Maritime passenger transport in the Ligurian-Tyrrhenian basin of Italy: some considerations regarding their centrality

The problem of passenger transport in a geographic area, such as Italy, characterized by numerous port basins, must be adequately addressed to enable sea travel, accessibility to smaller islands also considering an increase in traffic. The key aspects for the development of maritime passenger traffic are the centrality of ports, as well as adequate infrastructure connections and maritime services. In order to enhance passenger flows to/from ports, it is therefore necessary to assess the relevance of ports to a basin of reference. A preliminary quantitative assessment of the maritime interconnections of ports at the transport network level highlights the presence of possible gaps. This paper aims to estimate the maritime centrality of ports with a methodology that considers the following three indicators: degree centrality (which considers the number of active sea-side) and two indicators of strength centrality (referring to frequencies and distances). The evaluation is made considering the network of passenger services and the number of services on a weekly basis. The methodology was applied to Italian and French ports located in the northern and southern Ligurian-Tyrrhenian basin, using data and information provided by port authorities and shipping companies. This work can lay the foundation for a more in-depth analysis of the strategies that port authorities and companies operating maritime-port services should adopt to increase passenger volumes in the coming years.