fao25" />  The same study estimated that the world's 29&nbsp;million fishermen<ref>UNFAO 2005, p. 6.</ref> caught {{convert|85800000|t|LT ST|sigfig=3|lk=on}} of fish and shellfish that year.<ref>UNFAO 2005, p. 9.</ref>

In 2023, the number of ships globally grew by 3.4%.<ref name="UNCTAD2024"/> In 2024, new ships are increasingly being built with alternative fuel capability to increase sustainability and reduce carbon emissions.<ref name="UNCTAD2024"/> Alternative ship fuels include [[LNG]], [[Liquefied petroleum gas|LPG]], [[methanol]], [[biofuel]], [[ammonia]] and [[hydrogen]] among others.<ref name="c799">{{cite web | title=WhatsNewNews | website=International Maritime Organization| date=2023-03-09 | url=https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/Pages/WhatsNew-1841.aspx | access-date=2024-11-07}}</ref><ref name="g931">{{cite web | title=Alternative fuels: the options | website=DNV | date=2020-01-01 | url=https://www.dnv.com/expert-story/maritime-impact/alternative-fuels/ | access-date=2024-11-07}}</ref><ref name="x709">{{cite journal | last1=Wang | first1=Qiuwen | last2=Zhang | first2=Hu | last3=Huang | first3=Jiabei | last4=Zhang | first4=Pengfei | title=The use of alternative fuels for maritime decarbonization: Special marine environmental risks and solutions from an international law perspective | journal=Frontiers in Marine Science | publisher=Frontiers Media SA | volume=9 | date=2023-01-04 | issn=2296-7745 | doi=10.3389/fmars.2022.1082453 | doi-access=free | page=}}</ref>

As of 2024, wind power for ships had received renewed interest for its potential to mitigate [[greenhouse gas emissions]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leicester |first1=John |title=Climate solution: Sails make a comeback in shipping, to dent its huge carbon footprint |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/12/02/climate-clean-shipping-sail-carbon-emissions-environment/ceec3e2e-b06d-11ef-9d23-e5faa22ad216_story.html |access-date=4 December 2024 |agency=Washington Post |date=2 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Favino |first1=Caterina |title=Navigating Towards Sustainability: Wind-Powered Cargo Ships and the Future of the Shipping Industry |url=https://earth.org/navigating-towards-sustainability-wind-powered-cargo-ships-and-the-future-of-the-shipping-industry/ |website=Earth.org |access-date=4 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kennedy |first1=Pagan |title=The Climate Crisis Gives Sailing Ships a Second Wind |url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/the-climate-crisis-gives-sailing-ships-a-second-wind |website=The New Yorker |access-date=4 December 2024}}</ref>