European port authorities are ready to celebrate another edition of their annual conference and the PortEconomics team is ready to sit central stage, shaping the discusssions of stakeholders on port cooperation and synergies. 

PortEconomics co-director, and newly appointed MedCruise secretary general, Thanos Pallis will orchestrate discussions on marketing and promotion of port regions. Theo Notteboom, PortEconomics co-director, will be among the keynote speakers of the conference providing a thorough insight on the economic outlook for ports. Theo will also moderate a highlight debate of the first conference day between European port CEOs on the 'port development through regional cooperation'.

Michael Dooms, a member of the PortEconomics team will talk about the international strategies of port authorities, with PortEconomics associate member Larissa van der Lugt chairing the session on perpsectives on cooperative synergies.  

Patrick Verhoeven, PortEconomics associate member and ESPO secretary general, will take the floor the second day of the conference introducing the work that has been done on port performance indicators in Europe. Patrick will present a populated database of indicators that has been developed by ESPO and several PortEconomics members in a presentation being in essence the prelude of the next phase of port performance measurement in Europe.

The 2013 ESPO Conference entitled "Port Development through cooperation-Towards new Synergies" will take place in 30-31 May in Varna, Bulgaria. 

With 'cooperation' as overall theme, the conference will discuss ways in which port authorities, operators and stakeholders can foster development and improve performance by working together. Specific issues to be explored include integration of ports in infrastructure corridors, marketing and promotion of port regions as well as intercontinental strategies of port authorities. Continuing a long-standing tradition, the conference will also devote considerable attention to EU policy developments.

If all goes according to schedule, the ESPO 2013 Conference may well be the first industry platform to discuss the European Commission's new proposals on market access and transparency in ports that are expected to be published in the months to come. 

Prior to the conference, a special interest seminar will focus on regional port cooperation in the Black Sea. This will mark the occasion of ESPO's first event held in the 'youngest' region of the EU.

Find all the information about the conference @ The 2013 ESPO Conference website

Last week, ESPO launched its Port Performance Review, which addresses the socio-economic impact of ports, environmental impact, the intermodal connectivity of the EU port system and general market and governance trends in ports across Europe. Port authorities in Europe are kindly invited to contribute before 15 April.

The data collected will feed the second edition of the Port Performance Dashboard, which was initiated in 2012 as part of the European Commission co-funded PPRISM project.

The indicators to be monitored are the outcome of the work done by ESPO in collaboration with five academic partners, led by PortEconomics co-directors Thanos Pallis, Theo Notteboom and Peter de Langen, PortEconomiccs member Micheal Dooms, and Prof. Chris Wooldrige.

ESPO has been periodically running similar types of surveys since 1996 and that has allowed the tracking of progress and positive trends regarding the performance of the sector over time. The reporting on those positive trends gives credibility to the sector and provides evidence of the progress that can be achieved through the European port authorities' commitment to voluntary self-regulation.Individual port responses will be kept strictly confidential. Only aggregated data at European level will be analysed and reported.

The second edition of the Port Performance Dashboard will be presented at the ESPO Annual Conference in Varna on 30 and 31 May and will then be made available to all ports. The environmental component of this review, the ESPO Environmental Review 2013 is addressed separately through the EcoPorts website, the ESPO dedicated environmental website.

 READ MORE ABOUT THE EUROPEAN PORT SECTOR PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD

The development of dry ports in Brazil is the theme of a new port study by PortEconomics co-director Thanos Pallis, in collaboration with Adolf Ng, associate member of PortEconomics, and Flavio Padilha.

Dry ports are associated with enhanced efficiency. Relieving seaport congestion without (significant) capacity expansion, dry ports are essential elements in the competitive position of seaports, as they acted to facilitate access to (overlapping) hinterlands. However, those focusing on how institutions could strengthen (or dissipate) the bureaucratic and logistical roles of dry ports had remained scarce, especially on developing economies.

Investigating the recent development of dry ports in four Brazilian states, Adolf, Thanos and Flavio investigate how institutional framework affects the bureaucratic and logistical roles of dry ports in emerging economies. Their study posits that the Brazilian institutional framework in place has acted as causal factors in strengthening the bureaucratic roles of dry ports while at the same time dissipating their logistical roles. Through establishing the causal relation between these forces, the paper provides important insight on the impacts of institutions on transportation and regional development in different geographical regions.

The study is published in a special issue of the scholarly journal Journal of Transport Geography on the theme of "Institutions and the Transformation of Transport Nodes" that has been edited by Adolf and Thanos in collaboration with Prof. Peter Hall (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver CA).

You might download the authors' version of the study @ PortEconomics:  Institutions, bureaucratic and logistical roles of dry ports: the Brazilian experiences

Read more about the special issue: Institutions and the Transformation of Transport Nodes

A collection of port studies that explore the changing relationship between institutional frameworks and the development of transportation nodes are included in the recently published special issue of the journal Journal of Transport Geography. The theme of this issue of the prestigious scholarly journal (vol. 27, 2013) is "Institutional Frameworks and the Transformation of Transport Nodes", with PortEconomics co-director Thanos Pallis, associate member Adolf Ng, and Prof. Peter Hall (Simon Fraser, Vancouver CA) acting as guest editors.

As Adolf, Peter and Thanos point in their guest editorial:

All the contributions in this collection emphasise how trajectories of change in both transportation nodes and institutional frameworks are shaped by prior conditions, decisions and structures. The studies show that the governance of transportation nodes makes a difference to their long run development and performance; and, conversely, that the development of transportation nodes itself informs how a variety of actors seek to shape institutional frameworks. What emerges thus is a rather complicated and dynamic picture of the working out of human structure and agency in the context of transportation nodes. Port managers, policy makers, transport service providers, perhaps others too, do not only try to squeeze more performance out of existing transportation nodes and systems. They are also willing to contemplate small and large changes to the governance of nodes and systems. Even if the final outcomes of these efforts cannot be predicted in advance, it is clear that these governance reforms tend to replicate existing institutional frameworks and hence development trajectories.

• "Guest editors' introduction: institutions and the transformation of transport nodes" (by Ng, A.K.Y., Hall, P.V. and Pallis A.A.)
• "Path dependency and regional port authorities: A case for innovation network leadership?" (by Cahoon, S., Chen, S-L., and Haugstetter, H.).
• "Governing the European Port-City Interface: Institutional Impacts on Spatial Projects between City and Port" (by Daamen, T.A. and Vries, I.).
• "Shaping port governance: the territorial trajectories of reform" (by Debrie, J., Lavaud-Letilleul, V. and Parola, F.).
• "Stakeholder management and path dependence in large-scale transport infrastructure development: the port of Antwerp case (1960-2010)" (by Dooms, M., Verbeke, A. and Haezendonck, E.).
• "The Heartland Intermodal Corridor: public private partnerships and the transformation of institutional settings" (by J. Monios & Lambert B.).
• "Institutions, Bureaucratic & Logistical Roles of Dry Ports: The Brazilian Experience", (by Ng, A.K.Y., Padilha, F. and Pallis, A.A.):
• "Institutional plasticity and path dependence in seaports: Interactions between institutions, port governance reforms and port authority routines". (by Notteboom, T., De Langen, P and Jacobs, W. 2013)

A team directed by Mary Brooks, member of the PortEconomics team, worked with the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) to offer AAPA members an opportunity to identify users' perceptions of the quality of service at member ports.

Over 200 respondents, from three user groups (cargo interests, shipping lines and supply chain partners) took valuable time to provide us with their insights based on their experience with port service.

Examining service delivery effectiveness in seven North American container ports, with more than 250,000 TEUs in volume, Dr. Mary R. Brooks in collaboration with Dr. Tony Schellinck provided the management of each port with useful data on their performance as seen by the three user groups. Each port had a unique portfolio of factors to invest for improvement, and many ports found a usable "market for awareness" opportunity. East and West Coast patterns were also noted. They also provided the AAPA with the top line results of the survey.

Participating ports all reported that the Determinance/Importance Performance Gap Space provided a framework, which could be readily understood by their partners and staff, and on which they could determine improvement initiatives.

The exercise built on and expanded the conceptual work that had been developed by a Halifax, Canada based team consisting by Dalhousie University Professors Dr. Mary R. Brooks & Dr. Tony Schellinck, and PortEconomics co-director Thanos Pallis, Adjunct Professor at the same University. The instrument had been exploratory implemented in selected ports in Canada and the US. In collaboration with other PortEconomics members, the team aims to develop and apply the instrument in beyond North America, with the first phase including Europe.

You might download click here to download the full report @ the AAPA website: The AAPA Port Customer Service Initiative Report

North American Research

• Brooks, Mary R., Douglas (Tony) Schellinck and Athanasios A. Pallis (2011). Port Effectiveness: Users' Perspectives in North America, Transportation Research Record, 2222, 34-42. (an early version of the study is available via PortEconomics -  Port Effectiveness: Users' perspectives in North America, while the definite version of it is available via the TRR homepage).
• Brooks, Mary R., Tony Schellinck and A. A. Pallis (2011). A Systematic Approach for Evaluating Port Effectiveness, Maritime Policy and Management, 38 (3), 315-334 (an early version of the study is available via PortEconomics -  2011-MPM-Brooks, Schelinck, Pallis, while the definite version of it is available via the Journal's webpage: Maritime Policy and Management)

European Research 

PortEconomics co-directors Peter de Langen, Theo Notteboom and Thanos Pallis are the authors of the first PortEconomics editorial published in the Port Technology International Magazine, marking the inauguration of the PortEconomics and Port Technology International 'partnership in publishing'.

In their editorial entitled "The Quality of Port Infrastructure ranking: Some insights" Peter, Theo and Thanos discuss the port infrastructure rankings provided by the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF). In sports, and increasingly in business, rankings abound.

Today, we have rankings of the best places to live, the most knowledge intensive regions of the world and the most competitive economies. In the latter case, countries are compared across economic performance criteria. One of the most influential is the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The 2012-2013 WEF ranking appeared last September. Switzerland is on top, moving ahead of Singapore. The WEF ranking consists of over 100 ranked items, classified in 12 pillars. For each pillar, some rankings are survey based, while others are based on actual data.

Through the provision of cost-efficient, reliable and frequent connections to overseas and inland markets seaports play an essential role in facilitating trade and in increasing the competitiveness of a nation or region. It is no surprise that Pillar 2 of the GCI dealing with infrastructure includes a component on the 'Quality of Port Infrastructure'.

You can freely download the editorial as Published @PortEconomics: PTI56-2012-Quality of port infrastructure ranking-De Langen et.al

Partners in Publishing

PortEconomics co-director Thanos Pallis presented his latest research on Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in seaports: The case of Nigeria, during the annual conference of the International Association of Maritime Economists - IAME 2012, that was held in Taipei, Taiwan.

Policy reforms and subsequent entry of private port terminal operators in Nigeria ports provides an interesting case study of port policy practices to attract and benefit from foreign direct investment (FDI). FDI in port infrastructure is an attractive policy option for many countries, with concessions of terminals to international terminal operators (ITOs), being the most prominent form of FDI in ports. Yet, the policy challenges associated with introducing private investment should not be underestimated. These challenges include, among others, establishing the necessary legal and institutional framework, restructuring port entities, managing the bidding process, negotiating with ITOs, and providing effective regulation throughout the life of the project. Nigeria's experience is particularly impressive when compared with the challenges faced by other developing countries that have traditionally been slow to involve ITOs.

The study - benefited by research conducted as part of a special UNCTAD Division on Investment and Enterprise report - examines key determinants of success in terms of formulating and implementing port policy framework. It also discusses the ways that industry dynamics and policy context for FDI have also contributed to the positive result. Drawing on this experience, lessons are distilled for other economies that might seek to adopt port policy reforms in the future.

You might read - and freely download - the full study & its presentation @PortEconomics:

• The study:  2012-IAME-FDI in seaports-Pallis
• The presentation:  2012-IAME-FDI in seaports-Pallis-Presentation

The annual conference of the International Association of Marime Economists - IAME 2012, held in Taipei, Taiwan, provided the PortEconomics team the opportunity to present 16 different port or port related studies that progressed over the course of the most resent months - read more & reach the studies: PortEconomics team@IAME2012

PortEconomics followed the high-level Conference on European Ports Policy Review: "Unlocking the Growth Potential" (Brussels, 25-26 September 2012) and reports events, interventions, and all you want to know about the final second Conference day as unfolded:

 Day-2: Wednesday 26 September 2012

Workshop on Port Performance and the Horizon 2020: PortEconomics co-directors Thanos Pallis and Theo Notteboom to offer their perspectives on the future of the European port policy, joined by Martijn van Dongen (Head of Business Development, APM Terminals) and Paul Kyprianou (Manager Research and External Relations Department, Grimaldi Lines).

Theo Notteboom (ITMMA-PortEconomics co-director) presented the PPRISM project, that has selected five types of feasible and relevant indicators to measure the overall port performance of the European port sector, and discusses the lessons and challenches of this first attempt towards a more comprehensive apporach of port performance: PPRISM (Port PeRformance Indicators: Selection and Measurement) was a two year project that identified a key list of sustainable, acceptable, relevant and feasible indicators to monitor the overall performance of the EU port system. The achievements of PPRISM can be summarised as follows: PPRISM delivers a shortlist of indicators that form the basis of a future European Port Observatory which will take the form of a Port Sector Performance Dashboard. These indicators contribute to provide insight into the overall performance of the European port system: Environmental indicators: EMS, carbon footprint, waste recycled, water consumption; Socio-economic indicators: employment in FTE; Supply chain performance: maritime connectivity, inland connectivity, quality of customs procedures; Institutional and governance indicators: ownership of Pas, economic objectives of Pas, ivolvement of PA in actions and initiatives that benefit the entire port community, direct provision of operational services' Market trends and structure: maritime traffic, call size. The Dashboard will not publish or compare the performance of individual ports or terminals, but focus on the performance of the port system as a whole. PPRISM provides a final shortlist of 14 indicators that are relevant and both accepted by port stakeholders and detailed in terms of methods for data collection and analysis. Two main criteria: stakeholder acceptance and implementation feasibility. Only high-high to be implemented. PPRISM delivers essential data for the development of the first version of the Port Performance Dashboard in 2012 which was presented at the ESPO conference. 58 ports participated in a pilot. This represents a big step towards establishing a culture of measuring and reporting port performance in European ports: (a) Baseline & benchmark; transparency; Self improvement;  License to operate; and compliance

Thanos Pallis (University of the Aegean-co-director of PortEconomics) discussed the need to indetify reseach challenges and priorities and develop a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) that will help enhancing the performance of the sector and meet the objectives of the European Commission's Horizon 2020. In his intervantion, Thanos also detailes the directions and the principles that should govern this SRA.

Thanos Pallis' intervention is available via PortEconomics:  2012-Strategic Research Agenda for ports-Pallis

Workshop on Concessions:  

A third member of the PortEconomics, associate member Patrick Verhoeven participates under his capacity as Secretary General of the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), at a parallel workshop on consessions.

Patrick Verhoeven tweets developments at Workshop on Concessions: "Land contracts (public domain and land lease) are not service concessions. Our conclusion of debate on concessions directive"

Workshop on Public and Private funding for EU ports

St. Ouaki (Head of Unit – European Commission (DG MOVE) opening remarks: There is a new framework for funding and includes the TEN-T revision and the new proposals for regulations, the TEN-T guidelines and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) facility. There is a need for participation of the private sector in the European port industry, and the application of PPPs-concept is a mean towards this end.

F.H. Crevits (Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works): Reviewing the flemish experiences with investments in transport infrastructure, and the role of PPPs, advocates the need for a clear framework, and expects this to be created through the review of the European port policy. Stresses the importance of EU Funding for the European port sector, stating on the example of the funding within the TEN-T framework.

Luc T’Joen, (Principal Auditor – European Court of Auditors): The role of European Court of Auditors is important, there is an added value of the Institution for infrastructure in ports. The Court of Auditors proceeded to the evaluation for the period 2000-2006. The results indentified good projects but also problematic projects, projects that are not related with the port infrastructure. In total they identified 18,1%  of the projects to be effective. There are lessons to be learned by this results for (a) managing authorities of the ports b) for the European Commission. The bottom line: “continue investing in ports but spend the money well”.

G. Dunnett (Head of Air & Maritime Division-European Investment Bank): The new framework for the port industry results in a huge demand for money. There is a role to be played by the EIB, there is also need for sharing risks between the European Commission, the EIB and the Member States, and not least projects owners. There is also a need for submitting requests for sound projects.

Cl. Cheng (Managing Director Central Europe – Hutchison Ports Holdings): It is preferable rely more on private sector for infrastructure projects in ports, public investment should be made only in cases that this cannot be avoided. It is important to identify things to do to encourage private investments. There is a role for the European Commission: provide/guarantee the framework, continue soft law approach, concrete requirements and also the terms for public funding, TEN-T funding.

M.Jenne (Executive Director-BNP Paribas Fortiues): We follow closely the Experiences and opportunities for bank financing for ports and terminals. Ports represent a stable and growing market, this means ‘good investment’ cases, but we also need to be allinged with the trends in project finance.

St. Ouaki (Head of Unit – European Commission (DG MOVE) closing remarks: Public funding as well as funding from the private sector will be available, but strings will be attached. Significance and added value of the projects, conformity with the EU policy and targets, rentability of the money, will all be of importance. Priorisation of projects is also vital.

Workshop on Single Market for Port Services

Richard Bird (UK Major Ports Group): There is always the danger of inappropriate rules, which might hamper investments and increase complexity. Improvements have happened due to work over the last 10 years. This is because of the work done collectively with partners. The survey conducted by the European Commission confirmed that users are overall satisfied with the services and the costs of the services. Most ports employe pilots directly as they are key members of the safety system.

Michael Jansen (European Boatmen Association): There is no need to think of changing mooring services at a European level. These services have proven to work, as users receive reasonable service, at reasonable price, so they should not be modified. The profession has adapted as maritime traffic grows, and the number of ships increases. The emphasis (of the EPP) should be on the minimisation of administrative burdens.

Alfons Guinier (ESCA): Towage is a commercial service, the survey was not representative 'a bad moment'; there is no issue, though some problems exist. We will address that on a local base Pilotage: is essential service. There are some local issues (including language issues). Yet pilotage is not a public service. Safety is too important but should not be abused in order to intervene and regulate pilotage. Finally, the presence of modern technology means that pilotage from the shore could also take place; the question is why not allowing the use of modern technology to avoid bath weather and other difficult conditions. "Where do we want the Commission to go from here? Wish I know". The Treaty- and the four principles – need to apply; the Commission is the guardian and they need to find the best way to do; I don't know whether secondary legislation is required.

Patrick Verhoeven tweets: "ECSA wants Commission to act on port services, but not sure whether new legislation is needed for that".

EMPA member from the audience observes: "Contradiction that for 15 years shipowners stance has not change, when transportation changed. Compulsory pilotage is a link to local conditions and this can be done through clear recommendations (already available by EMPA) and procedures, under certain categories".

Q&A: Strong resistance by the panel on an intervention on charges; transparency issues are far more welcomed.

Patrick Verhoeven tweets: "Strong message from ports and service providers to Commission not to intervene on port charges"

Patrick Verhoeven tweets: "Eddy Bruyninckx CEO Port of Antwerp: port authorities must be active landlords organising their own rail transport"

Workshop on Single Market for Port Services

H. Ruijters (Head of Unit – European Commission (DG MOVE): Stresses the omportance of the concept and the significance of the new framework that is based on the going TEN-T revision. The work is completed as far as the European Commission concerns regarding the two proposals for regulations; it is now up to the EP to approve

P. Costa (Special Commissioner – Port of Venice): Success of the TEN-T concept will depend on the implementation. MoS: Intra-EU planning and implementation are important but European ports are already more or less connected with each other, dimension of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (connection of EU ports with North-African ports)

"Port Talk": A debate with the users of the ports

F.S. de Brugiere (SGS): We are not clients of a port we are clients of a shipping line. Stevedoring etc are not our direct problem. The problem for us is the reliability of the port. The congestion is not so much physical. The main congestion is administrative, it is about customs. The latter might take weeks. Administrative burdens although we perform quality tests at the port that we are loading. The third issue are information systems. In some countries they are open to shippers, but in other member states the information system is close to the port. Shippers want to be part of this. Performance of the shipping line is important for life.

M. Van Orbroeck (Volvo): Congestion: fully agree with de Bruiere. Harmonisation, structure documents and procedures that we have to comply with. We have to work on the flexibility of concessions as port users. Our focus is on shor- medium-term and we use indermmediate companies. What is interesting is to develop contracts with the intermediary companies.

L. Airaghi (Group Ferrero): Quality is a must. I will continue on material infrastructure. The difference between South ports and North ports. We are using both, they have both their own problems. But we need to distinguish between ports that can develop or others that have geographical restrictions. Would recommend to cluster different ports that we are operating. Problems due to difficulties to 'stay in the port', cargoes need to move out. Congestion for us is to exceed two days from the programmed day of arrival. Synchronisation between customs and sanitary inspections.

W. Jan Beerthuis (Heineken): Short sea can be expensive due to port and related charges.

The ship owners view-F. Peigne (CMA-CGM): We are pragmatic and simple. We look for the best possible services, and the lower charges. Our objective is to offer port-to-port services. So, punctuality, reliability and lower charges are important. Due to the cost of fuel every mile at sea and at shore is important for us. Limitations have to be minimised. When we have to light the vessel because of the limitation of draught in one one port then we have a problem even though this is good news for another port. For the customer this is a negative trend. The issue of formalities is quite important. We need to use website information. For the cargo we think that for Europe we do not need all the additional requirements that are present. We should harmonise them and then reduce the existing formalities. For the lowest cost we need to bear some charges. But they have to be transparent, relevant and negotiable. Towage: in some cases the conditions need to be adopted to the conditions present. Minimum time of port: we have to address the issue. It always lead to productivity improvements. A very good initiative is coming from the Journal of Commerce. They will publish data from several terminals and this is positive. Labour: The cargo will always find its destination. Port closure is always the benefit of the neighbouring port. But we have do discuss and negotiate. Environment: Ports needs to facilitate LNG supply, the new theme is how to fuel the ports, it is worth looing into the practicalities. Collection of residuals is a lot of costs for us and should be reduced.

Patrick Verhoeven tweets on Port users debate: "administrative facilitation, seamless connections with barge and rail and dock labour principal issues".

Conclusions: Connecting to Compete: Options for the EU Ports' policy

Matthias Ruete (Director General – European Commission, DG MOVE): 

• Logistics in Europe work well (World Bank database). We need however to secure that the European position does not slight down. We were by-passed by Singapore and Hong-Kong in recent years. Let's ensure that we will reverse this phenomenon. 
• It would be wrong to talk about a third port package. Would give wrong indications. A third port package is an illusion. 
• This is about a port's novel. Some of the chapters are already written. Examples are the Chapter of infrastructure that is already written, at least  the Commission's version. Other issues include (a) concessions; (b) security; (c) health and safety at work; (e) Rules on temporary work (f) Blue belt project, resulting in administrative simplification; and (g) e-freight.
• But there are crucial questions: What do we need to do? Do we need to do something? i.e. make the performance better by introducing transparency? Or do we need to separate different elements of it? How do we draw the line between public services and private services?
• The more challenging issue: Labour. A social dialogue is needed. How do we make sure that the protection of workers is ensured? How do we secure that the autonomy of social partners is ensured? We need to secure that skilled labour remains present in European ports.

Patrick Verhoeven tweets and recaps: "DG Move Director-General Ruete wraps up conference: no 'third ports package' but a 'ports novel' of which many chapters exist"

Patrick Verhoeven provides the final European Ports Policy Review tweet: "Matthias Ruete outlines questions ahead: "transparency, services and dock labour. Specific consultation until 15 November".

15 November 2012: A deadline for the conclusion of the new consultation round is set.

The European Ports Policy Review Conference is over - the new round of 'personalised' consultation on the European Ports Policy Review begins.

PS. The day after: European Commission issues a reasoned opinion addressed to Spain for non-compliance with the EU Treaty of the regime organising the recruitment of port workers (dockers); PortEconomics associate member Patrick Verhoeven tweets: "Whatever outcome of#EUportspolicy, Treaty rules apply: EC finds Spanish labour pools in breach w freedom establishment".

The PortEconomics Diary of the European Ports Policy Review Conference; contributions by the members of the PortEconomics team Thanos Pallis, Theo Notteboom, Patrick Verhoeven, Michael Dooms; Read the PortEconomics diary of the first Conference day: Day-1

Research on port performance remains a key theme in the agenda of the Port Performance Research Network (PPRN) following the 10th Annual meeting that was held today at the Chinese Maritime Research Institute headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.

PortEconomics co-director Thanos Pallis contributed to the discussions of today's PPRN meeting presenting the lessons from the recent European efforts to identify a key list of relevant, feasible, and sustainable indicators to monitor the overall performance of the European Union's port system and assess its impact on the society, environment and the economy of the EU.

In particular Thanos presented the results of the project Port Performance Indicators: Selection and Measurement (PPRISM), that led to the definition of a series of objective and concrete indicators of the level of performance of ports, the quantification of which will enable the socioeconomic and environmental impact in the EU to be assessed. 

The presentation of the project (that involved the European Sea Port Organisation, and PortEconomics members from five academic institutions in the EU), discussed how the involvement of stakeholders in the exercise contributes to the creation of a culture of comprehensive port performance measure in the way that is valiable for most port actors.

In the same session, PortEconomics associate member Mary Brooks reported the experience of the North American 2012 port customer service initiative.

These presentation formulated discussion on port performance measurement, with the PPRN network deciding to seek ways to promote similar exercises in Europe, North America, as well as other parts of the world, aiming to generate a culture of performance measurement, and fine tune the existing instruments so as to conclude with a reliable, relevant and feasible port performance assessment tool.

You might download Thanos presentation @ the 10th PPRN meeting via PortEconomics: 2012-PPRN-Port Performance measurement-(Pallis)

PPRN research agenda: Port Authorities Strategies

Following the August blue moon, port researchers and maritime economists along the world start travelling to Taipei in order to participate at the annual conference of the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME 2012) and the meeting of the Port Performance Research Network (PPRN) that is traditionally held at the eve of the IAME.

Having two full moons in a month is a pretty rare occurrence, which is why the term "once in a blue moon" aptly applies to something that does not occur very often. On the contrary, the annual conference of the IAME and the meeting of the Port Performance Research Network (PPRN) are the places that every year provide unique global meetings for academics, key industry practitioners, and policy makers from diverse backgrounds and interests to meet, discuss and debate critical and challenging issues that will affect the future direction of international port, shipping and logistics research and practice.

The International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME) is an international forum for the exchange of research and information among those interested in maritime and maritime-related issues. Membership is drawn from all continents and representation includes academics, industry and government. IAME is lead by the PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom, who currently acts as elected President, while a number of the PortEconomics team members serve as elected members the present IAME Council.

PPRN is an informal network of maritime economists interested in issues of port policy management and economics that was established at the IAME 2001 meeting in Hong Kong to undertake empirical testing of port governance, and is currently coordinated by the memebrs of the PortEconomics team Mary Brooks and Thanos Pallis. The forthcoming PPRN meeting (sponsored by the Chinese Maritime Research Institute- CMRI) will further discuss frameworks and structure future research lines, including the following themes that have progressed since the Santiago meeting:

• The measurement of port efficiency
• Users (and other stakeholders) perspectives and the measurement of port effectiveness
• Port Authority growth and internationalization strategies
• The greening of port activities
• Concessions and financing
• Institutional issues of port governance

The PortEconomics team will travel to Taipei, presenting state of the art studies in port economics, policy and managemnet, shaping the work of IAME and the PPRN - with the members of the team willing to meet and further associate with those interested in the progress of port research. 

The 2012 version of IAME Conference will take place 6-8 September 2012 and more information on its program can be obtained via the official website of the event IAME 2012 Programme

The 10th PPRN meeting will take place 5 Septemebr 2012; and you might download its programme  10th PPRN (Taipei 5 Sept 2012)

Photo by: Paul Conrad