Maritime Connectivity, maritime traffic of containers and international competitiveness

Abstract

Nowadays containerization in shipping is the most representative possibility for the maritime traffic of goods. But the container is not transported by itself; it needs the means of transport adapted to move it around the world. In 2004, the UNCTAD, observing this trend, created the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (index LSCI) which reflects maritime access and connectivity of a country with regard to the transport of containers of goods. In this work, we analyze how LSCI affects to the international competitiveness in regional exports of goods. In particular, we will study the determinants of the exports of the 19 Spanish regions (Autonomous Communities) to 45 countries of destination. The theoretical model that will be used in this thesis is the gravity model of trade, which will be extended with the index LSCI for exporting regions and importing countries.