Source: Based on data available at ports’ websites and related RORO Market Reports. Note: Port calls do not account for ship size, which could vary.
The number of port calls by RORO car carriers shows a high concentration, which is a function of car manufacturing and market demand. Two significant clusters of RORO activity can be identified:
- Northeast Asia (Japan, South Korea, China). Major car producers and exporters, in which the role of China as an exporter of electric vehicles is becoming increasingly salient. RORO activity is dominantly the outcome of export-oriented car manufacturing.
- Northern Europe (UK, Belgium, Netherlands). Although car production is limited in Belgium and the Netherlands, they are major exporters of German cars. In particular, Zeebrugge represents the world’s largest RORO port. The UK has significant activity because of both production (exports) and consumption (imports).
The total number of port calls at European ports in a month is approximately 400, with major ports including Antwerp, Bremerhaven, Southampton, Livorno, and Barcelona.
North America (United States) shows a more marginal activity level than the major RORO markets, which is attributed to significant domestic production and trade of parts and vehicles with Canada and Mexico, which is mainly land-based. Further, RORO traffic is more dispersed among ports due to the extensive size of the market and the convenience of distributing vehicles from nearby RORO ports. The US ports receiving significant numbers of calls include Baltimore, Brunswick, Jacksonville, Newark, and Tacoma.
In the Middle East, ports with significant numbers of RoRo car carrier calls include Jebel Ali, Ad Dammam, Mina Khalifa at Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, and Sohar. The region offers various berthing durations for each deep-sea vessel call.