Blue Economy Observatory

Europe's maritime economy,
in real numbers

Live figures on EU short-sea shipping and port freight — pulled directly from Eurostat's open dissemination API alongside real-time AIS vessel tracking across 15 global chokepoints.

837.1 Mt Goods handled at EU main ports — 2025-Q4 +1.9% year-on-year
58.3% Share of EU maritime freight carried by short-sea shipping — 2024 +1.8pp vs 2023 (56.5%)
1.65 Bn t EU short-sea shipping volume — 2024
€183.5 Bn EU Blue Economy Gross Value Added +4.2% annual growth
3.58M Direct EU Maritime Employment

Top short-sea shipping nations, 2024

Italy, the Netherlands and Spain together handled 46.3% of all EU short-sea shipping tonnage in 2024.

Short-sea vs. other maritime freight, 2024

Short-sea shipping — voyages between EU ports without crossing an ocean — now carries more than half of all EU maritime freight.

Fleet Watch

The world's chokepoints,
watched live

Real ships, tracked by AIS, moving through the straits and canals that decide whether global trade holds or breaks — from the Bering Strait to the Drake Passage — alongside the major trade routes that connect them.

—Vessels tracked now
—Busiest chokepoint
Chokepoint:

Select a chokepoint or trade route on the map for the current situation there.

Economic Footprint

EU Blue Economy
€183.5 Billion GVA & 3.58M Jobs

Verified Eurostat data across the EU's 6 core maritime sectors — from shipping and port infrastructure to offshore wind energy and coastal tourism.

EU Blue Economy GVA Distribution by Sector

Source: European Commission Blue Economy Report / Eurostat SBS. Marine transport and ports generate over 46% of total sector GVA.

Market Intelligence

Global Container Shipping Lines
Market Share & Orderbook Dual-Fuel Index

The top 5 global ocean carriers control over 64.5% of worldwide container vessel capacity (30.8 Million TEU total operated fleet).

Top 5 Global Ocean Carriers (Fleet TEU)

  • MSC: 6.20 Million TEU (20.1% Global Market Share)
  • Maersk Line: 4.42 Million TEU (14.3% Global Market Share)
  • CMA CGM: 3.82 Million TEU (12.4% Global Market Share)
  • COSCO Shipping: 3.25 Million TEU (10.5% Global Market Share)
  • Hapag-Lloyd: 2.22 Million TEU (7.2% Global Market Share)

Dual-Fuel Orderbook Transition

54.0%

of all container vessel capacity currently on order at shipyards globally is equipped with alternative green propulsion (LNG, Methanol, or Ammonia dual-fuel engines).

Regional Traffic

Maritime Freight
by European Sea Basin

How 3.5 Billion tonnes of annual EU maritime trade is distributed across the Mediterranean, North Sea, Atlantic, Baltic, and Black Sea basins.

EU Freight Volume by Sea Basin (Million Tonnes / yr)

Eurostat dataset mar_mg_am_c. The Mediterranean and North Sea together process over 68% of all maritime cargo entering or leaving EU ports.

Decarbonization Index

EU ETS & FuelEU Maritime
Emissions & Transition Targets

Tracking the regulatory mandate driving global shipping toward zero-carbon fuels: 4,850+ vessels under EU ETS carbon allowance rules emitting ~125.4 Mt CO₂ annually.

EU ETS Phase-in Schedule

  • 2024: 40% of reported emissions covered
  • 2025: 70% of reported emissions covered
  • 2026: 100% full phase-in requirement

FuelEU Maritime GHG Targets

  • 2025: -2% GHG intensity vs 2020 baseline
  • 2030: -6% reduction requirement
  • 2040: -31% reduction target
  • 2050: -80% zero-carbon fuel target
Latest maritime news

What's moving,
right now

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Source: Eurostat — Maritime transport statistics (datasets mar_go_qm, mar_sg_am_cw, mar_mg_am_c). Retrieved 28 July 2026. Figures refresh as Eurostat publishes new data.