and time to access international markets. Spread across different regions, SIDS, grouped here as the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, the West African and the Pacific regions, lie outside the major East–West maritime trade routes. These routes connect the three economic regions of Asia (Far East, Western Asia and South Asia), Europe (Northern Europe and the Mediterranean) and North America (figures 6.1 and 6.2). Many SIDS, which are highly dependent on containerized imports, are nevertheless in no position to share in the gains that may be generated along a maritime belt or a corridor carrying around 85 per cent of global containerized trade flows exclusively through the northern hemisphere, and which excludes countries located in the southern hemisphere.