The EU shipbuilding and repair sector counted 150 major shipyards in 2023. 38 tugs/dredgers, 29 fishing vessels, 29 general cargo ships and 26 passenger ships were built in the EU in 2023. In 2023, 101 new shipbuilding orders were placed, an increase of 9% compared to 2022. The estimated revenue from the naval defence sector in 2023 totalled an estimated 37.9 billion euro, which means a 17.7% increase compared to 2022. Moreover, this revenue constitutes an estimated 24% of the total European defence revenue in 2023.
Between the years 2000 and 2018, 90 deals were made in the EU blue biotechnology sector and between the years 2018 and 2023, 114 deals were made. These 114 deals constituted a total value of 405 million euro and the average deal size per transaction was 5.1 million euros.
In the maritime transport sector, in 2022 the gross weight of goods handled in EU ports amounted to 3.5 billion tonnes. In 2023, it amounted to 3.4 billion tonnes. Of these goods handled, 37.9% or 1.26 billion tonnes consisted of liquid bulk, 22.7% or 757 million tonnes consisted of large containers and 21.6% or 720 millon tonnes consisted of dry bulk goods. The number of passengers embarking and disembarking in all EU ports amounted to 386 million, which implied an increase of 6.8% compared to 2022. In 2023, 0.77% of ships ran on alternative fuels.
