HCSS
  • News
    • BNR | De Strateeg
    • Columns
    • Draghi Report Series
    • Events
    • Podcasts
  • Publications
    • Publications
      • All Publications
    • Defence & Security
      • Behavioural Influencing in the Military Domain
      • (Nuclear) Deterrence and Arms Control
      • Hybrid Threats
      • Rethinking Fire and Manoeuvre
      • Robotic and Autonomous Systems
      • Strategic Monitor Dutch Police
      • Transnational Organised Crime
    • Geopolitics & Geo-economics
      • China in a Changing World Order
      • Europe in a Changing World Order
      • Europe in the Indo-Pacific
      • Knowledge base on Russia (RuBase)
      • PROGRESS / Strategic Monitor
      • Transatlantic Relations
    • Climate, Energy, Materials & Food
      • Climate and Security
        • International Military Council on Climate and Security (IMCCS)
        • Water, Peace & Security (WPS)
      • Critical Minerals
      • Energy Security
        • Tank Storage in Transition
      • Food Security
    • Strategic Technologies
      • Cyber Policy & Resilience
        • Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC)
      • Emerging Technologies
      • Global Commission on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain (GC REAIM)
      • Semiconductors
      • Space
  • Dashboards
    • Dashboards
      • All Dashboards
        • GINA
    • Defence & Security
      • DAMON | Disturbances and Aggression Monitor
      • GINA | Military
      • Nuclear Timeline
    • Geopolitics & Geo-economics
      • Dutch Foreign Relations Index
      • GINA | Diplomatic
      • GINA | Economic
      • GINA | Information
    • Climate, Energy, Materials & Food
      • Agrifood Monitor
      • CRM Dashboard
    • Strategic Technologies
      • Cyber Arms Watch
      • Cyber Comparator
      • Cyber Norms Observatory
      • Cyber Transparency
  • Services
    • HCSS Boardroom
    • HCSS Datalab
    • HCSS Socio-Political Instability Survey
    • Strategic Capability Gaming
    • Studio HCSS
    • Indo-Dutch Cyber Security School 2024
    • Southern Africa-Netherlands Cyber Security School 2025
  • NATO Summit
  • GC REAIM
    • GC REAIM | Members
    • GC REAIM | Conferences
    • GC REAIM | Partners, Sponsors, Supporters
  • About HCSS
    • Contact Us
    • Our People
    • Funding & Transparency
    • Partners & Clients
    • HCSS Newsletter
    • HCSS Internship Programme
    • Press & Media Inquiries
    • Working at HCSS
    • Global Futures Foundation
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu

News

New report on Supply Security and Maritime Security in an Era of Intense Geopolitical Competition

November 1, 2023

Hyperglobalization and the subsequent lowering of trade barriers in the past 30 years have led to increasing interconnectedness of supply chains. Maritime transport became even more crucial for such intertwined global value chains and today the supply of crucial resources depends heavily on international shipping, particularly through several chokepoints stretching from the Western Pacific to the Suez Canal. These narrow waterways are vital to the transport of crucial resources such as energy, critical raw materials, and semiconductors. At the same time, they can be easily subject to disruptions that could entail significant shipping delays and shortages, such as blockades, wars, natural disasters and piracy.

Policymakers and business leaders should pay attention to the multiple ways in which access to key economic inputs can be disrupted, whether through control over supplies or threats to transport, specifically maritime transport routes. Even in optimistic high access scenarios where there is increased supply and more suppliers, much of the world’s trade will still take place over a limited set of maritime transport routes and through very few maritime chokepoints. European and Asian powers, as each other’s key trade partners, should therefore invest in diversification of supply and suppliers, and cooperate on maritime security provision.

This new HCSS report assesses the supply of key economic resources along global supply chains from the Indo-Pacific, the stability of access to them in the future, as well as potential vulnerabilities. While acknowledging that the analysis is not exhaustive, this report focuses on a cross-section of key economic inputs including high-end technologies, raw materials, and energy, specifically: (I) oil and liquified natural gas; (II) cobalt and silicon; and (III) semiconductors. All of these resources are set to remain essential in the upcoming decades and even increase in demand. Several of them are currently highly dominated by a limited number of suppliers.

Report Link

Authors: Paul van Hooft, Benedetta Girardi, Mattia Bertolini*, Joris Teer and Giovanni Cisco, with contributions by Alisa Hoenig and Tom Draaijer.

(*Mattia Bertolini worked as a research fellow at HCSS until the end of April 2023)

The research for and production of this report was made possible by a financial contribution from the Taipei Representative Office in the Netherlands to the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies. The conclusions and recommendations presented in this report are the result of independent research. Responsibility for the content rests with the authors and the authors alone.

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail

Experts

Paul van Hooft
Benedetta Girardi
Joris Teer

Related News

Related Content

Rewatch | Webinar: Evolving Frontiers in Maritime Governance
De Strateeg: Hoe de EU-balanceeract tussen China en de Verenigde Staten steeds lastiger wordt in de Indo-Pacific
Re-Watch Seminar | Economic and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific: Connection between Europe and East Asia

Office Address

  • The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
  • Lange Voorhout 1
  • 2514 EA The Hague
  • The Netherlands

Contact Us

  • Telephone: +31(70) 318 48 40
  • E-mail: info@hcss.nl
  • IBAN NL10INGB0666328730
  • BIC INGBNL2A
  • VAT NL.8101.32.436.B01
  • Contact

Legal & Privacy

  • Disclaimer & Privacy
  • Algemene Voorwaarden (NL) 
  • Terms & Conditions (ENG) 
  • Coordinated Vulnerability Disclosure
  • Ethical Standards
  • Manual for Responsible Use of AI

Follow us

© The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
    Link to: New report | Balancing Act: Ethical and Legal Dilemmas of Behavioural Influencing in Military Operations Link to: New report | Balancing Act: Ethical and Legal Dilemmas of Behavioural Influencing in Military Operations New report | Balancing Act: Ethical and Legal Dilemmas of Behavioural Influencing... Link to: Job alert: HCSS is hiring a Communications and Events Assistant Link to: Job alert: HCSS is hiring a Communications and Events Assistant Job alert: HCSS is hiring a Communications and Events Assistant
    Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top

    GDPR Consent

    Your privacy is important to us. Here you can set which consent you are allowing us with regards to the collection of general information, the placing of cookies of the collection of personal information. You can click 'Forget my settings' at the bottom of this form to revoke all given consents.

    Privacy policy | Close
    Settings

    GDPR Consent Settings

    Your privacy is important to us. Here you can set which consent you are allowing us with regards to the collection of general information, the placing of cookies of the collection of personal information. You can click 'Forget my settings' at the bottom of this form to revoke all given consents.

    Website statistics collect anonymized information about how the site is used. This information is used to optimize the website and to ensure an optimal user experience.

    View details

    Functional cookies are used to ensure the website works properly and are neccessary to make the site function. These cookies do not collect any personal data.  

    View details
    Forget my settings Deleted!