The Dynamics of Containerized Transport in the Mediterranean Sea

The proposed study aims at analyzing the transport dynamics of containerized traffic in the Mediterranean Sea, trying to analyze the main development pathways of the different ports in relation to their geographic location and their afference to the different port ranges present in the Mediterranean Sea and with respect to the different functions they are called to absolve: transshipment hub, gateway or mixed port. Through the use of the Gini Coefficient and to the Shift Share analysis, this study highlights how for different port ranges, transshipment ports are subject to higher traffic volatility. The emerging development trajectories highlighted for the Mediterranean basin imply the strengthening of some gateway ports located in strategic positions with respect to the reference hinterlands, assisted by a growth of the main transshipment hubs located close to the East-West Suez-Gibraltar route, while leading to a loss of traffic shares for smaller ports due to the centralization of flows on a smaller number of ports.