Maritime logistics needle tube: The critical bottlenecks of the global economy-Image: Xpert.digital
Maritime conifers threaten global supply chains: Which sea routes are critical of world trade
Over 90 percent of the world trade on the sea route: these maritime bottlenecks endanger the global economy
The global economy depends more than ever on maritime trade routes, with over 90 percent of the world trade being handled by the sea. In addition to the well -known bottlenecks of Hormus and Suez, there are other critical maritime conifers whose blockade or disorder could be sensitive to global economy.
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The five most important global chokepoints
A chokepoint (German: bottleneck, literally "strangling point") is a geographical, logistical or economic bottleneck through which traffic (e.g. goods, data or humans) is strongly channeled. It is easy to control or block.
Current analyzes show that more than 50 percent of the global Seehandel are at risk from four central maritime bottlenecks. These strategic waterways concentrate massive trading volume on a few, vulnerable passages:
Hormus street - the most critical energy bottleneck in the world
The street of Hormus between Iran and Oman is considered the most important maritime chokepoint for global energy supply. This only 55 kilometers wide - at its closest point between the islands even only 38 kilometers - controlls a disproportionate proportion of the global energy trade.
Around 20 million barrels of the Hormus road pass every day, which corresponds to 20-21 percent of global oil consumption. In addition, 20 percent of the global liquid gas trading (LNG) is transported by this sea, mainly from Qatar. Practical shipping takes place over only two three kilometers of bicycles, which run through Iranian and Omani territory.
For the neighboring countries of the Persian Golf-Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Iran-the Hormus street is the only maritime route for the export of its energy sources. This region has more than half of the well-known World Heritage residents and 56 percent of the global oil reserves.
The strategic importance of the sea makes it a preferred pressure medium in regional conflicts. Iran has repeatedly threatened with a blockade, especially in the context of the current escalation in the Middle East. After the US Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, the Iranian parliament approved a possible blocking, with the final decision lying to the Supreme National Security Council.
Already the mere threat of a blockade leads to considerable market reactions: the Brent Raw oil price rose from $ 77 per barrel within a few days-an increase of around 10 percent.
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Suez Canal - key route between Europe and Asia
Global trade axis: The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean with the Red Sea over a length of around 193 kilometers and enables the shortest lake connection between Europe and Asia. About 12 percent of global sea dealers are handled over the channel, which corresponds to around 30 percent of global container traffic. In 2019, more than a billion tons of freight passed the channel, in 2020 an average of 50 ships a day with a goods value of three to nine billion US dollars.
Central energy axis: The Suez Canal also plays a crucial role for the global energy market. From January to October 2023, an average of 7.5 million barrels of crude oil were transported through the channel per day, which corresponds to 10 percent of the global seabasoned oil trade. In addition, 36 billion cubic meters of LNG, i.e. about 8 percent of the global liquefied gas trade, flowed through this connection.
Vulnerability and geopolitical risks: The strategic importance makes the Suez Canal susceptible to regional conflicts. After the attacks of the Huthi rebels in the Red Sea, the daily passage initially dropped to 36–37 ships compared to previous 72–75 ships a day. The UN Conference for Trade and Development (Unctad) recorded a decline in the freight volume by 42 percent in the months after the start of the attacks. In addition, the income of the Suez Canal Authority in 2024 broke up by 60.7 percent to $ four billion, while the number of passing ships dropped to 13,200.
The dependence of Europe on the Suez Canal is also evident in German trade flows: around 9 percent of all German images and exports run through this route, and 98 percent of container traffic between Germany and China use the channel. Any disorder would lead to significant delivery bottlenecks, longer transport times and increasing logistics costs in energy and export-intensive industries.
A bypass of Africa about the Cape of Good Hope increases the distance by about 3,500 nautical miles and extends the travel time by 10–12 days, which leads to significantly higher fuel and operating costs. Pipelines such as the sumed pipeline offer a maximum capacity of only 1.5 million barrels per day and cannot replace the throughput of the channel. Thus, the Suez Canal remains as an indispensable bottleneck for global trade and energy supply.
Road of Malakka - the Asian Nadelöhr
The street of Malakka between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia is one of the most critical trade routes worldwide. 20 to 25 percent of the total volume of world trade is transported by this only 38 kilometers wide. Daily 200 to 250 ships pass this route that connects Europe with Southeast Asia.
A blockade for China would be particularly dramatic: two thirds of Chinese trade and 80 percent of Chinese energy imports cross the Malakka road annually. This leads to the so-called “Malakka dilemma”-China's strategic vulnerability compared to a possible blockade by the United States in a conflict.
About 10 percent of German exports and 20 percent of German imports are transported via this sea, mainly in trade with China. A disorder would directly affect German supply chains.
Taiwan-Straße-heart of the East Asian trade
With a width of 130 kilometers, Taiwan-Straße is the main artery for sea transport between China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. About half of all container ships in international transport use this strategic match.
For Taiwan, 98 percent of all overall imports are dependent on the sea route. China, one of the largest export countries worldwide, is also critical of this passage for its massive deliveries of goods to Germany and Europe.
The geopolitical tensions around Taiwan make this route particularly vulnerable, since China Taiwan sees as part of his territory and raises corresponding demands on the control of the confines.
Panama Canal-climate change as a new threat
The Panama Canal combines Atlantic and Pacific and wraps 5 percent of the global container trade and 46 percent of the trade between the US East Coast and East Asia. Unlike geopolitical tensions, climate change threatens functionality here.
Extreme drought periods have already led to drastic restrictions: The daily passage number has normally reduced from 36-38 ships to only 31 ships per day. The waiting times rose to up to 20 days, and over 200 ships temporarily accumulated at both ends of the canal.
The sewer authority expects loss of $ 200 million for 2023 alone. Reeding companies now pay millions for preferred passage spaces-a gas shifting company paid $ 2.4 million for an earlier place in the queue.
More critical maritime bottlenecks
Turkish meetings (Bosphorus and Dardanellen)
The Turkish meetings connect the Black Sea with the Mediterranean and are considered the most dangerous chokepoint in the world. With a width of only 700 meters at the narrowest point and sharp curves with course changes of up to 80 degrees, they represent an extreme navigatory challenge.
130 ships pass this route every day, of which 20 percent tankers are. More than 3 percent of the global oil supply cross the Turkish confendants, which makes it a critical energy corridor.
Street of Dover - Europe's traffic junction
With over 400 commercial ships, the road from Dover is one of the most busiest shipping routes worldwide every day. It marks the border between the English Channel and the North Sea and separates Great Britain from the European mainland.
The entire maritime traffic between the Atlantic on the one hand and the north and Baltic Sea on the other hand leads through this only 32 kilometers wide. Alternative routes around the northern tip of Scotland are much longer and more dangerous.
Danish Severes - Gate to the Baltic Sea
The big Belt between the Danish Islands is the most important connection between the Kattegat and the Baltic Sea. About half of the shipping traffic between these waters uses this route. The maximum ship dimensions are limited to a depth of 15.4 meters (Baltimax class).
The ÖResund allows only 8 meters depth and is therefore not an alternative for larger ships. These restrictions make the Danish meetings a bottle neck for East trade.
North Ostsee Canal-Germany's Maritime Lifeline
The North Ostsee Canal is the most busy artificial naval road in the world with almost 30,000 ships annually. He saves the journey around the Kimbrian Peninsula and shortens routes by an average of 250 nautical miles.
Often these are feeder ships that combine the Baltic Sea ports with North Sea ports such as Hamburg and Bremerhaven as feeders. A blockade would be sensitive to German foreign trade and the care of the Baltic Sea rainers.
Nordpassage vs. Suez Canal: Why can 5600 kilometers of Arctic route be turned over to global trade
Arctic north passage
The northern sea route (NSR) along the Russian coast is becoming increasingly important due to climate change. At 5,600 kilometers, it is the shortest shipping route between Westernurasia and the Asia Pacific area.
Experts predict that 2 percent of global shipping and 5 percent could be redirected to the Arctic by 2050. This would create a new geopolitical dimension because the entire route is located in Russia's exclusive economic zone.
Beringstrasse - The Arctic Nadelöhr
The Bering road between Asia and America is a natural bottleneck for arctic routes with a width of 85 kilometers and only 30-50 meters deep. With increasing use of the Nordpassage, it becomes strategically more important for trade between Europe and Asia.
Susceptible global supply chains
The high concentration of world trade on a few maritime bottlenecks creates systemic risks. Already the six-day blockade of the Suez Canal through the “Ever Given” led to a standstill of goods worth $ 9.6 billion a day.
The Covid 19 pandemic strengthened this problem:
- Production failures and port closures
- Container shortage and historical freight rates of up to 20,000 USD for a 40-foot container
- Change disorders in crew and logistics chains
Strategies for resilient supply chains
To reduce the dependence on maritime chokepoints, experts recommend several approaches:
Diversification of routes and ports
Development of alternative transport routes and reducing the concentration to individual bottlenecks.
Nearshoring and localization
Relocation of production closer to the sales markets to reduce long transport routes.
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Digital technologies
Use of IoT, blockchain and AI for real-time tracking and predictive analytics for risk forecast.
Flexibility through scenario planning
Simulation of worst-case scenarios such as port closures and structure of buffers in warehousing.
Just-in-time deliveries under pressure: Maritime bottlenecks as Achilles' heel of globalization
The maritime infrastructure of the global economy shows a dangerous concentration on a few critical bottlenecks. In addition to the well -known chokepoints from Hormus and Suez, other strategic oceans threaten global trading safety. Climate change, geopolitical tensions and the high dependence on just-in-time deliveries increase this vulnerability.
A diversification of trade routes, investments in resilient supply chains and the development of alternative transport routes are essential to arm the global economy against disorders in these maritime needle tubes. The realization that over 50 percent of the global Seehandel are at risk through only four chokepoints underlines the urgency of strategic adjustments in global logistics.
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