Andrzej S. Grzelakowski

The world trade, and the global logistics system it has created, strongly impact the international
maritime transport sector as well as other segments of the global economy. The existing relations
among them are reflected in the most comprehensive form on global commodity markets
(primary ones) and transport markets (secondary ones). Author has analyzed both types of
markets and their dynamic, trying to identify and evaluate the main tendencies and occurrences
existing in each of those sensitive segments of the global economy. Furthermore, he has made an
attempt to determine the influence of world commodity markets and global logistics system in
terms of their scope and strength over global maritime container transport market. The research
results unequivocally indicate that this segment of global freight market shows relatively high
degree of adaptability to the dynamic changes of its trade pattern and logistics environment.
Moreover, the world maritime container transport market does not generate high logistics costs
and thereby it is not a barrier to the world merchandise trade and the global logistics system
development.

The main subject of the paper is an analysis of the functioning of the global economy with special attention paid to the transport and logistics factors influencing the efficiency and the effectiveness of the international commodity flows. The key research purpose is to identify substantial barriers regarding transport and logistics in technical infrastructure and regulatory system within the global economy which might hamper the smooth commodity flows. The author’s main aim was to assess the results of such inconsistences between the international trade requirements and transport system borne by the trade and transport sector. The supplementary objective was to assess the effects resulting from the existing global barriers for the leading, in terms of world trade, market economies. The main hypotheses were that further activities and investments in global transport and logistics system are needed to avoid losses in the global economy, and that the rank of the many countries on the global trade market usually differs from their rank on the list of global competitiveness, logistics performance as well as trade enabling solutions. The hypotheses have been verified and accepted. Economic analysis and qualitative method have been used as useful tools to carry out the main research goals and to verify both hypotheses. The findings and conclusions are presented in the final part of the paper.