The shipping industry appears to be in trouble, environmentally and financially

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7RsRnYlz7I&w=600&h=315]

I've seen Season 2 of The Wire -- "dead girls in a can!" -- which is about the extent of my knowledge on international shipping topics, but I do find it broadly interesting. You could argue (and many have) that shipping is the foundation of our civilization. A lot of consumer products could…