Dynamar rings Mediterranean movements

The new study features a wealth of data on container ports, shipping, annual carryings as well as relevant economic background. It represents an interesting combination of who is involved in intra-Mediterranean trade and in-depth analysis of key trades, trade areas and carrier activity.

Estimating the total 2013 global throughput of 95 ports handling intra-Mediterranean container trade at 56m teu, this region has experienced growth of 5.5% over 2012.

Ten dominant transhipment ports – those whose transhipment volumes make up more than 50% of their total throughput – are identified in the report, including Gioia Tauro and Tangier-Med Port where transhipment volumes account for up to 95% of annual throughput. In 2013, Algeciras handled the largest transhipment volume: nearly 4m teu, ahead of Port Said’s 3.8m teu.

Noting that eight global terminal operators are involved in 30 Mediterranean box facilities handling intra-trade, APM Terminals is highlighted as the largest with eight terminals, followed by DP World with six and MSC-subsidiary TIL with five.

Equally interesting is the report’s identification of the main and sub-trade areas and the respective annual liner capacities these regions offer. In the West Mediterranean, the report finds that the four countries – Spain, France, Italy and Malta – are served by an annual intra-Med shipping capacity of almost 2.9m teu. Annual shipping capacities referenced to in this report are for two-way trade.

The annualised intra-Med capacity of the services calling in the Adriatic is 911,000 teu, the second smallest region of the intra-Mediterranean trade areas but one that Dynamar cites as holding major potential. Ports in this region, notably Rijeka, have recently been busy developing a deepwater capacity coupled with an expanded intermodal capability to efficiently reach cross-border markets.

Aegean movements

The Aegean, comprising the waters between Greece and Turkey, is the second largest intra-Mediterranean trade area, providing an annual shipping capacity of 2.6m teu. In volume terms, Piraeus, Greece has seen major increases in throughput following COSCO’s development of a transhipment terminal there.

The Aegean also boasts extensive container terminal facilities located around the Sea of Marmara (no less than 17 different terminals handling boxes) and in the Izmir area (including Nemruth Bay). The main Marmar port complex of Ambarli will soon be confronted with competition from Asyaport, the new, very large, MSC-controlled transhipment port which will ultimately offer an annual capacity of up to 2.5m teu.

Meanwhile, accessible via the Bosporus, which has a maximum vessel length restriction of 300 metres, intra-Med shipping capacity in the Black Sea amounts to some 862,000 teu. The possibilities for direct services in this region are reducing as average vessel size in deep-sea trades scale up.

The countries forming the Levant, Turkey/East Med, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt comprise the third largest intra-Mediterranean sub-trade area, served by an annual intra-Med shipping capacity of 2.8m teu.

The West (Europe) Med region is the main trade area connected with the four North African Maghreb countries. These comprise Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Only the port of Tangier-Med is involved as Morocco’s west coast ports of Casablanca and Agadir are both outside the Mediterranean. Annual intra-Med shipping capacity within this region is put at 1.9m teu.

Dynamar’s Intra-Mediterranean (2013) Container Trades can be obtained by download from www.dynamar.com/publications/131.