Cyprus remains among the EU economies most dependent on sea transport, with 98.6 per cent of imports and 97.2 per cent of exports by weight moving by sea in 2024, as shipping continues to dominate European trade.

The island’s reliance on maritime transport is also evident across freight activity more broadly. In 2024, 96.3 per cent of freight transport in Cyprus was maritime, measured in tonne-kilometres, the third-highest share in the EU after Portugal and Greece.

Meanwhile, fresh Eurostat data show that maritime transport remained the main mode for the EU’s international trade in goods in 2025.

The bloc imported 1.1 billion tonnes of goods from non-EU countries by sea, valued at €1,270 billion, while exports transported by sea totalled 0.5 billion tonnes, worth €1,069 billion.

By weight, maritime transport accounted for 73.3 per cent of all EU imports and 72.6 per cent of exports.

Its share was lower in value terms, at 50.2 per cent of imports and 40.4 per cent of exports, reflecting the higher value of goods moved by air and road.

Air transport, for example, carried just 0.3 per cent of imports and 2.9 per cent of exports by weight, yet accounted for 20.7 per cent of import value and 29.1 per cent of export value.

Similarly, road transport represented 6 per cent of imports and 17.4 per cent of exports by weight, compared with 19.5 per cent and 24.9 per cent respectively by value.

Rail played a smaller role, accounting for 2.6 per cent of imports and 2.9 per cent of exports by volume, while representing 1.2 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively by value.

Cyprus’ dependence on maritime transport reflects both its island geography and the scale of its shipping sector.

According to the Shipping Deputy Ministry, the Cyprus fleet is the 11th largest in the world and third largest in Europe, while the island is also Europe’s largest third-party shipmanagement centre.

The Eurostat figures were released to mark World Maritime Day on September 24, which this year is being held under the theme ‘From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence’.