On Thursday, April 9, the Japan-Spain Business Circle (CEJE) held a new session of its series of meetings with leading personalities, this time focusing on the impact of geopolitics on international trade and global logistics chains.
The meeting, held at the Círculo Ecuestre de Barcelona, was attended by Guillermo Belcastro, CEO of Hutchison Ports BEST, one of the leading port operators in the Mediterranean and a benchmark in logistics and maritime transport.
Under the title “When Geopolitics Hit the Ports”, Belcastro offered an overview of the transformations that international trade is undergoing. In this regard, he recalled that 90% of world trade is carried out by sea and stressed the key role played by ports in an environment marked by volatility, trade tensions and changes in logistics routes.
During his speech, he explained how recent events, such as the closure of the Suez Canal, have altered the sector’s operations, generating congestion and tensions in multiple logistics hubs. He also highlighted how geopolitics is having a direct impact on business activity.
In this context, he identified some of the main trends that will mark the future of the sector: increasing competition between global logistics corridors, greater interrelation between companies and governments, and an evolution towards a less efficient and more resilience-oriented model of globalization. He also addressed the current operational challenges, such as port congestion and the increase in maritime traffic, which are straining the capacity of the main logistics enclaves, including the Mediterranean.
Hutchison Ports BEST, the semi-automated terminal of the Hutchison Ports Group in the Port of Barcelona, has established itself as one of the most technologically advanced port projects in Spain and a strategic node for freight traffic between Asia and Europe. The meeting concluded with a colloquium in which CEJE members were able to exchange views on the evolution of global trade and the challenges facing the logistics sector.
