How big is the global shipping and water transport market?
Dual-fuel container ships and vehicle carriers delivered or on order worldwide totalled 1,204 as of 31 March 2026 (WSC).
Shipping and Water Transport statistics
76 verified statistics on the shipping and water transport industry, drawn from 6 primary sources and covering 22 regions. Every figure links to the report it came from.
Data points
76
Primary sources
6
Indicators
42
Regions
22
Period
2024–2026
At a glance
Short sea shipping container transport annual growth rate by country
The lead series for this industry. Forecasts are dashed with hollow markers. Download the underlying rows from the data table below.
Short sea shipping container transport annual growth rate by country
Latest available period per country
View the underlying data
| Category | Source | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | Eurostat | Actual | 45.5% |
| Spain | Eurostat | Actual | 21.7% |
| Slovenia | Eurostat | Actual | 19.2% |
| Estonia | Eurostat | Actual | 18.2% |
| Latvia | Eurostat | Actual | 17.4% |
| Germany | Eurostat | Actual | 14.8% |
| Belgium | Eurostat | Actual | 12.6% |
| Portugal | Eurostat | Actual | 11.9% |
| Ireland | Eurostat | Actual | 10.5% |
| Greece | Eurostat | Actual | 10% |
Source: Eurostat · CC BY 4.0 · statorigin.org
The short version
Key takeaways
Each line is a complete, citable statement. Use the copy button to take the citation with the number.
- Dual-fuel container ships and vehicle carriers delivered or on order worldwide totalled 1,204 as of 31 March 2026 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 National
- Liner shipping investment in renewable fuel ships worldwide totalled 160 billion EUR as of 17 July 2026 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 National
- Port cargo value in United States stood at 300 billion USD in 2025 (MARAD). MARAD ↗ T1 Official
- Containerized goods short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union totalled 294 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Dry bulk short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union totalled 335 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Liquid bulk short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union totalled 640 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Ro-Ro units short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union totalled 275 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Short sea shipping container transport volume in the European Union totalled 36.4 million TEU in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Ports connected through direct liner shipping worldwide stood at 900 as of 17 July 2026 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 National
- Containers lost at sea worldwide stood at 1,478 in 2025 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 National
- Containers transported by sea worldwide stood at 280 million in 2025 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 National
- Port infrastructure investment in United States totalled 800 million USD as of 29 April 2026 (MARAD). MARAD ↗ T1 Official
- Short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union totalled 1.6 billion tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Maritime share of trade volume in the European Union stood at 90% as of 17 July 2026 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 National
Answered from the data
Common questions
Which country leads in shipping and water transport?
Denmark recorded the highest short sea shipping container transport annual growth rate at 45.5% in 2024 (Eurostat).
How fast is the shipping and water transport market growing?
Water transportation employment year-over-year change in United States came in at -1.3% in August 2026 (BTS).
What are the key market share figures for shipping and water transport?
Dual-fuel share of container ship orders worldwide stood at 78% as of 31 March 2026 (WSC).
What is the forecast for shipping and water transport?
Hapag-Lloyd projects its container transport volume in the Africa at 1 million TEU in 2026.
Where does this shipping and water transport data come from?
Every figure on this page traces to a primary source: 6 organisations publish the underlying data, and the dataset spans 2024 to 2026. The full source table lists each report, its publication date and the original link.
How often is this page updated?
The dataset was last verified on 15 September 2026. Annual series are refreshed when the publisher releases a new edition; corrections are accepted at any time and answered within 48 hours.
Visualised
Shipping and Water Transport charts
Rendered as plain SVG, so they work with JavaScript disabled and can be embedded anywhere. Forecasts are drawn dashed, with hollow markers.
Short sea shipping freight annual growth rate by country
Latest available period per country
View the underlying data
Source: Eurostat · CC BY 4.0 · statorigin.org
Largest volume figures
Highest published annual values, latest period per measure
View the underlying data
| Category | Source | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid bulk short sea shipping freight volume · European Union | Eurostat | Actual | 640 million tonnes |
| Dry bulk short sea shipping freight volume · European Union | Eurostat | Actual | 335 million tonnes |
| Short sea shipping freight volume · Italy | Eurostat | Actual | 304 million tonnes |
| Containerized goods short sea shipping freight volume · European Union | Eurostat | Actual | 294 million tonnes |
| Ro-Ro units short sea shipping freight volume · European Union | Eurostat | Actual | 275 million tonnes |
Source: Eurostat · CC BY 4.0 · statorigin.org
The complete table
All shipping and water transport data points
Grouped by indicator. Every row links to its own page with the full source, quote and citation. The CSV includes provenance columns so each downloaded row stays citable.
76 data points across 42 indicators. Each line shows the latest value; open a line for earlier periods and forecasts.
IndicatorRegionPeriodValueSourceType
Annual change in container port throughputNetherlands2024–20253.9%EurostatT12025actual→
Annual change in port freight throughputNetherlands2024–2025-2.2%EurostatT12025actual→
Bunker sales volume changeNetherlandsas of 30 Jun 2026-25.1%Port of RotterdamT22026actual→
Bunker sales volume change (year to date)Netherlandsas of 30 Jun 2026-25%Port of RotterdamT22026actual→
Container ship fire intervalGlobalas of 24 Jun 202617 daysWSCT22026actual→
Container ship fleet sizeGlobalas of 14 Sep 2026300Hapag-LloydT22026actual→
Containerized goods short sea shipping freight volume +1 more European Union2024294 million tonnesEurostatT12024actual→
Containerized goods short sea shipping shareEuropean Union202417.9%EurostatT12024actual→
Containers transported by seaGlobal2025280 millionWSCT22025estimate→
Dry bulk short sea shipping freight volume +1 more European Union2024335 million tonnesEurostatT12024actual→
- Netherlands202449 million tonnesEurostatT12024actual→
Dry bulk short sea shipping shareEuropean Union202420.3%EurostatT12024actual→
Dual-fuel container ships and vehicle carriers delivered or on orderGlobalas of 31 Mar 20261,204WSCT22026actual→
Dual-fuel container ships and vehicle carriers in serviceGlobalas of 31 Mar 2026440WSCT22026actual→
Dual-fuel share of container ship ordersGlobalas of 31 Mar 202678%WSCT22026actual→
Dual-fuel vessels on orderGlobalas of 31 Mar 2026764WSCT22026actual→
Gross weight of goods handled in portsNetherlandsQ3 202599 million tonnesEurostatT12025actual→
Hapag-Lloyd container transport volumeAfrica20261 million TEUHapag-LloydT22026forecast→
Hapag-Lloyd fleet transport capacityGlobalas of 14 Sep 20262.5 million TEUHapag-LloydT22026actual→
Liner shipping investment in renewable fuel shipsGlobalas of 17 Jul 2026160 billion EURWSCT22026actual→
Liquid bulk short sea shipping freight volume +2 more European Union2024640 million tonnesEurostatT12024actual→
Liquid bulk short sea shipping shareEuropean Union202438.9%EurostatT12024actual→
Maritime share of trade volumeEuropean Unionas of 17 Jul 202690%WSCT22026actual→
Port cargo valueUnited States2025300 billion USDMARADT12025actual→
Port infrastructure investment +1 more United Statesas of 29 Apr 2026800 million USDMARADT12026actual→
- United Statesas of 28 Apr 2026774 million USDMARADT12026actual→
Port-supported employmentUnited Statesas of 22 Jul 20262.7 millionMARADT12026actual→
Ports connected through direct liner shippingGlobalas of 17 Jul 2026900WSCT22026actual→
Ports served by liner shippingEuropean Unionas of 17 Jul 2026130WSCT22026actual→
Private investment in dual-fuel container ships and vehicle carriersGlobalas of 31 Mar 2026180 billion USDWSCT22026actual→
Ro-Ro units short sea shipping freight volume +1 more European Union2024275 million tonnesEurostatT12024actual→
Ro-Ro units short sea shipping shareEuropean Union202416.7%EurostatT12024actual→
Share of containers lost at seaGlobal20250.0005%WSCT22025estimate→
Short sea shipped goods handled in portNetherlands2024161 million tonnesEurostatT12024actual→
Short sea shipping container transport annual growth rate +14 more European Union20248.9%EurostatT12024actual→
- Belgium202412.6%EurostatT12024actual→
- Denmark202445.5%EurostatT12024actual→
- Estonia202418.2%EurostatT12024actual→
- Germany202414.8%EurostatT12024actual→
- Greece202410%EurostatT12024actual→
- Ireland202410.5%EurostatT12024actual→
- Italy2024-1.4%EurostatT12024actual→
- Latvia202417.4%EurostatT12024actual→
- Malta2024-14.3%EurostatT12024actual→
- Portugal202411.9%EurostatT12024actual→
- Romania2024-1%EurostatT12024actual→
- Slovenia202419.2%EurostatT12024actual→
- Spain202421.7%EurostatT12024actual→
- Sweden2024-4.3%EurostatT12024actual→
Short sea shipping container transport volume +3 more European Union202436.4 million TEUEurostatT12024actual→
Short sea shipping freight annual growth rate +7 more European Union20243.1%EurostatT12024actual→
Short sea shipping freight volume +3 more European Union20241.6 billion tonnesEurostatT12024estimate→
Short sea shipping share of total maritime freightEuropean Union202458.3%EurostatT12024actual→
Sustainable maritime fuel cost premium (maximum)Globalas of 17 Jul 2026400%WSCT22026estimate→
Sustainable maritime fuel cost premium (minimum)Globalas of 17 Jul 2026100%WSCT22026estimate→
Water transportation employmentUnited StatesAugust 202670,600BTST12026actual→
Water transportation employment year-over-year changeUnited StatesAugust 2026-1.3%BTST12026actual→
Primary documents
Sources
The complete list of documents behind this page. Nothing is hidden and nothing is behind a disclosure.
| Document | Publisher | Authority tier | Published | Accessed | Locator | Data points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime transport of goods at port level Press release | Eurostat | T1 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Figure 5: Top 5 EU maritime ports for large containers, Q3 2024 - Q3 2025; Rotterdam remained the EU port with the highest activity in Q3 2025; Highlights | 3 |
| Maritime transport statistics Press release | Eurostat | T1 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Liquid bulk remained the dominant type of cargo in EU short sea shipping; Short sea shipping of containers in the main EU ports reached a peak in 2024; EU short sea shipping increased by 3.1% in 2024 compared with 2023 | 45 |
| Maritime transport statistics Press release | Eurostat | T1 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | The top 20 EU ports accounted for 42.1% of EU short sea shipping in 2024 | 1 |
| August 2026 U.S. Transportation Sector Unemployment (4.7%) Falls Below the August 2025 Level (5.9%) Press release | BTS | T1 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | By mode (seasonally adjusted) | 2 |
| Trump’s Transportation Department and Port of Long Beach Sign Agreement to Test Nuclear-Powered Vessels Press release | MARAD | T1 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Port will trial SMRs, port microgrids, and advanced vessel propulsion systems | 2 |
| Press Releases Press release | MARAD | T1 Official | — | 15 Sep 2026 | April 29, 2026; April 28, 2026 | 2 |
| Hapag-Lloyd strengthens partnership with DP World to support growth in Africa - Hapag-Lloyd Press release | Hapag-Lloyd | T2 National | — | 15 Sep 2026 | About Hapag-Lloyd; Hapag-Lloyd strengthens partnership with DP World to support growth in Africa | 3 |
| First phase of the widening of the Yangtzekanaal complete, next phase started Press release | Port of Rotterdam | T2 National | — | 15 Sep 2026 | This may interest you as well... | 1 |
| Bunker volumes in the port of Rotterdam declined by 25.1% in the first half of 2026 Press release | Port of Rotterdam | T2 National | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Bunker volumes in the port of Rotterdam declined by 25.1% in the first half of 2026 | 1 |
| Misdeclared dangerous goods remain a persistent threat to shipping and supply chains Press release | WSC | T2 National | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Safety | 1 |
| World Shipping Council releases Containers Lost at Sea Report: 2026 Update Press release | WSC | T2 National | — | 15 Sep 2026 | World Shipping Council releases Containers Lost at Sea Report: 2026 Update | 4 |
| Dual-fuel container ship and vehicle carrier fleet passes 1,200 vessels as orders and deliveries rise Press release | WSC | T2 National | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Dual-fuel container ship and vehicle carrier fleet passes 1,200 vessels as orders and deliveries rise | 5 |
| WSC: ETS rightly reinvests more into maritime decarbonisation, but new port rules risk targeting competition rather than emissions Press release | WSC | T2 National | — | 15 Sep 2026 | Climate & Environment; Editors Notes | 6 |
Report snapshots are retained internally for verification only and are never redistributed. Where a figure comes from a paywalled report, only the number published in its public summary is recorded.
All 76 collected records are published as verified.
Cite & reuse
Cite this page
Data on this page is published under CC BY 4.0. You may reuse it, including commercially, provided you attribute it.
StatOrigin. (2026). Shipping and Water Transport Industry Statistics. Retrieved from https://statorigin.org/industries/water-transport
Found an error? Every figure here is checkable against its
source, and we would rather be corrected than be wrong. Report a problem; we
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This page was last generated on 17 September 2026 from a verified dataset snapshot. It is rebuilt whenever the underlying data changes.