Fears of a decoupling between the United States and China – the two largest economies in the world, today highly significant partners for each other – and the heavy dependence on the Suez Canal and the Hormuz and Bab-el Mandeb straits are encouraging the development of alternative transit routes for trade between Asia and Europe. One of these is the Imec maritime-rail corridor, which starts from India, reaches the Arabian Peninsula, and finally connects to the Mediterranean Sea.
WHO PARTICIPATES IN IMEC
The project was launched in 2023 and involves India, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Italy, France, Germany, the United States, and the European Union. Also known as the “Cotton Road” – a reference to the Chinese “Silk Road,” which it aims to offer as an alternative to – according to the estimates of the Srm study center, Imec could capture traffic between Europe, India, and Southeast Asian countries worth 170-200 billion euros per year.
THE COUNTRIES INVOLVED AND THE ROLE OF ISRAEL
As economist Paolo Costa – former Minister of Public Works and Transport and former chairman of the Transport Committee of the European Parliament – recalled in Il Piccolo, Imec relies on the collaboration of Israel, whose port of Haifa would constitute “the natural Mediterranean terminal.” The corridor begins at Indian ports, from where goods would be transported to the United Arab Emirates and then continue overland to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, up to – precisely – the Israeli port of Haifa; from Haifa, finally, the shipments will be sent to other ports on the Mediterranean Sea.
“Although it did not sign the original memorandum of understanding,” Costa recalls, “Israel entered the operational orbit of Imec on September 8, 2025, with the signing of a bilateral treaty with India in New Delhi.”
AN AMBITIOUS BUT STALLED PROJECT
Imec is an extremely ambitious project but suffers from political tensions in the Middle East: progress has slowed considerably due to the Israeli-Palestinian war, and a financial roadmap has not yet been developed.
THE ALTERNATIVES: DEVELOPMENT ROAD AND BLUE CORRIDOR
In recent years, alternatives to Imec have emerged, always aimed at “bypassing” the Suez Canal, such as the Development Road between Iraq and Turkey (specifically between the ports of Grand Faw and Mersin) and Saudi Arabia’s Blue Corridor (between the port of Dammam on the Persian Gulf and the port of Jeddah on the Red Sea).
Among these, the most advanced project is the Development Road, as the first logistical tests were launched in 2025. The Saudi Blue Corridor is also interesting because it would have the advantage of bypassing the Bab-el Mandeb strait, which is particularly unstable but crucial for maritime trade. On the other hand, both the Saudi port of Dammam and the Iraqi port of Grand Faw are exposed to the Strait of Hormuz.
“In the current situation,” explains Costa, “the only fully navigable routes are those starting from the Gulf of Oman: Imec from Fujairah — when political conditions allow — and the Saudi corridor in the variant connecting Omani ports with Jeddah. From there, having avoided Bab el Mandeb, the Mediterranean is reached via Suez.”
OPPORTUNITIES FOR ITALIAN PORTS
The development of these new transit routes would prove positive for Italy, particularly for ports in the Upper Adriatic and especially for Trieste, close to the manufacturing hub of Central Europe.
“Whether goods come from Imec, Development Road, or Blue Corridor,” writes Costa, “the Upper Adriatic ports remain those that minimize transport costs to the heart of Europe’s manufacturing.”
