The presentation of facts in maritime economics is subject to many problems of methodology for companies as well as for nations. For companies, a new unit of measure for shipbuilding, the compensated registered ton, was developped in France and has been used internationally since 1968. The use of this new unit has resulted in marked improvements in the presentation of economics facts. There has, however, been no such development of unit of measure for maritime transport and for port and harbor activities, although research for the latter seems to be under way in France. At national level, the monetary measure of shipping and port and harbor services exchanges between one country and the rest of the world or between two countries has had a sporadic development. The balance of payments, computed on IMF bases, cannot provide an unquestionable accounting. In France, the balance of freight and passenger revenues "balance des frets et passages" and more particularly the National expenditures for maritime transport "Dépense Nationale de transport maritime" have more or less remedied this failing. The entry of France into bilateral agreements covering maritime commerce has provided the impetus for the creation of the freight revenue account "le compte de frets" to evaluate the balance of the exchange in shipping services. This method may sooner or later become indispensable as a result of the application of the UNCTAD Code of Conduct.