Global Trade Choke Points

International global trade choke points are the geographic positions that control international trade due to shipping containers and vessels passing through those locations.

Nations that control these choke points can strangle international trade if they wish to and if they have the relevant navies to perform those activities.

Currently, globally, there are only five serious navies that can operate as Bluewater navies. These are the Russian Federation, the British, the United States of America, the Japanese, and the French.

Three of these are allied with the United States of America since the end of World War II in 1945 with the Russian Federation, which stands alone.

They are blocked with limited access to the world’s oceans due to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which can block the Russians in the Baltic and the Black Sea.

In the Far East, Russians have issues with the Japanese and the Chinese as well as the United States, and to the north, there is the Arctic, which limits their movement due to the snow and ice.

However, Russia does have the world’s largest Icebreaker Fleet.

Russia’s state and non-state-owned universal multi-purpose icebreaker fleets consist of more than 40 vessels, including nuclear, diesel-electric, and diesel-powered icebreakers.

Most of these ships were built during the USSR period and had operational problems.