95% of the shipping industry operates off of letters of credit which all but stopped worldwide as the Baltic Dry Index (spot rates for shipping iron ore, steel, coal, etc) dropped off a cliff. <a href="http://investmenttools.com/futures/bdi_baltic_dry_index.htm#bdi" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://investmenttools.com/futures/bdi_baltic_dry_index.htm#bdi</a>