The crises in the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, together with the reorganisation of global value chains, are changing the geography of world tradeand the role of the big ones sea routesThis is what emerges from the thirteenth annual report Italian Maritime Economy presented on Friday by Srm, Study Center connected to the group Intesa Sanpaolo Entitled "Straits and Maritime Routes in the New Global Scenario." In this scenario, ports, shipping, and logistics are becoming increasingly crucial to the competitiveness of production systems and the security of supplies, while the Mediterranean becomes increasingly central to global trade.
Ports: the centrality of the Mediterranean is growing
The report analyses the growing centrality of the Mediterranean in global maritime trade, with Italian ports performing above the European average in 2025.
In detail, despite the increasingly strong geopolitical tensions and the reduced use of the Suez Canal, the main container ports have handled over 72 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit, the standard unit of measurement used in maritime transport and logistics, ed.), with an increase of 5,9%, while the Euro-Mediterranean area reached a weight equal to 31% of world trade for a value close to 7.600 trillion dollars.
The research highlights how, estimates for 2030 indicate growth Mediterranean container traffic increased by 15% in the five-year period, equal to an average annual rate of 2,8%, higher than the world average.
Italian ports handle 511 million tons of goods
Based on data from the Port System Authorities, the report highlights how in 2025 Italian ports handled a total of 511 million tons of goods (+3,5%), with 186 million tons of liquid bulk, 132 million tons of containers, and 122 million tons of Ro-Ro traffic (the maritime transport of heavy vehicles). Container traffic reached 12,8 million TEUs (+7,1%), driven primarily by strong growth in transhipment activities (+13,3%).
In this context, Italy confirms its position as the European leader in Short Sea Shipping, or short-sea shipping, with 304 million tonnes handled and a market share of 15,6%.
Even the main ones maritime partners Italians are Mediterranean countries: Türkiye and Spain In fact, they rank first and second in terms of freight movement, "confirming the growing importance of regional traffic and the centrality of the Mediterranean for the national logistics system," SRM emphasizes, according to which maritime transport continues to represent "an essential component of national trade, accounting for 25% of foreign trade in value and 49% in quantity."
Gros-Pietro: “The sea is a key to understanding the evolution of the economy
“Never before has the sea represented such a privileged key to understanding the evolution of the world economy”, commented the president of Intesa Sanpaolo, Gian Maria Gros Pietro, according to which "maritime routes, ports, strategic straits, and logistics infrastructures are not just elements of the transport system: they are the places where international trade, energy security, industrial policy, and new geopolitical balances intertwine. It is also for this reason that the maritime transport and logistics sector is of strategic importance for Intesa Sanpaolo."
"Our companies' exports, energy supplies, tourist flows, and a growing share of the investments that support our country's growth transit the sea," the manager continued. Ultimately, a significant part of Italy's competitiveness hinges on the efficiency and capacity of its logistics and port system, an essential infrastructure for supporting growth, international openness, and economic resilience.
The new challenges
The geography of Italian ports increasingly coincides with that of the major global crisis areas, according to the report. In particular, the ports of the Adriatic and the North-East are more exposed to developments in the area of Black Sea, which influence trade in grains, steel products, energy and raw materials.
Furthermore, ports that are more integrated into transatlantic trade and manufacturing value chains are more directly affected by the effects of US trade policies and international tensions. New European environmental regulations, including the ETS and FuelEU Maritime, will also have a growing impact on the port and shipping system, particularly affecting cabotage trade and short-sea shipping.
The study focuses on the'rail-sea intermodality, considered one of the levers to make you more competitive the Italian logistics system and for which incentives have been strengthened for the period 2023-28 starting from 130 million euros for the Sea Modal Shift (for hauliers using Ro-Ro or Ro-Pax vessels) and the approximately 122 million euros of the Ferrobonus (for using rail transport). In parallel, the Italian port system "can count on over 13 billion euros of planned investments, aimed at improving maritime accessibility, strengthening last-mile connections, accelerating the digitalization of ports and strengthening their climate resilience,” the report underlines.
The Closure of the Strait of Hormuz
“The tensions in the Middle East, the attacks in the Red Sea and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz have brought the strategic role of maritime routes and the need for increasingly resilient global supply chains, SRM underlines.
Before the crisis, through the Strait of Hormuz they passed through the 37% of world crude oil trade, 28% of LPG, 19% of LNG, 19% of refined products, 13% of chemicals and 9% of vehicles. Furthermore, the Gulf remains a strategic hub for fertilizers, helium, sulfur, methanol and critical raw materials Essential to numerous industrial sectors, from energy to agri-food to advanced manufacturing. A third of the world's supply of helium and nitrogen fertilizers (urea and ammonia) comes from the Gulf region, while for other raw materials, the figure exceeds 50%.
The outbreak of war led to the almost total closure of the Strait. The effects were devastating: the closure of Hormuz transit interrupted of volumes equivalent to approximately the 10% of world oil production and 5% of gas production, also affecting 1,4% of the global container fleet. The impact has resulted in increased energy costs, insurance premiums, and ocean freight rates.
“To ensure the continuity of supply chains, shipping companies have reacted quickly with deviations from the route, "Greater use of transhipment and intermodal solutions that combine maritime and land transport, such as the sea-road services developed by MSC and CMA CGM. The most immediate effects of the crisis have also been reflected in the logistics hubs of the United Arab Emirates," the research analyzes, according to which. "As the crisis gradually overcomes, a significant portion of traffic could gradually return to using traditional routes through Hormuz."
Global trade is reorganizing
In this context, a process is underway global trade reorganization which concerns first of all the US-China relationsIn 2025, US imports from China fell by 30%, while those from ASEAN countries increased by 29%, with a reallocation of production activities towards Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia. China offset the contraction in trade with the United States by strengthening its presence in other markets, with exports growing to Africa (+25,8%) and Southeast Asia (+13,4%). Similarly, the European Union is diversifying its commercial strategy through agreements with India, ASEAN and Mercosur.
