The past few years’ challenges have increased awareness that the shipping industry is vulnerable when key ports geted and major routes are hampered. The disruptions encompass geopolitical issues, piracy, terrorism, and natural disasters caused by extreme weather, among others.

A study estimates that disruptions to these critical nodes affect about $192 billion in maritime trade annually. The economic loss amounts to about $14 billion per year from delays,routes, increased insurance premiums, and freight rate hikes. The researchers say that international cooperation and collaborative risk management are essential to prevent and mitigate future disruptions.

The researchers analyzed24 major maritime chokepoints, including the Suez Canal, the Strait of Mandeb, and the Strait of Malacca. These chokepoints are vital gateways the world’s cargo and energy supplies. The study found that disruptions to the chokepoints result in about $10.7 billion in direct economic loss annually, equivalent to0.04% of global trade. Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, and Panama are among the countries most affected because they heavily rely on those risky maritime chokepoints.

addition, the world loses an extra $34 billion per year in higher freight charges due to trade routes’ disruptions or the need for ships to reroute. The surge in rates not only affects countries directly related to the disrupted chokepoints but also pushes up the transportation cost, which affects global consumer prices.

Dr. Jasper Verschuur, lead author of the report, said: “Our global economy is dependent on a couple of maritime chokepoints. Once one of these narrow passages is disrupted, the consequences quickly ripple continents. Understanding these risks is essential for enhancing the resilience of global supply chains.”

The study found that many threats, whether anthropogenic (like armed conflict and piracy or natural, are interlinked. Armed conflicts and terrorism often occur simultaneously in certain chokepoints, such as the Strait of Mandeb, the Bosphorus, and the St of Lombok; about 40% of tropical cyclones affect more than one chokepoint simultaneously. In some cases, piracy in one region appears to increase the likelihood of an in other regions.

The report concludes that the risks stack onto each other, meaning that several chokepoints could be disrupted simultaneously, severely limiting the global capacity for ships to re and maintain trade flows.

Dr. Johannes Luma said: “The concurrence of hazards demonstrates that our maritime system is actually tightly connected. An event in one part of world can trigger or exacerbate risks in other parts. Analyzing these linkages helps us anticipate compound disruptions and better prepare for them.”

The findings highlight systemic vulnerabilities global trade networks. A disruption at a key chokepoint could trigger a chain reaction, from factories shutting down due to a lack of parts to global consumers feeling the pinch from price hikes

The researchers believe that reducing these risks requires分层韧性策略, which are tailored to the types of chokepoints that countries or companies depend on. This could include stockpiling supplies, diversifying supply chains, increasing security spending, and developing insurance products tailored to rare but severe disruption scenarios