A few decades ago, we watched Logs being loaded onto Ships near Coos Bay OR. The Factory Ships went out to Int'l water and returned to unload finished Plywood, processing during the entire transit. Foreign Nationals work these Ships for up 1 year-long 'shifts'. The Ships are owned by, and registered in, other Countries; wherever Regulatory and Tax structures are the most favorable. Today, Phillippine Forests [amongst others] are leveled and the Factory Ship output of Plywood is sold here. Even more murky, a label might say 'Canada', but the product
can be Canadian Logs processed at sea.
Factory Ships also catch, process, freeze and unload on U.S. shores various types of Seafood. They are best described as floating Cities that generate their own power, and do not incur the cost overhead infrastructure of Trucking and Railroads [or associated other Salaries], etc.. As with Cruise Ships, Factory Ships are manufactured in Brazil, Dubai, The Netherlands or wherever...
Read here about counterfeit Amish Furniture Ships:
Furniture Factory Ship
Not an example of a huge Ship, but huge ones are out there. Scroll down to read:
Concrete Factory Ship
By operating in Int'l waters, these Ships avoid Taxes, Regulations and Work Rules, etc..
I visited some Int'l places where U.S. Vehicle subcomponents are made, like Alternators and Windshields [even pre-NAFTA]. This reality is what the Window Stickers disclosing U.S. vs. Foreign Vehicle content are all about.
Some Foreign Factories I've visited/trained in are real eye openers. I rolled up my Sleeves and tucked my Tie inside my Shirt first thing to avoid getting sucked into Machinery. For every China-based News Headline about Lead; Melamine-poisoned Formula or Feed; and other such topics, I'm afraid there's numerous other jarring stories that are never known about here.
The scandal of last week was that China had obtained high speed MagLev Train Technology from leading Companies abroad. Over the past decade, they had 'developed' - and are now selling - their 'own', 'different' competing Train technology. It's the Amish Furniture story 'ethics' above revisited, but their much-lower selling costs reflect no overhead in MagLev Development, Prototypes, Testing and Certification. Patent Infringement Lawsuits by Int'l MagLev Patent owners in Int'l Courts will take a decade or more with no enforcement of the outcome practical.