The World’s Busiest Trade Routes

7236

Trade Routes

TRADE ROUTES

Trade between an origin group of countries and a destination group of countries is referred to as a trade route.

Top Trade Routes (TEU shipped) 2013

Route

West Bound

East Bound 

North Bound

South Bound

Total

Asia-North America

7,739,000

15,386,000

 

 

23,125,000

Asia-North Europe

9,187,000

4,519,000

 

 

13,706,000

Asia-Mediterranean

4,678,000

2,061,000

 

 

6,739,000

Asia-Middle East

3,700,000

1,314,000

 

 

5,014,000

North Europe-North America

2,636,000

2,074,000

 

 

4,710,000

Australia-Far East *

 

 

1,072,016

1,851,263

2,923,279

Asia-East Coast South America

 

 

621,000

1,510,000

2,131,000

North Europe/Mediterranean-East Coast South America

 

 

795,000

885,000

1,680,000

North America-East Coast South America

 

 

656,000

650,000

1,306,000

* : 2012 data

Serving the Trade Routes

There are almost 500 liner shipping services providing regularly scheduled service (usually weekly) that enable goods to move between ports along the many trade routes of the world.

ROUTE

SERVICES

Far East- North America

73

North Europe- Far East

28

Far East- Mediterranean

31

North Europe- North America

23

Mediterranean- North America

21

Europe- Mid- East/ South Asia

40

North America-Mid-East/South Asia

10

Far East- Mid- East/South Asia

72

Australasia

34

East Coast South America

26

West Coast South America

48

South Africa

24

West Africa

60

Total

490

Notes: Services may be counted on more than one route.

Source: World Shipping Council