In the second quarter of 2026, it was again in growth in Italy's connection index to the network of lines maritime container transport defined by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) which, to identify it, established the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI), an index that has as a reference the average value of 100 of global port connectivity relating to the first quarter of 2023. The index is generated by six components: the number of weekly scheduled ship calls in the country; The Annual hold capacity (measured in 20' containers - TEU) offered to the nation; the number of maritime transport services of regular line to and from the nation; the number of companies liner shipping that provide services to and from the nation; The capacity (in TEUs) of the largest ship used in the services to and from the nation; the number of other countries connected to the country via direct liner shipping services (i.e. services carried out without recourse to the transhipment of loads).

Italy's LSCI index for the second quarter of 2026 is 290.0, equal to an increase of +2.3% compared to the same period of last year. Among other major maritime nations of the European Union and neighbouring countries, the LSCI index of Spain relative to the in the second quarter of this year it was 416.6 (-2.0%), that of the United Kingdom of 387.6 (-1.3%), the index of the Netherlands of 380.8 (-1.0%), the index of Belgium of 342.1 (-1.4%), that of Germany by 325.5 (+1.2%), the LSCI index of Turkey by 305.8 (-3.2%), that of Egypt by 284.3 (+5.8%), the of France of 269.6 (+1.8%), the index of Morocco of 265.5 (+2.7%), Greece's index of 173.0 (-5.4%) and Malta's index of 117,9 (+12,0%).

It is difficult to deduce from the LSCI indices what is impact on EU maritime nations so far the gradual implementation of the European ETS emission allowances to maritime transport with the entry into force of the 1 January 2024 of European Directive 959/2023 and what are the Rather, the effects of recent geopolitical crises on the Connections of European nations to the global network of services containerized seafarers. Certainly the geopolitical crises, and in particular wars, seem to have a more evident on these connections for the nations directly involved and for those closest to the epicenters of military actions. This is particularly evident for the nations in the area Middle East, whose links with the global transport network seafarers have been put under pressure by the crisis in the region of the Red Sea, where at the end of 2023 the Houthi rebels, in response to the to Israel's military actions in Gaza after the massacre of 7 October 2023 on Israeli territory by Hamas militiamen, began to conduct attacks against ships in transit that have caused a drastic reduction in ship traffic through the Suez Canal, which is still about half the size of the of pre-crisis levels. To this crisis have been added several others from further military actions by Israel against Lebanon and Iran, with the indirect involvement of other nations including Syria, which saw the fall of the Assad, and with the intervention of the US armed forces in support for the Israeli ones. Events that have been characterized by a series of ceasefires and resumption of hostilities which led to a preliminary agreement to end the actions signed by the United States and Iran on June 17, which, among other countries, has led to a limited recovery in maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz which had become blocked due to the actions in the area of the naval and air forces of the United States and Iran.

Among the nations of the Middle East region involved in the recent crises, in the first half of this year recorded a strong increase in their LSCI index, some of the Near East, in first and foremost Israel (index 122.7; +31.8%), Lebanon (93.4; +16.1%) and Syria (48.7; +84.7%), while they suffered significant declines of the index several nations overlooking the Persian Gulf, on the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea, starting from Iran (LSCI 51.5; -12.6%), Kuwait (28.0, -22.0%), Bahrain (25.0; -55.4%), Qatar (34.4; -66.6%), Saudi Arabia (207.9; -15.1%), United Arab Emirates (190.0; -41.7%), Oman (126.5; -11.6%) and Yemen (37.1; -3.4%).