Welcome to the world of SH3 addiction.
Did the game start getting choppy around the port area? GW includes a harbor traffic mod that adds a lot of ships to the ports, and it can be a strain on your computer. I've noticed that the game tends to run a lot smoother after I get out into the open sea.
As for your other question, the info for merchants can be found in the recognition manual under "Handelschiffe" (I'm sure I misspelled that, but it's close!). Use the left scroll arrow, and it should be just after Albania.