A real “meteor shower” of disruptive forces is currently impacting international trade and maritime logistics, fundamentally challenging conventional strategic, operational and economic paradigms. PortEconomics member Ricardo J. Sánchez and Rodolfo Sabonge explore this unprecedented complexity in their latest PortReport, where they analyse the convergence of multiple risks and facts —exogenous, endogenous, and mixed—and their multiplying effects on global trade and supply chains.
The authors conceptualise this phenomenon as a polycrisis, wherein geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainty, technological disruption, cybercrime, climate-related risks, and shifting trade patterns collectively shape the maritime landscape. Examining contemporary events, the report identifies key drivers of uncertainty, including U.S.-China strategic rivalry, the ongoing war in Ukraine, Red Sea security concerns, supply chain regionalization, cyber threats, and the emergence of new national shipping lines.
The study provides a structured framework for understanding maritime risk categorization while highlighting the global impact of regulatory interventions, freight rate fluctuations, and industry consolidation. As major players in the shipping and terminal sectors, such as MSC’s acquisition of Hutchison’s container terminal business, reshape competitive dynamics, the need for resilient strategies has never been greater. The report also raises fundamental questions about the future of globalisation, maritime governance, industry cooperation, and sustainable trade flows. Will the evolving balance between globalization and regionalization force a structural shift in shipping routes and port activity? How can the maritime sector mitigate financial instability amid excess fleet capacity and geopolitical fragmentation?
PortReport is a PortEconomics series designed to disseminate studies on port economics, policy, and management to a wider readership. Studies included in the series contain original, unpublished research and are subject to approval by the editorial team, with authors retaining copyright of the published work. The studies are published regularly and are freely available electronically on the PortEconomics webpage under “PortReport.”
