Thematic Area
Thematic Area
Thematic Area
PortGraphic: Container port dynamics near Gibraltar
By Theo Notteboom The Strait of Gibraltar occupies a pivotal position along some of the world’s most important East–West trade lanes. For many years, Algeciras, strategically located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, was the first port to fully exploit this geographical advantage by developing a transhipment hub position. In the mid‑1990s, its strong transhipment orientation enabled it to capture nearly 70% of the total container volume handled by the five ports shown in the graph. Last year, its share had fallen to just...
Thematic Area
A metric of global maritime supply chain disruptions: The global supply chain stress index - maritime (GSCSI-M)
Global supply chains regularly face widespread disruptions, with events such as the COVID-19 pandemic (2021−22), geopolitical incidents in the Red Sea, and water shortages at the Panama Canal (2023–24) impacting global maritime trade flows and shipping routes. Regardless of the cause, delays or rerouting in critical maritime supply lines have had a global impact. To quantify and assess the magnitude and location of such maritime disruptions, a proposed metric, the Global Supply Chain Stress Index - Maritime (GSCSI-M), has been...
Thematic Area
PortGraphic: Top-15 EU container ports in Q3 2025
By Theo Notteboom Following a strong recovery in 2024 after a challenging 2023, the first nine months of 2025 reveal a shift in growth dynamics across the top 15 EU container ports: Only three ports achieved double-digit growth: Gdansk leads with an impressive 21.7% increase, largely driven by the launch of its newest terminal at the Baltic Hub. Gioia Tauro continues its upward trajectory, fueled by MSC’s sustained investment and operations. Bremerhaven tops 10% growth and is expected to move from the seventh place in 2024 to the...
Thematic Area
ECONSHIP2026: Call for papers
Navigating the Maritime Future: Building Competitive, Sustainable, and Resilient Maritime Supply Chains23-25 September 2026, Chios, Greece Following the successful first editions of 2011 and 2015, ECONSHIP returns, inviting researchers from Europe and around the globe to submit papers on the theme “Navigating the Maritime Future: Building Competitive, Sustainable, and Resilient Maritime Supply Chains”. Proudly supported by PortEconomics, the 3rd edition of the European Conference on Shipping, Intermodalism and Ports –...
Thematic Area
Call for papers: 1st Florence Maritime Regulation Conference
The 1st Florence Maritime Regulation Conference aims to discuss regulatory advancements that accelerate the competitiveness and sustainable development of shipping, ports, and related maritime supply chains in the EU and beyond. Shipping, ports, and related supply chains are cornerstones of the European economy and world trade, which are shaped by regulatory initiatives developing at national, regional, or global scales. The European Union is currently developing a comprehensive strategy to support the long-term competitiveness of the...
Thematic Area
Jean Monnet Chair in European Port Policy
The European Commission has awarded a Jean Monnet Chair to PortEconomics co-director and University of Piraeus, Department of Maritime Studies Professor Thanos Pallis. Jean Monnet Chairs are specialised teaching posts for university professors, aimed at deepening teaching and research in European Union studies and fostering dialogue between academia and society, both in the Member States of the European Union and in other countries. Co-funded by the European Union, the Jean Monnet Chair in European Port Policy aims to promote the...
Thematic Area
Geopolitical risks and port-related carbon emissions: evidence and policy implications
The geopolitical risks and the port-related Carbon Emissions are the theme of the latest portstudy by PortEconomics member Pierre Cariou (co-authored with Chengkun Li and Dr Dong Yang) published in the scholarly journal Transport Policy. The article addresses geopolitical risks (GPR) and their environmental implications for port-related emissions. Using a monthly panel dataset covering 269 container ports across 40 countries and regions from 2016 to 2023 and employing a system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) estimator, it confirms that...
Thematic Area