SHIPPING: Those Ruthless Russians

Which nation is the world's top maritime power? Most people would say the U.S., because it still has the mightiest navy. But the correct answer, when all types of ships are counted, is the Soviet Union. After three decades of feverish shipbuilding, the Russians have the second biggest navy, the No. 1 fishing fleet and—here is the clincher—a rapidly growing merchant marine that has already opened a new era of commercial competition on the high seas.* Soviet shippers are plying routes to every major port, from San Francisco to Dar es Salaam,...

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