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The Men started to transport goods and people during Antiquity. The first boats were tree trunks then dugouts. In thousand-year-old Ve before J-C, of the " couffes ", dugouts monoxiles sail on the Tiger and Euphrate. At the same time, the Egyptians make sail boats in papyrus, long from 3 to 10 m and propelled by scull or with the veil, made out of wood slats.

Then the Egyptians construirent the first boats able to face the sea, which were built with very light boards. The rudder is invented in 1200 front J-C, is placed on the burbot of Ramsès II During the last century before J-C, one attends a considerable development of the merchant navy. It is during this century that is born the galère, then the Athenian birème, the trière and finally the Roman quinquerème. The wearing of Alexandria then accomodates true cargo liners of which " Syracuse " (50 000 T.) who accomodated 600 men and 3 900 T of freight.

The maritime transport developed then in the Mediterranean and in " the whole world " thanks to the " pax romana " founded by the Romans. After the fall of l’empire Roman, the " Islamic " countries became power considerable and the maritime transport was very intense. Some ships accomodated more than 1000 people and their construction required enormous wood imports.

Up to 1492, the discovery of America, the only mode of navigation was the coastal traffic (boat PERT never of sight coasts). Anvancée of the techniques then allowed Magellan to buckle the first turn of the world. At the XVIII century, there were 2 principal axes for the trade: the road of the Indies and the Europe-Africa-Americas triangle for the triangular trade. One should not also forget direct the Europe-America connection which to lead the colonists to go it and returned with goods.

The vapor caused a revolution in the maritime field. One then observes boats with double propulsion, veils and vapor. The duration of the voyages is then more precise and one attends the creation of regular lines. In 1869, Suez Canal is opened, which allows the ships in departure for India and China to avoid making the turn of Africa. The creation of the propeller makes it possible the boats to more and more quickly go. The armament of the ships is not spécialitée any more ship-owners but of companies with large capital. England becomes the first world maritime power.

The beginning of XXe century is the golden age of the immense steamers which make the connection Europe-USA, whose Titanic is the sad example. The majority of the immigrants arrived by steamers at the USA. The First World War carries a hard blow to the commercial fleet, 6604 ships were cast. The Second World War ran 6910 of them but the American industrial effort made it possible to compensate for this lack. Great Britain then lost its preeminence in the maritime field.

After the second world war, the tranport of passengers decreased because of the development of air transport. New countries created their fleet, which increased competition. At the same time were manufactured of the boats of a new type and having a great tonnage, the tankers and the methane tankers which respectivment transport oil and gas and one attended for the first time an oil slick. The lines of transport of passengers today almost disappeared, but one witnesses an increase in transport of pleasure, cruisings whose price strongly dropped.