Nearly 30 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of cargo are expected to be transported across the Pacific Ocean in 2023, making Trans-Pacific routes the largest shipping zone in terms of load size. As a result of growing globalization, the volume of seaborne trade reached almost 11 billion metric tons in 2021.
Although seaborne freight is still widely regarded as one of the most efficient modes of transport with regards to weight to carbon dioxide emissions, it is also apparent that large, diesel engine-propelled ships contribute to the increased production of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), as well as other pollutants such as sulfur dioxide. The shipping industry produces 11 percent of all transport-related CO2 emissions worldwide, the majority of which is caused by three major ship classes: bulk carriers, oil tankers, and container ships. Improved efficiency of ships across nearly all class types has reduced the carbon intensity of the world’s fleet. However, CO2 emissions are increasingly produced in other areas, such as the tourism industry, where higher levels of efficiency are offset by a rise in the number of cruise liner ships.
Containerized cargo flows on major container trade routes in 2022, by trade route
(in million TEUs)
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UNCTAD. (April 16, 2024). Containerized cargo flows on major container trade routes in 2022, by trade route (in million TEUs) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 31, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/253988/estimated-containerized-cargo-flows-on-major-container-trade-routes/?session=29879e19e39a8fd9bf88cd34d3aeb674
UNCTAD. "Containerized cargo flows on major container trade routes in 2022, by trade route (in million TEUs)." Chart. April 16, 2024. Statista. Accessed August 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/253988/estimated-containerized-cargo-flows-on-major-container-trade-routes/?session=29879e19e39a8fd9bf88cd34d3aeb674
UNCTAD. (2024). Containerized cargo flows on major container trade routes in 2022, by trade route (in million TEUs). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 31, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/253988/estimated-containerized-cargo-flows-on-major-container-trade-routes/?session=29879e19e39a8fd9bf88cd34d3aeb674
UNCTAD. "Containerized Cargo Flows on Major Container Trade Routes in 2022, by Trade Route (in Million Teus)." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/253988/estimated-containerized-cargo-flows-on-major-container-trade-routes/?session=29879e19e39a8fd9bf88cd34d3aeb674
UNCTAD, Containerized cargo flows on major container trade routes in 2022, by trade route (in million TEUs) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/253988/estimated-containerized-cargo-flows-on-major-container-trade-routes/?session=29879e19e39a8fd9bf88cd34d3aeb674 (last visited August 31, 2024)
Containerized cargo flows on major container trade routes in 2022, by trade route (in million TEUs) [Graph], UNCTAD, April 16, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/253988/estimated-containerized-cargo-flows-on-major-container-trade-routes/?session=29879e19e39a8fd9bf88cd34d3aeb674