Top global ports may be unusable by 2050

Some of the world’s largest ports may be unusable by 2050 as rising sea levels hit operations, and efforts to speed up decarbonisation of the maritime sector and bring in new technology are vital, a study showed.
Weather-related disruptions are already impacting ports across the globe.
These include a drought which is hampering operations in the Panama Canal, a top waterway.
The Global Maritime Trends 2050 report, commissioned by leading shipping services group Lloyd’s Register and the independent charity arm Lloyd’s Register Foundation, looked at future scenarios.
“Of the world’s 3,800 ports, a third are located in a tropical band vulnerable to the most powerful effects of climate change,” “The ports of Shanghai, Houston and Lazaro Cardenas (in Mexico), some of the world’s largest, could potentially be inoperable by 2050 with a rise in sea levels of only 40 cm.”
Other key ports including Rotterdam are already under pressure, the report said.