A maritime range is a functional area that includes a series of ports jointly defined by their hinterland when inland markets are serviced and by their foreland when transshipment is taking place. In a maritime range, ports can be competing, complementary, and, when the range extends across several countries, share common regulations. A geographical commonality can involve proximity, adjacency, contiguity, or being part of an archipelago. Commercial services are established by maritime shipping companies to either link maritime ranges (deep-sea services) or to connect the range itself with regional, feeder, or cabotage services.
In the above figure, three maritime ranges are conceptualized (R1, R2, and R3). A maritime range thus represents a functional region that includes the coast (the maritime / land interface) as well as a hinterland and a maritime boundary. The hinterland boundary is the land area potentially serviced by the range, as services outside this boundary are possible but represent a marginal share of the hinterland activity. The maritime boundary could be the coastline, but using Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) to mark the maritime boundary is more relevant to the geopolitical and economic reality of maritime ranges since it includes an area of maritime jurisdiction recognized by an international treaty. The following map provides a representation of the world’s main maritime ranges.