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This article explores how maritime transport can offer valuable opportunities for innovative sustainable development. The paper explains how ports and the maritime sector can benefit from new business models based on the growth of alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, green finance and the possibility of connecting Europe and Asia through the Northern Sea Route, now included in the One-Belt-One-Road (OBOR) strategy, promoted by the Chinese Government. The theoretical insights of the first part of the chapter are complemented by an extensive case study base on the Finnafjord (Iceland) greenfield port project, developed by bremenports. The article illustrates how innovative and forward-looking practices for ports can contribute to profitable investment ventures and promote sustainable local development.

This paper is available only in the English version.

The Mediterranean basin, the Gulf of Suez and the homonymous canal represent an increasingly integrated area that connect the East and the West, a main line of development and a strategic economic opportunity worldwide for Italy and its southern areas (Mezzogiorno). After the Suez Canal doubling (completed in 2015), the global maritime economy changed; the centre of gravity of the naval freight flows has greatly increased and transforms the Mediterranean into an “open basin” towards the Persian Gulf. Moreover, shipping companies take into consideration strategic elements that give more importance to the ‘Silk Road’: the valorization of the economies of scale, the ability to cross intercontinental hubs and the competitive costs of the channels crossing. In collaboration the SRM Maritime Economy Observatory, a project started with the aim of providing geographic and value-added information to support the maritime economy trend analysis, focusing on the Mediterranean Sea area. In particular, an operational methodology, capable of analyzing naval routes across the Mediterranean basin, was investigated and defined. According to these analysis, it was possible to monitor the Mediterranean maritime economy trend in comparison with the global trend, the Chinese influence on import/export, the adaptation of naval traffic in the major Italian ports, the frequency of some naval corridors, etc.; the obtained results are represented in thematic maps.

This research paper ranks first among all the articles submitted for the “2017 Rassegna Economica Prize”. The author is Cristina Monaco.

This paper is available only in the English version.

Empirical evidence shows that a cruise ship causes the same pollution of 5 million cars, at the same distance. This is due to the fact that a cruise ship is currently fueled with fuel oil, that causes numerous emissions of substances. One of the effects that these substances can cause is immediate effect (such as asthma attacks, coughs, dry eyes) on people who are aboard the ship. This paper analyzes two cases which are using innovative technologies in order to reduce the pollution production in the cruise industry using the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) methodology. A total of eight cruise ships are already under construction, which will use gas liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel. The Grimaldi Group, on the other hand, has patented an innovative technology capable of operating a cruise ship with a lithium battery.

This research paper ranks third among all the articles submitted for the “2017 Rassegna Economica Prize” in the Maritime Section. The author is Domenica Marinangeli.

This paper is available only in the Italian version.

In recent years, the gaps between North and South regions of Italy generated in terms of per capita GDP, have further aggravated, an increase of the unemployment rate as a major consequence. Southern Italy suffers from an underdeveloped state of affairs, although the most extensive development and growth opportunities in this area are concentrated. The circular economy is the best strategy to be implemented for the revival of the economy, based on the reusability of products and materials and the regeneration (and resilience) of natural resources. In particular, this approach allows to create and maintain value in each passage of the economic system by eliminating the unwanted effects of the current linear system. The ports represent an intermodal crossroads of goods and resources, and are an ideal starting point for organizational models based on the concept of industrial symbiosis. Consequently, ports have access to: organic waste, bioenergy resources of the area, biomass from transit supply chains, energy from energy-intensive activities, the place suitable to trigger the vicious cycle of growth that the circular economy can give birth. In order to ensure that the port of Naples and so on the entire Meridional Italy is also being developed, it is important that there be integration with the world of innovation and research and the establishment of high added value activities in francs’ points.

This research paper ranks fourth among all the articles submitted for the “2017 Rassegna Economica Prize” in the Maritime Section. The authors are Ilaria De Benedictis e Mario Fordellone.

This paper is available only in the Italian version.

The report – realized by IRPET Toscana – pays attention to the relationship between the Port of Livorno and the Darsena Europa project. It analyses three point of views: the economic perspective, the transport system and the urban-territorial dimension. SRM has taken part to the research in the Chapter 2 titled “Scenario and perspectives of the Tuscan ports: the strategic projects, the Europa platform” with an in-depth analysis of the role of the Mediterranean area and China.

The report is available in the Italian version.

The phenomenon of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) has been steadily increasing and saw no deceleration neither during globalization nor the global economic crisis of the last years. The report describes the conditions created by the the decree-law 91/2017 regarding “Urgent provisions for the economic growth of the Mezzogiorno” (in G.U. 20th June 2017), converted into Law on the 3rd of August 2017, no. 123 (in G.U. 12th August 2017), that provided, among other things, in Chapter II articles 4-5, the possibility of establishing the so-called SEZ, Special Economic Zones. The paper includes also an analysis on SEZ in Tanger Med port in Morocco, Suez Canal in Egypt and in the port of Trieste in Italy.

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The New Silk Road is strongly related to China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. This is a broad initiative including rail and maritime connections between China and Europe and a related investment portfolio in logistics infrastructure, such as investment in seaports and in warehousing. In this paper we present the New Silk Road and compare this initiative with the container landbridge initiatives of the 1980s. We indicate how the New Silk Road can be compared to alternative routes like deep-sea, air-cargo and innovative solutions like unmanned cargo aircrafts. In addition we relate the New Silk Road with scenario’s related to re-export and broader investment schemes. Also the impact on port volumes will be discussed. The paper concludes with the impact on possible structural disruptions in the North-West European port system.

This paper is available only in the English version.

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