This Report has now reached its ninth edition, and its analyses deal with phenomena related to the maritime economy produced by two recent disruptive events, namely the pandemic with the impact of the Omicron variant, and the Russia-Ukraine war that is bringing about profound changes in routes and ports of call for ships.

The studies contained in this volume also dwell on the issue of rising freight rates and growing commodity prices which are affecting all the main economic indicators at national and international level. In addition, our studies focus on the strategic aspect of long supply chains and on our dependence on the Middle and Far East, especially in terms of production. These issues have become urgent again at a moment when the major global ports are facing contagions and consequent congestion, with several ships obliged to wait a long time before docking.

An important part of this Report is dedicated to the new green vision for ports, shipping and logistics. Sustainability is now a strategic element along the whole supply chain and so will be in the future. Our study demonstrates that this needs to become a constant component of the strategies for our system, rather than a temporary trend, because it is inextricably linked to the mechanisms and implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The studies and analyses hereby contained have been carried out by SRM’s team of researchers, and the whole work is enriched by the collaboration with Universities, centres of research and other international networks such as the University of Antwerp, the Shanghai International Shipping Institute and Port XL from Rotterdam, who have worked on specific sections of this publication.