Liner shipping investment in renewable fuel ships
160 billion EURGlobal, as of 17 Jul 2026
Source: WSC
ISIC H50 · Industry hub · 4 publishers
Shipping and Water Transport statistics
122 verified figures across 44 measures of the shipping and water transport industry, from 4 publishers in 28 regions. Every number opens the report and sentence it was taken from.
Private investment in dual-fuel container ships and vehicle carriers
180 billion USDGlobal, March 2026
Source: WSC
Dual-fuel share of container ship orders
78%Global, March 2026
Source: WSC
Sustainable maritime fuel cost premium (maximum)
400%Global, as of 17 Jul 2026 Estimate
Source: WSC
Key findings
The most quotable figures in this dataset, each with its publisher. Copy a citation or open the record to read the source sentence.
Market size and output 6
- Liquid bulk short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union was 640 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Liner shipping investment in renewable fuel ships worldwide was more than 160 billion EUR as of 17 July 2026 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 Official
- Containerized goods short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union was 294 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Dry bulk short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union was 335 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Short sea shipping container transport volume in the European Union was 36.4 million TEU in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union was more than 1.6 billion tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
Prices and costs 1
- Sustainable maritime fuel cost premium worldwide (maximum) was 400% as of 17 July 2026 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 Official
Capacity and infrastructure 2
- Ro-Ro units short sea shipping freight volume in the European Union was 275 million tonnes in 2024 (Eurostat). Eurostat ↗ T1 Official
- Port infrastructure investment in the United States was nearly 800 million USD as of 29 April 2026 (MARAD). MARAD ↗ T1 Official
Trade 1
- Maritime share of trade volume in the European Union was 90% as of 17 July 2026 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 Official
Adoption and share 1
- Share of containers lost at sea worldwide was 0.0005% in 2025 (WSC). WSC ↗ T2 Official
Charts
The best-covered series in this dataset. Every chart can be embedded with its attribution line, and its underlying data is one click below it.
Short sea shipping container transport annual growth rate by country
2024 · 10 countries
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 · percent · CC BY 4.0 · statorigin.org
Gross tonnage of vessels in main ports year-on-year growth by country
2024 · 10 countries
View the underlying data
| Category | Source | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Eurostat | Actual | 5.5% |
| Slovenia | Eurostat | Actual | 5.1% |
| Finland | Eurostat | Actual | 4.2% |
| France | Eurostat | Actual | 3.7% |
| Belgium | Eurostat | Actual | -4.1% |
| Netherlands | Eurostat | Actual | -4.2% |
| Malta | Eurostat | Actual | -6.7% |
| Bulgaria | Eurostat | Actual | -6.8% |
| Latvia | Eurostat | Actual | -9.9% |
| Romania | Eurostat | Actual | -12% |
Source: Eurostat · percent · CC BY 4.0 · statorigin.org
Short sea shipping freight annual growth rate by country
2024 · 7 countries
View the underlying data
Source: Eurostat · percent · CC BY 4.0 · statorigin.org
Vessel port calls year-on-year growth by country
2024 · 7 countries
Source: Eurostat · percent · CC BY 4.0 · statorigin.org
Shipping and Water Transport statistics by topic
Each topic gathers one measure across every country and year, with its own country pages and rankings.
Every measure in this dataset
Latest value for each measure, the change from the previous period, and its trend. The full records, with provenance columns, are in the CSV download.
Short sea shipping freight volume 8
Total gross weight of goods transported via short sea shipping. 8 slices on this page.
Port freight tonnage 4
Total gross weight of freight handled through ports. 4 slices on this page.
Port unitised cargo volume 4
Total number of unitised cargo units handled through ports. 4 slices on this page.
Capital investment 3
Total monetary funds invested in capital assets, facilities, or infrastructure. 3 slices on this page.
Port calls 3
Number of commercial vessel arrivals or stops made at maritime ports. 3 slices on this page.
Vessel gross tonnage 3
Total gross tonnage of vessels calling at ports. 3 slices on this page.
Average vessel size 2
Mean gross tonnage of vessels calling at ports. 2 slices on this page.
Container cargo volume 2
Total volume of containerized cargo handled at ports, measured in twenty-foot equivalent units. 2 slices on this page.
Containers lost at sea 2
Total number of shipping containers lost overboard at sea. 2 slices on this page.
Short sea shipping freight 2
Total freight volume or weight of cargo transported via short sea shipping routes. 2 slices on this page.
Sustainable maritime fuel cost premium 2
Percentage cost premium of sustainable maritime fuels compared with conventional marine fuels. 2 slices on this page.
Measures with one series 9
One slice each, so they have nothing to add up with on this page.
Show 1 more measure
44 measures. Each name opens the full series; each value opens the record with its source evidence.
Answered from the data
Common questions
Which country leads in shipping and water transport?
Italy recorded the highest short sea shipping freight volume of the 3 countries with data in 2024, at 304 million tonnes, ahead of the Netherlands (239 million tonnes) and Spain (221 million tonnes) (Eurostat).
How fast is the shipping and water transport market growing?
Short sea shipping freight annual growth rate in Lithuania was 12.9% in 2024 (Eurostat).
Where does this shipping and water transport data come from?
Every figure on this page traces to a primary source: 4 organisations publish the underlying data, and the observed figures span 2014 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 27 September 2026. Annual series are refreshed when the publisher releases a new edition; corrections are accepted at any time and answered within 48 hours.
Which countries have the most shipping and water transport data?
26 countries have at least one shipping and water transport figure on this page. The best covered are the United Kingdom (14 records), Italy (9) and Spain (9).
Which shipping and water transport measures have the longest record here?
The page tracks 44 measures. The most complete series are short sea shipping container transport annual growth rate (15 records), gross tonnage of vessels in main ports year-on-year growth (12 records) and short sea shipping freight annual growth rate (8 records).
Sources
Every document behind this page, with the date we read it and whether the link still resolves. All 122 collected records are published as verified.
| Document | Publisher | Authority tier | Accessed | Locator | Data points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maritime vessels statistics Press release | Eurostat | T1 Official | 21 Sep 2026 | Highlights; In 2024, the average size of vessels calling at the main EU ports decreased by 1.4%; Compared with 2023, the largest increase was registered by Denmark | 47 |
| 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 |
| Press Releases Press release | MARAD | T1 Official | 15 Sep 2026 | April 29, 2026 | 1 |
| Port freight quarterly statistics: October to December 2025 Press release | DfT | T1 Official | 21 Sep 2026 | When comparing October to December 2025 with October to December 2024 through UK major ports; When comparing the rolling year to December 2025 with December 2024 through UK major ports | 8 |
| Port Freight Quarterly October to December 2025 Press release | DfT | T1 Official | 21 Sep 2026 | Overview of quarterly port freight statistics | 6 |
| Misdeclared dangerous goods remain a persistent threat to shipping and supply chains Press release | WSC | T2 Official | 15 Sep 2026 | Safety | 1 |
| World Shipping Council releases Containers Lost at Sea Report: 2026 Update Press release | WSC | T2 Official | 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 Official | 15 Sep 2026 | Dual-fuel container ship and vehicle carrier fleet passes 1,200 vessels as orders and deliveries rise; Climate & Environment | 5 |
| WSC: ETS rightly reinvests more into maritime decarbonisation, but new port rules risk targeting competition rather than emissions Press release | WSC | T2 Official | 15 Sep 2026 | Climate & Environment; Editors Notes | 5 |
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.
1 further figures come from companies reporting on their own results and operations. They describe one company rather than the industry, so they are not part of this page. They stay published, with their sources: Hapag-Lloyd.
Cite and reuse
Published under CC BY 4.0. Reuse is free, including commercially, with attribution.
StatOrigin. (2026). Shipping and Water Transport Industry Statistics. Retrieved from https://statorigin.org/industries/water-transport
Found an error? Report it. We answer within 48 hours and log every correction on the corrections page.