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The Analyst: real meaning of inclusivity in ports
By Peter de Langen July saw a major development in Antwerp’s port, with the announcement of the start of a stakeholder-inclusive process to expand container capacity. The process will start with a much smaller new dock than originally foreseen, coupled with a series of initiatives to expand capacity elsewhere in the port. Antwerp’s original plan to construct a major new tidal dock called ‘Saeftinghedok’ has been fiercely opposed for years by Doel 2020, a group of residents of the small village of Doel (and their...
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Cruise ports: facing the challenges & potential EU initiatives
Which are the challenges & problems that cruise ports face? Do ‘regional’ perspectives exist? For instance, do sub-groups of European groups that face diverge challenges? Is there a North vs South dimension ? Are other parameters, such as governance (PA vs TO) and size that affect the challenges that cruise ports face? Those are the questions that PortEconomics members Thanos Pallis and Aimilia Papachristou discuss in a presentation delivered at the Jean Monnet Symposium on European Port Policy, which was held in Chios,...
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Shipping strategies: Global liner alliances in the port of Piraeus
How the strategic planning of a liner alliance affects the development prospects of a container port? How the relations inside the alliance are reflected on port selection? Shipping strategies and the rise of global liner alliances is the subject of PortEconomics member George Vaggelas' most recent port study. George has identified the linkages between an alliance and the ownership structure of a container port and the port's importance for the global trade, in order to better understand the evolvement of alliances strategies. His...
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Financial operators in ports: typologies, objectives & entry modes
Over the last two decades, terminal and stevedoring industries have been experiencing a profound reorganization process produced by the port reform worldwide, the progressive opening of formerly monopolistic (local) markets and a fast internationalization of the business. The new competitive environment determined a growing commitment of private investors in the (co-)funding and management of container port facilities, and reshaped major assumptions underlying investment and financial decisions in the industry. For exploiting open window...
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The deepening of the Elbe river: game changer for Hamburg?
By Theo Notteboom Recently, it was announced that the project to deepen and widen the river Elbe, the nautical access to the port of Hamburg, got the green light. The river Elbe was deepened for the last time in 1999. The idea to improve the nautical conditions on the Elbe is on the table already for many years but project approval was stalled due to environmental issues and procedural complexities. Dredging projects are sensitive in political, port and community circles given the investments involved and the associated economic and...
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The 'Yin' and 'Yang' of port governance
On the complementary (rather than opposing) forces that interact to form a dynamic port governance system, in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts, was dedicated the presentation of PortEconomics member and co-director Theo Notteboom during the Jean Monnet Symposium on the future of the European Port Policy, that was held in Chios, Greece. Using a Chinese metaphor, Theo discusses the "Yin and Yang of seaport governance", and discussed them during the Jean Monnet Round-Table: Towards a better Port Governance. Theo was...
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Private entry in cruise terminal operations in the Mediterranean Sea
Aiming to effectively respond to calls for upgrading cruise terminals, while safeguarding public spending, port authorities started to seek the active involvement of third parties to finance, construct, operate, and/or commercially develop cruise facilities. Specialized cruise terminals replace multi-purpose or temporary docking facilities. New cruise terminals are built and existing ones are upsized and upgraded, imposing additional investments on the hosting ports. In their award winning paper (Winner of “Best Conference Paper”,...
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Digitalisation drives modernisation of maritime trade
Pierre Cariou was involved in organising the ISLI Supply Chain Forum, “Emerging Challenges in a Complex Future”, held at the Kedge Business School in Bordeaux in March 2018. One of the panel discussions moderated by Pierre Cariou focused on the digitalisation of shipping supply chains. Dominique Lebreton, MGI chief business development officer, also spoke about Channel 5 and artificial intelligence. Focus on the conclusions of this panel discussion. What are the impacts of digitalisation on the maritime sector? For the forum, we...
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