How much cargo goes by short sea shipping in the EU?

More than 1.6 billion tonnes in 2024, up 3.1% on 2023 — 58.3% of all sea freight to and from main EU ports, on Eurostat's figures.

What are motorways of the sea?

The EU's short sea corridors within its trans-European transport network. The 2024 TEN-T regulation renamed them the European Maritime Space.

Term

Short sea shipping

Short sea shipping is the carriage of goods by sea over relatively short distances, as opposed to intercontinental deep-sea shipping; it includes feeder services. EU ports handled more than 1.6 billion tonnes of it in 2024, up 3.1%, Eurostat reports — 58.3% of all their sea freight.

Also called SSS, short-sea shipping, European Maritime Space, motorways of the sea, Marine HighwayApplies in EU, USUpdated 14 October 2026

What it carries

Cargo	Million tonnes	Share
Liquid bulk	640	38.9%
Dry bulk	335	20.3%
Containers	294	17.9%
Ro-ro units	275	16.7%

Eurostat, short sea shipping of goods to and from main EU ports, 2024

In EU statistics, short sea shipping covers goods moved between main EU ports and ports in geographical Europe or in non-European countries on the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The Mediterranean is the largest sea region, at 647 million tonnes in 2024, 35.7% of the total. Italy leads for containers and ro-ro units, the Netherlands for dry bulk.

Policy, in Europe and the US

The Commission's goal is to increase transport by inland waterways and short sea shipping by 25% by 2030, and by 50% by 2050. The EU's 2024 TEN-T regulation renamed motorways of the sea the European Maritime Space. The US Marine Highway is defined around the carriage of cargo by documented vessels between US ports, or to and from Canada and Mexico; MARAD says it does not directly operate marine highway services.

Worked example: reading the shares

1.6 billion t short sea = 58.3% of EU main-port sea freight → about 2.7 billion t in all · ro-ro 275 Mt + containers 294 Mt = 569 Mt of unitised short sea cargo, about 35% · the rest, about 61%, is liquid and dry bulk

Eurostat figures for 2024; the total and shares are arithmetic, rounded.

The mistake people make

Assuming short sea means domestic or intra-EU. Eurostat's definition reaches non-EU ports in Europe and around the Mediterranean and Black Seas, and includes feeder legs of deep-sea routes — while the US Marine Highway is drawn around US ports, Canada and Mexico. Compare like with like before quoting a share.

FAQ