1149 | 409 | Prospects for growth in the containerized cargo traffic in the Mediterranean Sea basin.

This contribution aims to analyze container traffic flows in the infra-Mediterranean region. Due to its nature, the Mediterranean Sea represents one of the centers of international trade: this system is structured along different value chains, the first being shorter and connecting markets in the Middle East with continental Europe, and the second being much more complex, connecting markets in the Far East and Atlantic with the main continental production centers. Therefore, this contribution proposes to analyze the dynamics of the main infra-mediterranean container flows, highlighting the importance of the main transshipment hubs in relation to the dynamics of the European market and some of the main European gateways. The analysis of transport dynamics will be approached by considering geographical aspects such as the analysis of center-periphery relationships adapted to the context of infra-mediterranean freight transport and the analysis of the main chokepoints for the study area, taking into account the strategic development decisions of the main maritime and port operators. In recent years, the dynamics of container traffic flows have also been strongly influenced by the investment choices of the main maritime operators, both in terms of the choice of ports to use as intermodal hubs and in relation to direct investments by taking concession of various terminals and vertically integrating their production processes. The analysis of container traffic in the Mediterranean basin aims to identify the dynamics of commercial traffic and to analyze the development trajectories that this may have in the near future. In this perspective, it is also possible to highlight how, due to water scarcity problems in the river basins of northern Europe, it is possible to hypothesize that ports located in the southern Mediterranean Sea of Europe will be called upon to play a central role in the management of continental commercial traffic.

Andrea Gallo
Univeristy of Trieste

ID Abstract: 409