I cannot imagine any condition which would cause a ship to founder. . . . Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.
Edward John Smith, Captain of RMS Titanic, 1912
A total number of 2,141 passenger ships (over 1000 Gross Tons) was registered in 2016. This number includes ferries as well as cruise ships. Indonesia is the country with the highest number of registered passenger ships, followed by Italy and Norway. The majority of the passenger ships in these countries are ferries: Indonesia needs ships to connect with all its islands, Norway with its fjords, that are otherwise difficult to reach and Italy with its proximity to other ports in the Mediterranean Sea.
Cruise ships have a smaller smaller share of the overall numbers of passenger ships, even though the demand for cruises is growing. According to the Cruise Lines International Association, the demand for cruises has increased more than 60% 2005-2015. The majority of cruise passengers come from the United States, China and Germany, followed by the United Kingdom and Australia.
