Download PortReport 7-East Coast of South America: Between Aspirations and Realities
The PortReport 7 – authored by Alejandra Gómez-Paz and PortEconomics member, Ricardo J. Sánchez, explores the evolving landscape of maritime connectivity in the East Coast of South America (ECSA), the interplay of trade demands, infrastructure development, governance, and global sustainability goals, assessing how these factors shape liner service networks.
The report differentiates between accessibility—the ability to connect physically via port services—and connectivity, which reflects the quality of those connections through frequency, reliability, and cost efficiency. By complementing the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) with a more detailed analysis of regional service structures, the report provides insights into market behaviours, governance, and emerging trends in the sector.
Main Findings:
- The region’s maritime connectivity is balanced with demand, with Brazilian ports dominating trade volumes, but smaller markets like Montevideo and Buenos Aires face accessibility challenges due to transhipment dependencies.
- The growing presence of Asian carriers has reshaped competition and connectivity, expanding service alternatives and increasing network flexibility.
- Advancing digitization and sustainability strategies will be key to securing long-term competitiveness and resilience in the region’s maritime trade.
- Current situation seems to point towards feeder services becoming a growing player in a large part of regular container transport services, in the short to medium term.
PortReport is a PortEconomics series designed to disseminate studies on port economics, policy, and management to a wider readership. The reports contain original, unpublished research and are freely available on the PortEconomics website under "PortReport."
