The world of the new millennium is shaped by globalization, liberalization and technological development. Driven by global macroeconomic changes, commercial and financial turbulence, as well as technological leaps in the early years of the new millennium, the shipping industry has changed dramatically since the turn of the century. This thesis discusses the challenges of maritime shipping at the beginning of the 21st century, and analyzes the external environment of maritime shipping in the 21st century with a view to the maritime sector which is dynamic and unstable, which creates the need for continuous monitoring of recent developments and their effects on organization, management and strategies of shipping companies. This paper also analyzes the business environment of shipping companies and the approaches adopted in the organization and management of their activities. Special attention is paid to the development of the globalization process, the very meaning of the term as well as the impacts of globalization on the world economy, politics and the world community in general, with special reference to maritime shipping. The paper also analyzes in detail the causes and consequences of world crises and other events of the 21st century, which have largely left traces on maritime transport, which is an unavoidable link in global connectivity. In order for the consequences of world crises to leave as few traces as possible on the economic, and thus on the maritime system, it is