Ninety percent of world trade by volume moves by sea. UNCTAD projects 2.8 percent growth in seaborne trade volumes for 2025. Over 80 percent of relevant ships have now progressed with EEXI and CII compliance.
Key Takeaways
- 90% of world trade by volume moves by sea (an estimated share), according to UNCTAD—shipping is the backbone of global trade flows.
- 2.4% projected growth in world merchandise trade volumes in 2025, per UNCTAD—forecast indicates continued shipping demand expansion.
- 2.8% projected growth in seaborne trade volumes in 2025, according to UNCTAD—indicates continued momentum for shipping volumes.
- US$160–190 billion of annual investment is needed by 2030 to decarbonize shipping in line with IMO ambition scenarios, highlighting the capital intensity of the transition.
- As of 2024, low-sulfur fuel (LSFO) price differentials vs. high-sulfur fuel (HSFO) under the IMO 2020 regime have frequently exceeded $200 per metric ton during high-demand periods, materially impacting voyage costs.
- The IMO initial GHG strategy sets targets including reducing GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels, framing the long-term compliance direction.
- The IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) requires annual operational rating (A–E) for covered ships, with mandatory corrective actions for D-rated performance (shortfalls).
- The EU FuelEU Maritime regulation sets limits and incentives for reducing lifecycle GHG intensity, including reporting requirements beginning in the early 2020s and stricter rules over time.
- China’s ports handled 321 million TEU in 2023 (as reported in industry port statistics), representing the world’s largest container throughput by country.
- The global seaborne trade market (all cargo types) was estimated at about 12.1 billion tonnes in 2023, indicating the large underlying throughput base for shipping services.
- In 2023, the global average speed of container vessels on major tradelanes was reported at roughly 13–14 knots (industry monitoring), affecting fuel consumption and capacity utilization.
- Dry bulk voyage efficiency improved by about 2%–4% in 2023 according to market analytics (measured as tonne-miles per vessel day), showing better throughput per unit time.
- In 2023, average fuel consumption for LNG carriers was reported in the low double-digit grams per kWh range in industry studies for modern propulsion systems, highlighting efficiency at the system level.
Shipping underpins global trade, with demand rising in 2025 and major decarbonization and compliance efforts accelerating.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends10 stats
01
90% of world trade by volume moves by sea (an estimated share), according to UNCTAD—shipping is the backbone of global trade flows.
02
2.4% projected growth in world merchandise trade volumes in 2025, per UNCTAD—forecast indicates continued shipping demand expansion.
03
2.8% projected growth in seaborne trade volumes in 2025, according to UNCTAD—indicates continued momentum for shipping volumes.
04
37% of global containerized trade uses major container ports in Asia, per UNCTAD—high concentration affects port capacity planning and routing.
05
In 2023, global container shipping recorded an average route productivity (TEU-km per vessel day) index where Asia–Europe lanes led, showing strong main-lane operational performance.
06
Between 2019 and 2022, the average age of the global container fleet increased by about 0.8 years, suggesting post-pandemic fleet age pressure.
07
In 2024, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) reported that the global fleet’s uptake of Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) compliance is progressing, with over 80% of relevant ships submitted to class/flag authorities.
08
The total IMO member state reporting for the Data Collection System (DCS) for fuel consumption has exceeded 99% of applicable ships in recent reporting cycles, indicating broad adoption of voyage fuel data reporting.
09
In 2023, the share of fleet capacity in the top 20 container liner operators was over 60% by capacity (industry rankings), reflecting market concentration.
10
In 2023, the share of ships fitted with advanced hull coatings (fouling-release or energy-saving coatings) was estimated to be above 30% in new installations (industry survey).
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With about 90% of world trade moving by sea and UNCTAD projecting 2.4% growth in merchandise trade volumes and 2.8% growth in seaborne trade volumes in 2025, the industry trends point to sustained demand pressure that is likely to intensify port capacity planning and fleet renewal, especially as the average global container fleet age rose by around 0.8 years between 2019 and 2022.
02 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
US$160–190 billion of annual investment is needed by 2030 to decarbonize shipping in line with IMO ambition scenarios, highlighting the capital intensity of the transition.
02
As of 2024, low-sulfur fuel (LSFO) price differentials vs. high-sulfur fuel (HSFO) under the IMO 2020 regime have frequently exceeded $200per metric ton during high-demand periods, materially impacting voyage costs.
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that decarbonizing shipping by 2030 could require US$160–190 billion in annual investment while the IMO 2020 shift to low-sulfur fuel has often pushed LSFO–HSFO price differentials beyond $200, signaling that both capital and operating costs are likely to rise at the same time.
03 · Category
Regulation & Compliance9 stats
01
The IMO initial GHG strategy sets targets including reducing GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels, framing the long-term compliance direction.
02
The IMO Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) requires annual operational rating (A–E) for covered ships, with mandatory corrective actions for D-rated performance (shortfalls).
03
The EU FuelEU Maritime regulation sets limits and incentives for reducing lifecycle GHG intensity, including reporting requirements beginning in the early 2020s and stricter rules over time.
04
EU ETS maritime coverage under Directive 2003/87/EC expanded to include 100% of emissions from voyages within the EU and to/from EU ports for maritime operators from 2024.
05
The IMO 2020 sulfur cap sets a limit of 0.50% sulfur in marine fuels from 1 January 2020 for most use cases, a direct compliance parameter.
06
The Ballast Water Management (BWM) Convention requires treatment of ballast water to meet D-2 performance standards, aiming to reduce invasive species introductions.
07
IMO’s International Safety Management (ISM) Code requires safety management systems (SMS) aboard ships to meet defined safety and pollution-prevention objectives.
08
SOLAS Chapter II-2 fire protection requirements set mandatory construction and operational standards affecting ship fire safety systems and drills.
09
In 2023, the share of vessels meeting EEXI/CII implementation requirements was reported as increasing to a large majority of applicable tonnage per industry compliance monitoring.
Interpretation
Regulation & Compliance Interpretation
Within the Regulation and Compliance category, shipping is moving from one off fuel rules to measurable, enforceable decarbonization by requiring annual CII ratings and corrective actions, setting at least a 50% GHG cut by 2050 versus 2008, and tightening emissions controls with EU ETS coverage of 100% of intra EU and to and from EU port voyages while also making compliance operationally concrete through the 0.50% IMO sulfur cap from 1 January 2020.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
China’s ports handled 321 million TEU in 2023 (as reported in industry port statistics), representing the world’s largest container throughput by country.
02
The global seaborne trade market (all cargo types) was estimated at about 12.1 billion tonnes in 2023, indicating the large underlying throughput base for shipping services.
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size angle, 2023 highlights the scale of global demand as China alone handled 321 million TEU while total seaborne trade reached about 12.1 billion tonnes across all cargo types.
05 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
In 2023, the global average speed of container vessels on major tradelanes was reported at roughly 13–14 knots (industry monitoring), affecting fuel consumption and capacity utilization.
02
Dry bulk voyage efficiency improved by about 2%–4% in 2023 according to market analytics (measured as tonne-miles per vessel day), showing better throughput per unit time.
03
In 2023, average fuel consumption for LNG carriers was reported in the low double-digit grams per kWh range in industry studies for modern propulsion systems, highlighting efficiency at the system level.
04
The world container fleet utilization (operational) averaged around 85%–88% during 2023 on major services (industry estimates), reflecting balance between supply and demand.
05
In 2024, port call turnaround improvements of 5%–15% were reported by terminals using appointment systems and enhanced slot coordination (industry case studies).
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across 2023 to 2024, performance in the ship industry appears to be steadily improving with container vessels sustaining roughly 13–14 knots and dry bulk voyage efficiency rising 2% to 4% while utilization stays around 85% to 88% and ports cut turnaround times by 5% to 15%, pointing to a clear trend of better operational efficiency on major routes.
report visual · Comparison
Ship industry: scale, trade growth, and infrastructure concentration
Most global trade moves by sea, projected trade growth remains positive, and container throughput is highly concentrated in Asia’s major ports.
90% of world trade by volume moves by sea (an estimated share), according to UNCTAD—shipping is the backbone of global t90%
37% of global containerized trade uses major container ports in Asia, per UNCTAD—high concentration affects port capacit
37%
2.8% projected growth in seaborne trade volumes in 2025, according to UNCTAD—indicates continued momentum for shipping v
2.8%
2.4% projected growth in world merchandise trade volumes in 2025, per UNCTAD—forecast indicates continued shipping deman
2.4%
source-verifiedunctad.org2025
Reference
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APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Ship Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ship-industry-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Ship Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ship-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Ship Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ship-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)