PortStudies
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PortStudies
Port policy: which principles are still relevant today?
In 1990 Richard O. Goss wrote four seminal articles about the economic principles underlying port policies, which were published in Maritime Policy and Management under the title Economic Policies and Seaports. These explored the economic functions of seaports, the diversity of port institutions, the need for port authorities, and the strategies that ports might adopt to promote port efficiencies. Economic principles included the existence of seaports for the benefit of traders, the use of competition to maximise public welfare, the...
PortStudies
Polycentric port governance
The latest port study of PortEconomics member Jason Monios applies the theory of polycentric governance to the port sector. The study demonstrates that port governance is already polycentric, including a variety of actors at different scales with overlapping jurisdictions, but some of the established principles of effective polycentric governance such as collective choice arrangements and distribution of costs are not currently in place. This has resulted in an inability to manage current challenges, which can be broadly divided into...
PortStudies
Unveiling the configuration of Piraeus shipping cluster
With Greece being a major shipping country worldwide and Piraeus being one of the most dynamic ports in Europe, the clustering of shipping and shipping related activities can be of valuable importance in the formation of a leading maritime capital as well as a significant value added for the country’s economy. In the case of Greece and more specifically in the case of Piraeus, the presence and the structure of a shipping cluster remained unexplored. The latest port study of PortEconomics members George Vaggelas and Thanos Pallis, is...
PortStudies
LNG bunkering solutions in ports
LNG as a marine fuel represent a viable solution for making the maritime and port industry more sustainable, as it allows reducing emissions and pollutants, such as SOx and NOx, compared with traditional fuels. Although a number of academics and practitioners has addressed the phenomenon, by investigating environmental, social economic and financial issues related to the adoption of LNG-propulsion systems in the shipping sector, prior studies predominantly assumed a ship-owner or a shipping company’ perspective. Conversely, the analysis of...
PortStudies
Measurement of port performance from users’ perspective
Going beyond the usual approach of measuring port performance – focusing on the efficiency of port operations – the latest port study of PortEconomics member George Vaggelas, aims to look into shipping lines and other port users’ perceptions on port performance. The study develops a framework measuring the perceptions of port users (i.e. shipping companies, shippers, etc.) on port performance. A typology of elements that shape port users’ perceptions has been developed with an eye on capturing the peculiarities of different port...
PortStudies
Inter–organisational relationships of European port management entities
Port management entities, -or, Port Authorities, in a most accustomed context are increasingly involved in collaborations with other ports, commercial entities and institutions. As Port Authorities (PAs) ‘go international’ via several strategies, they expand collaborations well beyond the notion of proximity. While they continue to be involved in various forms of collaboration with ports and other entities located in nearby proximate regions, they also seek to establish and benefit by relationships with geographically non-proximate ports...
PortStudies
Report on port activity of Latin America and the Caribbean 2018
Container throughput in ports of Latin America and the Caribbean increased by 7.7% in 2018 in comparison with the previous year, according to Port Activity Report of Latin America and the Caribbean 2018 by ECLAC. This analysis is based on the performance of a sampling of 31 countries and 118 ports and port areas in the region. According to the data of the sampling compiled by ECLAC, in 2018 the East Coast of South America (ECSA) recorded a 12% increase in the activity of ports and port areas, measured in terms of volume. Meanwhile,...
PortStudies
Models of cruise ports governance
The last two decades the structure, strategies, and operational frameworks of cruise ports changed in too many respects. Infrastructure renewal and construction has been accompanied by a wave of reform in cruise ports governance. Cruise ports management has matured with sophisticated strategies involving port professionals and linked port service providers and stakeholders. Operational practices have been reformed serving the changing features of the deployed (bigger) vessels and the modern cruise product. The reorganisations have in...
PortStudies