Table of Contents
World Ports Around the Oceans
The History and Future of Seaports, Energy Transition, and Globalization
The Lifeblood of Global Trade
Shipping, ports, and trade are essential to humanity. Oceans, seas, and rivers cover more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface. Since ancient times, people have carried their goods across the water—first in rafts, canoes, and sailboats, and now aboard container ships, bulk carriers, and tankers.
Today, ninety percent of world trade moves from port to port by ship. Ports are the hubs of our global society. Yet ports and world trade are easily disrupted:
- A shipping accident in the Suez Canal
- The COVID-19 pandemic
- Wars and geopolitical tensions
- Climate change
What really happens in the world's ports? How did they originate and develop? How did China's ports expand so dramatically? Can ports keep growing indefinitely? How are they responding to climate change and the energy transition? And what will the maritime world look like in the future?
The Journey Behind the Book
Over the past ten years, Aafke Steenhuis and Jan Joost Teunissen traveled to the world's most strategic and colorful ports to answer these questions. They spoke with port experts, economists, writers, and sociologists, uncovering the fascinating ecosystem of ports. A small preview is available on this website, in the form of descriptions, drawings, pictures and videos.