The disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has once again exposed a structural weakness at the heart of the global energy system. Roughly a fifth of the world's seaborne oil passes through this narrow waterway. Any interruption carries immediate and far-reaching economic...

The majority of global trade moves by sea through hub-and-spoke shipping networks. We investigate the returns to being a hub country by analyzing how transshipment activity shapes trade and supply chains. We show that most US imports especially from smaller origin countries are transshipped via...

By providing a working definition of an expatriate colonial business, this article examines the role of the Woermann group's integration into and support of colonialism through trade, plantations, and logistics. Focusing on its activities in Cameroon and the pivotal role of the Woermann Linie...

This explanatory empirical study aims to investigate the relationship and contribution of the prevailing trends and factors within the shipping industry related to the maritime communications and technology market. It is widely acknowledged that the maritime industry is currently experiencing a...

Ocean transportation is the most preferred mode of transportation that represents a significant role in the global trade. Ocean transportation comprises around 80% of the aggregate worldwide cargo volume. This research paper focused on evaluating the factors that influence the dwell time of the...

Maritime transport has been historically susceptible to piracy. While broad assessments suggest the impact of modern piracy causes large economic losses, the literature lacks quantification of the magnitude of the costs and the behavioral responses that underpin them. Here, we combine theory and...

This paper highlights an underexplored margin of heterogeneity that shapes resilience to disruptions in global shipping - the differential reliance of countries and sectors on specific categories of vessels. We combine US bills of lading records with ship registry and AIS-based port call data to...

This paper highlights an underexplored margin of heterogeneity that shapes resilience to disruptions in global maritime trade - the differential reliance of countries and sectors on specific categories of vessels. We combine US bills of lading records with ship registry and AIS-based port call...

This policy brief examines the economic importance of Iran and neighboring countries relying on the Strait of Hormuz for trade flows of the EU and Germany. It then assesses the potential impact of a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which would significantly disrupt trade in the region.

Background: Blockchain has been extensively discussed for enhancing transparency, traceability, and trust in general; however, there is fragmented empirical evidence available with respect to this issue within maritime logistics. The objective is to integrate and categorize peer-reviewed...

We explore, for the first time in the literature, how the revenues of ship management companies respond to macroeconomic exogenous shocks. Using data for ship-management companies in Cyprus, we find evidence that a demand shock has the largest impact on revenues, exhibiting an almost one-for-one...

The Red Sea crisis has emerged as a critical flashpoint of the conflict in the Middle East, upending global trade and maritime transport, port activity in the MENA region, and ecological balance of the Red Sea. The MENA Economic Policy Prosperity team, in collaboration with the DEC Data Lab, has...

This second edition of the European Maritime Transport Environmental Report (EMTER 2025) examines the progress made towards achieving Europe's decarbonisation targets and environmental goals for the maritime sector while indicating the most important trends, key challenges, and opportunities....

The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) spans over 6 000 km of coastline and 19 states. The region is rich in natural resources: it holds significant reserves of gas (2.7% of total world reserves) and oil (4.5%), as well as other valuable minerals including diamonds, tin, bauxite, manganese and cobalt. While...

The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) spans over 6 000 km of coastline and 19 states. The region is rich in natural resources: it holds significant reserves of gas (2.7% of total world reserves) and oil (4.5%), as well as other valuable minerals including diamonds, tin, bauxite, manganese and cobalt. While...

The international shipping sector is a vital part of the global trading system but also a large emitter of carbon dioxide emissions. In the absence of a multilateral carbon policy for the shipping sector, different countries are starting to impose unilateral measures to decarbonize maritime...

We examine the rise of dark shipping – oil tankers disabling AIS transceivers to evade detection – amid Western sanctions on Iran, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, and Russia. Using a machine learning-based ship clustering model, we track dark-shipped crude oil trade flows worldwide and detect...

This paper investigates the growing problem of abandoned maritime containers and the lack of effective reverse logistics to manage them: Background: The research highlights the significant environmental impact and economic burdens caused by the imbalance of container inflow and outflow, which...

Background: Carbon pricing in the form of fuel taxes is an important tool for abating climate change. This study examines the impact and pass-through of fuel taxes in the truckload freight market. Methods: State-level truckload market data, integrated with retail diesel prices, are analyzed...

Background: Increasing regulatory pressure for maritime decarbonization (e.g., IMO CII, FuelEU) drives adoption of low-carbon fuels and prompts reassessment of regional ports' competitiveness. This study aims to evaluate the economic and environmental viability of rerouting deep-sea container...

Background: The cargo stowage and securing plan for non-standardized cargo is vital for ensuring safety at sea, as improper placement or inadequate lashing can compromise maritime transport safety. Due to the diverse size and type of cargo, efficient planning is also essential to optimize space...

Maritime transport fulfils an important role for the EU economy by representing three quarters of the EU external trade and around one third of the intra-EU movement of goods. Short-sea shipping is responsible for around 60% of the goods transported by sea and represents an integral part of the...

This is the annex to the final report for the 'Study on short-sea shipping's contribution to the European transport network and the means to support and revitalise the sector'. The annex includes the full version of the five case studies on the development of short-sea shipping (SSS) in...

Using return shipping insurance (RSI) to address product returns is common in e-commerce, while adopting blockchain technology (BCT) for product traceability not only significantly reduces the inspection costs of returned products but also improves consumer utility (i.e., reduces return rates)....

The Korean shipping industry, which had been striving to recover from the Asian Financial Crisis, underwent significant quantitative expansion between 2004 and 2008. This growth was largely fueled by the so-called "China Effect," which generated a global shipping boom, during which an average of...

The use of low-carbon ammonia as a maritime fuel offers a potential for decarbonising the shipping sector. However, realising this potential depends on overcoming a number of complex financial, technical, and regulatory challenges. Foremost among these are the economic barriers associated with...