Italy’s southern ports and the next phase of the blue economy

September 18, 2026

Italy’s maritime economy is becoming increasingly concentrated in the South. In 2025, maritime import-export fell by 2.3%, but port traffic increased, driven in particular by container transshipment. Traffic through southern ports rose 10.4% compared with 2024, against 4.5% in Central Italy and 1.9% in the North. Almost half of the goods moving through Italian ports, 48.9%, now passes through the South, with Gioia Tauro playing a central role.

The figures underline the importance of the Mezzogiorno in Italy’s position within the Mediterranean. But higher traffic volumes do not necessarily translate into greater economic value for the territories in which ports operate.

According to data cited at the 2026 Risorsa Mare forum, Italy’s blue economy generated €78.9 billion in value added in 2024, more than 22% above 2022. The underwater economy generated a further €3.9 billion in directly attributable turnover and more than €932 million in value added.

The challenge now is to connect this growth more closely to the wider industrial economy.

Ports are exposed to the same pressures affecting the rest of the maritime sector: geopolitical disruption, higher freight costs and the growing cost of decarbonisation. The instability around Suez and Hormuz has altered shipping routes and costs, while the European maritime ETS is adding a further cost to carbon-intensive operations.

For southern Italy, decarbonisation can therefore be considered not only as a regulatory requirement but also as an industrial opportunity. Port infrastructure can be connected to renewable energy, logistics, manufacturing, food processing, cold chains and other activities located in the surrounding territory.

This is particularly relevant for a region where maritime infrastructure and agricultural production coexist with significant renewable-energy potential. The question is not simply how much cargo can pass through southern ports, but how much additional value can be generated around those flows.

Gioia Tauro illustrates the issue. Its position makes it an important Mediterranean transshipment hub. The longer-term opportunity lies in developing the economic activity associated with that position, from logistics and processing to energy, technology and specialised services.

The same principle applies to the emerging underwater economy. Subsea infrastructure is creating demand for engineering, monitoring, robotics, materials and environmental services. These are areas where maritime investment can generate capabilities extending well beyond the port itself.

The blue economy is therefore becoming increasingly difficult to separate from the green transition and from regional industrial policy. For the Mezzogiorno, the opportunity is to move from being a major transit geography to capturing a greater share of the economic activity generated by that position.

The next phase of Italy’s maritime economy may depend less on increasing the volume of goods passing through its ports than on what happens before and after those goods arrive.

CPM