Maritime industry in the European Union (EU) - statistics & facts
Maritime shipping has been a vital mode of transportation for European countries for centuries. This fact has not changed with the establishment of the European Union (EU) and its subsequent enlargements. On the contrary, shipping remains one of the most important means of trade for the Member States of the EU. Nowadays, ships carry more than half the value of goods imports to the EU and over 40 percent of goods exports from the EU. In 2021, about 1.1 trillion euros worth of goods were imported to the EU, and about 956 billion euros worth of cargo exported from the EU by sea.
To maintain the competitiveness of its shipping industry, the EU controls a sizeable merchant ship fleet that keeps expanding every year. In 2020, the EU shipping industry controlled about 23,400 ships, up from some 15,400 in 2010. Until 2013, developed countries in Europe operated the largest container ship fleet in terms of capacity in the world. They were, however, overtook by developing Asian countries in 2013, which have been operating the largest container vessel fleet ever since.
In 2020, over 94 million TEUs of containers passed through EU ports, a decrease of 2.4 percent year-on-year. Spain handled the largest volume of shipping containers in 2020, amounting to more than 15.6 million TEUs.
To maintain the competitiveness of its shipping industry, the EU controls a sizeable merchant ship fleet that keeps expanding every year. In 2020, the EU shipping industry controlled about 23,400 ships, up from some 15,400 in 2010. Until 2013, developed countries in Europe operated the largest container ship fleet in terms of capacity in the world. They were, however, overtook by developing Asian countries in 2013, which have been operating the largest container vessel fleet ever since.
Cargo traffic down during the COVID-19 pandemic
In 2020, more than 3.3 billion metric tons of seaborne cargo passed through ports in the EU, a dip of about seven percent compared with the previous year. Thanks to its highly developed port infrastructure, the Netherlands handled the largest cargo volume of all EU states in 2020. The Port of Rotterdam was the busiest port in the EU in terms of cargo throughput that year, processing the most seaborne cargo, including shipping containers.In 2020, over 94 million TEUs of containers passed through EU ports, a decrease of 2.4 percent year-on-year. Spain handled the largest volume of shipping containers in 2020, amounting to more than 15.6 million TEUs.
