Ports and Maritime Transport: Global Trends and Europe's Role

Maritime transport underpins global supply chain linkages and economic interdependency, with shipping and ports estimated to handle over 80 per cent of global merchandise trade. As a result, when the pandemic broke out, the sector has worked as a transmission channel sending shockwaves across supply chains and regions. Most recently, the importance of the shipping sector was clearly highlighted by the Ever Given’s incident in the Suez Canal: one single event managed to shake international trade for several days, triggering delivery delays and relevant economic losses. The pandemic has also accelerated some rising trends such as regionalization, sustainability and digitalization, which will be at the core of the post-pandemic recovery. How has the port sector been affected by the pandemic? What kind of measures has been and could be put in place to counter the crisis? Which trends will shape and challenge the port sector’s future? What role for Special Economic Zones?