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Data into information, and information into insight
“The future is smart: the digitisation of container trade and supply chains” was the title of the session moderated by PortEconomics member Thomas Vitsounis during the highly profiled TOC Europe conference held in Hamburg 14-16 June 2016. The discussion focused on new technologies and how they already alter the ports and maritime industry with reference to innovative examples already applied in several ports around the globe. Thomas also acted as a speaker in a session about “The internet of things and big data: Connectivity,...
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Evolution of containerships
By Jean-Paul Rodrigue An updated graph (below) on the evolution of containerships with more detailed ship profiles and a more revealing depiction of the number of containers they can load is available in The Geography of Transport Systems webpage. Since the beginning of containerization in the mid 1950s, containerships undertook six general waves of changes, each representing new generations of containership: A) Early containerships. The first generation of containerships was composed of modified bulk vessels or tankers that...
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The Panama canal expansion: they dug it, will they come?
By Jean-Paul Rodrigue and Theo Notteboom Shifting Rationale The interoceanic canals of the global shipping network are undergoing a major upgrading. One year after the expansion of the Suez Canal aimed at facilitating two-way vessel traffic, we are witnessing the opening of a new and larger set of locks at the Panama Canal. The new locks are designed to allow the transfer of ships with a length of up to 366m, a width of 49m and a draft of 15.2m. These New Panamax dimensions are 25% longer, 52% wider and support a draft which is 26% deeper...
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Do we need to assess service delivery at Canadian ports?
Recent research on port service delivery for the American Association of Port Authorities aimed at developing a standard instrument (SEAPORT–Seaport Effectiveness Assessment for PORT managers) that can accurately and reliably measure how well ports deliver services to their users. The study population was customers and users of container ports in the U.S. and Canada—cargo owners, freight forwarders, shipping lines and supply chain partners at the port. Designed as a standalone measurement tool, results from the SEAPORT instrument can be...
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Why ports should be managed like airports
"An effective management model to bring down costs can be gleaned from the airport industry". That is the central argument of a viewpoint article by Peter de Langen and Periklis Saragiotis - published at the blogs page of Brookings Insitute, and PortEconomics.eu. The viewpoint: Why ports should be managed like airports Sea transport is the cheapest form of transport and more than 75 percent of international merchandise is carried by vessels. Yet, costs are still substantially higher than they should be. This is especially evident in...
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One-belt-one-road and hundreds european ports
How the One-belt-one-road (OBOR) policy might affect european port-hinterland dynamics? In 2013 Xi Jinping embarked in a strategy to “break the connectivity bottleneck” in Asia. 60 countries are already involved, with this policy impacting 4.4 billion people. In March 2015, the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiatives action plan was detailed. PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom addressed the theme during his invited presentation gave at the ESPO Conference 2016, held in 2-3 June in Dublin, Ireland. Theo also...
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Marketing strategies of Port Authorities
The evolution of clusters in modern ports, and the interrelated wave of port devolution in the 1990s, led to a redefinition of the role of each actor involved, including that of port authorities (PAs). The latter have been transformed to hybrid organisations, mostly disassociated from operational activities and port services provision, yet maintaining a key role as the managing bodies advancing the prospects of the port they manage and these of the respective clusters. Marketing is among the functions working towards this end. PortEconomics...
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GREPORT2016: Report on Greek ports
With total throughput 6.36 million tonnes of dry bulk cargo, 3.98 million TEUs, 28.23 million coastal passengers and 2.07 cruise passengers in 2014, Greek ports are important actors in local, national and regional level. In 2014, their turnover exceeded the €326 million. GREPORT 2016, the Report on Greek Ports by PortEconomics members Thanos Pallis and George Vaggelas is the first comprehensive record and analysis of the developments of the Greek port industry over the last decade. The port study, published by Port &...
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