PortStudies
PortStudies
PortStudies
Revisiting traffic forecasting by port authorities in the context of port planning and development
The latest port study of PortEconomics members Francesco Parola, Giovanni Satta and Theo Notteboom along with Luca Persico (University of Genoa) contribute to the extant debate on port planning and development by analysing current approaches and challenges for academics and port authorities with respect to traffic forecasting. The authors, first, examine how academics approach traffic forecasting in ports based on an extensive literature review. Next, using a sample of 28 core ports in the European Union, provide empirical evidence...
PortStudies
China΄s investment in African ports: spatial distribution, entry modes and investor profile
Chinese state-owned companies have directed large amounts of expertise and resources to African ports, not only to deliver benefits to the investing parties but also to contribute to a more effective and efficient African port industry. Over the past decades, China’s direct investment in Africa expanded significantly and became more diversified. The increased involvement of Chinese interests in Africa has intensified the debate on the benefits, modes, and risks linked to these investments. The latest port study of PortEconomics member...
PortStudies
Cruise shipping supply chains and the impacts of disruptions: the Caribbean
Cruise shipping supply chains have unique characteristics where product and service providers accommodate stringent requirements related to the nature of the cruise product. Since cruise ships are floating resorts that must be resupplied during their short port rotations, they require customized procurement practices. The sustainability of such practices is investigated by PortEconomics members Jean-Paul Rodrigue and Grace Wang, through the lenses of contract dynamics among actors, including sourcing patterns, consumption patterns, pricing,...
PortStudies
The geography of maritime networks: a critical review
Despite early cartographical and graph-theoretical analyses of maritime flows in the 1940s and 1960s, it is only from the 2000s onwards that maritime network analysis had grown apace, backed by newly available shipping data, increased computational power, and renewed conceptual frameworks to study networks in general. The evolution of maritime network analysis, in geography and other sciences, is marked by a wide diversity of methods and themes, which we classify into three main parts. PortEconomics member Cesar Ducruet, at his latest...
PortStudies
Port management and governance in a post‐COVID‐19 era: quo vadis?
In a port study on port management and governance, that is published as an editorial in the scholarly journal Maritime Economics and Logistics (MEL), PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom and Hercules Haralambides provide a critical assessment of some of the key issues and themes in port governance research, attempting at the same time, to propose new avenues for further port research in a post-COVID-19 era. As the authors state, "Port management governance is continuously challenged to adapt to a changing port...
PortStudies
Digital technologies and business opportunities for logistics centres in maritime supply chains
The latest port study of PortEconomics members Francesco Parola and Giovanni Satta, co-authored by Nicoletta Buratti and Francesco Vitellaro (University of Genoa) investigates how the adoption of emerging digital technologies can provide valuable business opportunities for logistics centres in maritime supply chains. For this purpose, a systematic literature review (SLR) of prior academic studies addressing this topic is performed. The review unveils the current lack of a comprehensive framework to assess the impact of digital technologies...
PortStudies
Key Performance Indicators for measuring energy efficiency in port terminals
The port industry as an energy-intensive sector, generating negative externalities and environmental impacts in several areas, e.g., air emissions, water emissions, etc. (Bailey and Solomon, 2004; Dinwoodie el at., 2012). magnitude of highly impacting business processes/activities embedded in port spaces variety of economic actors located within/around port boundaries. These arguments are urging for the adoption of innovative green strategies for the reduction of energy consumptions, making energy management more efficient (Acciaro, 2015). The...
PortStudies
Disruptions in spatial networks: a comparative study of major shocks affecting ports and shipping patterns
In the latest port study of PortEconomics member César Ducruet along with Laure Rousset (Ecole Nationale Supérieure, France) discusses the effect of local exogenous shocks on seaports and maritime networks and is assessed throughout three case-studies. The Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, the 9/11 World Trade Center attack and hurricane Katrina triggered a shock on Kobe, New York and New Orleans respectively and led to temporary port failures. A global database on vessel movements is computed to gauge the intensity, duration and scope of these...
PortStudies