Over the past one hundred years, the scope and variety of financial instruments used in the maritime field have evolved profoundly, and markedly so, over the past decade. IPOs, high-yield debt offerings, and SPACs are among some of the financing products shipping companies are relying on today to grow and maintain their businesses. The following traces the historical development of these products and their current usage in the shipping world. This Article then looks at the securities law implications upon the shipping industry, its new investors, and maritime law in general.