Resilience and restart. These are the key words for the future of our maritime-logistic system. This is what emerges from the seventh Annual Report "Italian Maritime Economy" by SRM– Study center linked to the Intesa Sanpaolo Group – presented at Naples Shipping Week – international event on the issues of port, shipping and logistics – focused on the impact of the pandemic on maritime transport, but also aims to provide a strategic vision for the future, focused on intermodality and sustainability.
However, not only is the pandemic changing world economic relations from the point of view of maritime traffic: the China-USA trade dispute seen from the Pacific route, the slowdown in exports to and from China, the reduction of passages in the Canal Suez as well as the emergence of alternative routes. These are all elements that are influencing the scenarios of the Mediterranean and the port system of Italy.
For this reason, it is essential “to invest in an efficient and integrated port system and logistics with the European networks – he underlined Massimo Deandreis, SRM General Manager – Italy is a natural bridge between Europe and the South Mediterranean for energy and logistics. Recovering this role is a national priority – concluded Deandreis – consistent with the European interest and the Recovery Fund”.
The most salient data of the report follow. The maritime transport continues to represent the main vehicle for the development of international trade: 90% of goods travel by sea. Shipping and logistics are worth about 12% of global GDP.
As for the future? Forecasts for 2024 estimate a growth in container handling worldwide of 3,5%, up to 951 million TEUs (Europe +2,3%, Africa +3,3%, Far East +3,9%, Middle East +4,5% and North America +2,3%).
Il Mediterranean still represents a privileged transit route for containerized traffic, concentrating 27% of the approximately 500 global scheduled services by ship.
Instead, the impact of Covid-19 on the Suez passage produced, in the first 5 months of 2020, a sharp decline in containerships -15% (due to the slowdown in exports from and to China), partially balanced however by the transits of ships from other sectors (oils +11%, dry +42%).
Also significant is the high number of blank sailing – routes canceled due to lack of cargo – which reached at the end of May 2,7 million TEUs (equal to 11,6% of total hold capacity, 7 million TEU globally for 2020 alone). Also severely affected Belt and Road Initiatives: worth $3,87 trillion, about 20% of projects.
However, at the same time there was a increase in rail transport on the China-Europe route and vice versa, reaching the record of 1.232 convoys in July alone (+68% compared to 2019). In Italy, import-export by sea was hit hard by the pandemic in the first half of 2020, recording a drop of 21%, 11% in tonnes.
“The liquidity emergency phase is over – he said Joseph Nargi Regional Director of Intesa – We need to look at the structural aspects affecting the business system. It is even more urgent to bring the maritime-port and logistics sector back to the center of policies, because it is an essential tool for company competitiveness".
