A new port study by Mary Brooks, Thanos Pallis and Tony Schellinck examining Users' perspectives of port effectiveness in North America is published in Transport Research Records (TRR), an ISI indexed scholarly journal published by the Transportation Research Board in US. (vol. 2222, pp. 34-42), This study discusses the findings of a survey of port users' perspectives in North America that identifies and evaluates a key, yet under-researched, component of port performance, that is effectiveness in delivering port services to port users. This research responds to recent calls by port scholars for studies measuring port performance for more analytical emphasis on users' perspectives. The study was conducted with the help of 13 professional associations in the U.S. and Canada and results in an understanding of (a) how port users evaluate the ports they use, (b) what is most important to them in terms of the attributes of services, and (c) how they evaluate the performance of ports they use on the U.S. east coast and in Canada. Participants were asked to rate the importance of various performance criteria and then to apply them by evaluating the performance of the ports they use on those dimensions. To analyze the findings, the study employs a gap analysis and uses Normalized Pairwise Estimations to measure the actual influence of a criterion on port performance. With performance being more than just satisfaction, this process generates knowledge on what contributes to better performance in the eyes of users in two different regions of North America. The results of this type of study will, in future, enable stakeholders to compare performance from specific ports as input to decision-making, and enable ports to focus their resources on improvements that matter to their customers and supply chain partners.An early version of the study is be available via PortEconomics -  Port Effectiveness:…

PortEonomics members Theo Notteboom, and Wei Yim Yap investigate the competitive dynamics between container ports in the light of liner shipping scheduling in a port study published in the latest issue of the scholarly journal Maritime Policy and Management (vol. 38, issue 5).Container ports provide the primary interface where physical exchange between buyers and sellers of containerised shipping capacity can be consolidated and realised. Consequently, ports that are able to complement and add value to the objectives of shipping lines and shippers will become focal points for containerised cargo flows. To evaluate container port competition, Theo and Wei propose a practical and direct approach based on revealed preferences of shipping lines with respect to container shipping service dynamics. Empirical results show that this approach offers a deeper understanding on the workings and evolution of competitive dynamics between ports which may not be obvious from observations of port performance at the aggregated level. Benefits of the approach also include raising awareness that policy makers should be aware of the need to understand the nature, extensity and intensity of competitive relationships between ports as they craft and implement policies to correct for actual or perceived market failures in the industry.The authors' version of the study is available @ PortEconomics:  Dynamics of Liner Shipping Service Scheduling & their Impact on Container Port Competition

PortEconomics members presented several new studies at the European Conference on Shipping, Intermodalism and Ports - ECONSHIP 2011. The Conference was the first PortEconomics endorsed event, an was held in Chios Greece (22-24 June).The papers presented by the PortEconomics team were: Chen L. & Notteboom T. (2011). Determinants for assigning value-added logistics services to logistics centers within a supply chain configuration.  Download Feng L. & Notteboom T. (2011). Small and medium sized ports (SMPs) in multi-port gateway regions: the role of Yingkou Port in the logistics system of the Bohai sea.  Download Kaselimi E.N. & Notteboom T. (2011). "Preferred" scale of containers terminals in seaports: A size distribution analysis.  Download Lekakou M.B., Pallis A.A. Vaggelas G.K. and Vitsounis T.K. (2011). Users speak: coastal Shipping Services and islanders perceptions.  Download Li J and Theo Notteboom T. (2011). The evolutionary path of inland waterway transport in Pearl river Delta china: The role of governance and institutions.  Download Ng A.K.Y., Padilha F. and Pallis A.A. (2011). Institutions, regional and transport development in developing economies: Lessons from Brazilian dry ports.  Download Notteboom T. and Rodrigue J-P. (2011). Global container terminal operators: from diversification to rationalization?  Download Notteboom T. and Cariou P. (2011). Bunker costs in container liner shipping: Are slow steaming prac- tices reflected in maritime fuel surcharges?  Download Pallis A.A. and Bissias I. & Papachristou A.A. (2011). She goes maritime: Women in marine and maritime education in Greece.  Download Rodrigue J-P. and Notteboom T. (2011). Looking inside the box: evidence from the containerization of commodities and the cold chain.  Download Verbraeken D. & Notteboom T. (2011) Land productivity of seaport ter- minals: the role of exogenous factors.  Download Van den Berg R. and de Langen P.W. (2011). Towards' inland terminal to inland terminal' as a new value proposition in container transport?  Download Vitsounis T.K. and Pallis A.A. (2011). Measuring port users perceived value.  Download Vitsounis T.K.…

June 2011: A port study conducted by the members of the PortEconomics team Mary Brooks and Thanos Pallis, along with Prof. Tony Schellinck (Dalhousie University, Canada), is published in the latest issue of the scholarly journal Maritime Policy and Management. The paper is entitled "A systematic approach for evaluating port effectiveness" and examines how users evaluate effectiveness and which are the critical factors for their evaluation, based on an online survey. Based on the findings of the field research - conducted in Canada with the participation of users of different ports- the paper consludes on some strategic implications for the port industry.The authors' version of the work is available @ PortEconomics.eu [Download]

The study Port Economics, Policy and Management – Content Classification and Survey co-authored by A. Pallis, T. Vitsounis, P. De Langen and T. Notteboom, is published in the latest issue of the scholarly journal Transport Reviews (Volume 30, Issue 4, 2011, pp. 445-471). This study presents a taxonomy and content analysis of research in port economics, policy and management (‘port studies’) that were published the period 1997-2008. There is a growing interest in the study of ports, yet the research characteristics and directions of this research field are unidentified. This study provides a unique systematic analysis of port studies published the period 1997‐2008. Based on a cross‐citation analysis and content survey, seven themes of port studies are identified The content of each theme is analysed by focusing on research topics, widely used research questions, concepts and research methods, and the most important research findings. Finally, it identifies emerging research questions that still need to be answered. The authors' version of the work is posted by permission of Taylor & Francis for personal use @ PortEconomics [Download] - The definete version of the study is available @ Journal's webpage The pair study: Pallis A.A., Vitsounis, T.K. and de Langen, P.W. (2010), Port economics, policy and management: Review of an emerging research field, published in an earlier issue of Transport Reviews, 30(1) 115-161, is also available @ PortEconomics [Download] and provides a complete bibliometric analysis and further information on research methodologies. In pair these studies provide a complete and detailed analysis of port related published research during the period 1997‐2008 and the foundations of the PortStudies Database that is freely available to visitors of the PortEconomics initiative. The Database:The PortStudies Database is updated at the end of each month - visit it regulalrly for the latest publications in Port Economics, Management and Policy.