International shipping, for the ASEAN countries, has been dominated for years by companies headquartered in the developed world, largely due to the colonial status held by many of the ASEAN countries until recent years. Dutch control of shipping in and around the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, was not severed until after World War II. Malaysia did not achieve independence from Britain until 1957 and, although the State of Singapore came into being in June 1959, Singapore did not gain complete independence from Britain until 1965. Although Thailand was never colonized, it has never had a strong fleet of its own and so has been at the mercy of foreign shipowners. Of all these countries, the Philippines was in the best position; it won independence from the United States in 1946 and had a strong private sector in domestic shipping and a steadily growing national flag fleet throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

The efforts of the ASEAN nations to gain greater control over international shipping are based on the desire to create a New International Economic Order. They see the benefits which accrue to the carrier, for example, foreign exchange generation, employment for nationals, and the development of spin-off industries, and believe that those benefits should accrue in some measure to the cargo generator.

The last five chapters have discussed, on a country-by-country basis, the success or failure of the individual ASEAN countries to achieve an increased presence in the shipping industry. Umbrella organizations, such as Thailand's Office of the Mercantile Marine Promotion Commission, have been established to develop co-ordinated shipping policies; Indonesia and the Philippines have given the Directorate of Sea Communications and MARINA, respectively, similar mandates. Neither Singapore nor Malaysia have developed such government machinery but have made gains through other means.

Regional shipping was one operational area, overlooked by the traditional European shipowning companies, that has been profitably exploited by local entrepreneurs. Regional shipping is a “bread-and-butter” activity for NOL and supports many smaller ASEAN companies as well. Some Singaporean shipowners still operate their aging general cargo vessels, mostly tweendeckers, on regional trade routes.