A recent study estimated the average annual damage caused by storms/hurricanes/typhoons/cyclones to ports worldwide.

For centuries, seaports have played a vital role in connecting regions of the world, supporting economies and the exchange of commodities.

They are part of a maritime transportation system, which includes navigable waterways, dry ports and intermodal land connections that facilitate the logistical flow of goods.

They are crucial nodes in the global supply chain (CGS) and in the global value chain (GVC); They are critical gateways for access to global markets; They are not drivers of globalization; on the contrary, they have reacted to the forces that shape global trade patterns.

At the same time, they are particularly exposed and vulnerable to the dangers of global climate change (GCC): rising sea levels and water tables, rising temperatures and rainfall/runoff, rising waves, rising winds, and rising temperatures. salinity and humidity.

This is due to their location along open coasts or in low-lying estuaries and deltas which make them susceptible to the impacts of sea level rise, storm surge, waves and winds, as well as river and rainfall feeding.

Global losses

The economic losses due to damage to infrastructure and logistical-operational interruptions or delays, with effects on interconnected supply chains, will be large.

A recent study estimated the average annual damage caused by storms/hurricanes/typhoons/cyclones to ports worldwide at USD$3 billion, while the specific risk of ports due to natural disasters amounts to USD$7.5 billion per year. year, with an additional USD$63.1 billion of trade at risk.

The annual systemic risk to global shipping networks, to the CGS, to CGV, and to the global maritime container supply network, has been estimated at USD$81 billion, with (at least) USD$122 billion of economic activity on average also at risk.