Sometimes the ocean feels like a quiet backdrop to our lives, a blue line on a map or a view from a window seat on a long-haul flight. But pause for a moment and think about the unseen highways stretching across those waters, carrying everything from food to medical supplies to the phone or laptop you’re reading this on. World Maritime Day exists mostly as a reminder that modern life, with all its comforts, is astonishingly dependent on the rhythms of global shipping.