feeder lines (mainly based on some big ports like Hamburg and Bremerhaven), 3. oil tankers (serving Russian oil export interests). These circles have little connections with one another. The close network of freight lines contributes to intra-Baltic
transport integration, whereas the container services mainly establish extra-Baltic integration with several external deep-sea ports on the North Sea coast. Presently, East Asian export boom and Russian oil export wave geographically meet in the Baltic Sea
to recent changes in international air transport: rising crude oil and jet fuel prices, the advent of low-cost carriers in existing markets as a consequence of deregulation measures, emerging markets especially in East and Southeast Asia, in creased