Cabotage has spread to 105 States around the world and today has heightened and growing geopolitical significance, says SRI.
This is just one of the findings in the second edition of Cabotage Laws of the World, published by SRI and co-authored by Deirdre Fitzpatrick CEO of SRI and Emeritus Professor Hilton Staniland. The authors found that cabotage has spread in several regions of the world, including West Africa, East Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, Central America, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; and that cabotage now exists along the coastlines of approximately 85% of the world and extends into more offshore zones.
Staniland observes:
“No single reason explains the spread of cabotage but it does appear that when States decide to introduce cabotage, they pay particular attention to the number of States that already have cabotage.” Staniland anticipates more cabotage changes: “There have been momentous changes since the first edition of Cabotage Laws of the World in 2018. These include Covid-19; geopolitical tensions disrupting shipping; changing trading tariffs; and the emergence of new cabotage trades, routes and activities. Cabotage changes are now occurring almost constantly, driven hard it appears by a collection of complex geopolitical issues.”
