The Bank of Italy conducts a sample survey on Italy's international merchandise transport since 1998. The survey, which contributes to the compilation of the "services" item of the balance of payments, collects data on freight rates broken down by mode of transport and type of load; moreover, carriers’ market shares by nationality of residence are estimated. The new annual report, referring to 2021, is available in the Statistics series.
The results of the survey, based on interviews with 180 major transport operators, show for 2021 exceptionally large increases in container ship freight rates for 2021, particularly on routes from China and other Asian countries and on routes to North America. Significant increases were recorded in other maritime transports, as solid bulk (ore and grain transport) and general cargo, while oil freight costs fell. Air freight rates remained at the all-time high reached the previous year. In land transport, the increase in average costs mainly affected the road sector, in connection with rising fuel prices. The deficit in Italy's merchant transport balance increased sharply in 2021, reaching an all-time peak.
