Public Debt Markets for Shipping

Abstract

For shipowners, borrowing monies from shipping banks has been the most prominent way of financial leverage in the shipping industry. The capital markets have also been a source of borrowing for larger, more sophisticated shipowners for several decades now, and it is expected that access to these markets will become ever more crucial in the future. The present chapter provides an introductory discussion to the public debt markets in shipping, its primary differences, advantages and disadvantages against shipping loans, and the main considerations that shipowners will have to face in order to navigate successfully the public debt markets.