PortStudies
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PortStudies
White Paper calls for collaborative and sector-driven action for increased transparency, integrity & governance in seaports
White Paper on port integrity reveals insights into the importance of port integrity commitments for better maritime supply chains, the development of the Global Port Integrity Platform (GPIP), the challenges encountered during the research process and some findings on port integrity commitment levels. The discussion details and justifies the call for collaborative and sector-driven action for increased transparency and integrity in ports and a better overall operating environment. The Maritime Anti-corruption Network (MACN) launched the...
PortStudies
Maritime container terminal infrastructure, network corporatization, and global terminal operators
Maritime shipping lines and global terminal operators have benefited from economies of scale to expand geographically and functionally their infrastructure, leading to a corporatized network. Terminal operators are key asset managers seeking value creation by expanding the global maritime container terminal infrastructure network. While corporatization has systematically ensured that terminal capacity was created to accommodate the rise in global trade volumes, the network hit its boundaries when confronted with COVID-19...
PortStudies
Container terminal automation: revealing distinctive terminal characteristics and operating parameters
The portstudy of PortEconomics members Theo Notteboom and Thanos Pallis, and Geraldine Knatz focuses on the automation of terminal equipment used to handle containers. A dataset was compiled, including 63 fully and semi-automated container terminals worldwide, their organizational features, technical dimensions, and the maritime and urban markets they serve. The data analysis focuses on where, when, under which conditions, and to what extent container terminals were automated, and who is responsible for implementing terminal...
PortStudies
Modal shift ambitions of large North European ports: on the role of port managing bodies
Port managing bodies (PMBs) need to respond to increased societal pressures for improving environmental performance. For many PMBs, a modal shift (MS) from road to rail and barge transport (where available) represents a strategic priority. Yet, in practice, few PMBs have set clear MS targets or have been able to achieve their MS objectives at the level of the port cluster. In this context, the extant port management literature has not yet provided actionable and generally applicable conceptual guidance for PMBs towards achieving ambitious...
PortStudies
First survey-based IAPH World Ports Tracker report to improve resilience
The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) has produced the first dashboard and report for its World Ports Tracker - prepared by PortEconomics co-directors Theo Notteboom and Thanos Pallis. The World Port Tracker sources data from ninety-six ports from eight regions of the world, producing first dashboard and report for members This is the first report of its kind, aiming to track critical aspects in the global port industry based on cargo and shipping trends at a time when the global supply chain is facing...
PortStudies
How do sustainable port practices influence local communities’ perceptions of ports?
The symbiotic relationship between ports and cities in spatial, social, and cultural terms is fundamental in tackling new transport, urban, and environmental challenges. A positive perception of port clusters within local communities is increasingly becoming a source of competitive advantage for the further development of port clusters and regions. The latest research by PortEconomics member Michael Dooms, along with J. Augusto Felício (Lisbon School of Economics & Management, Lisbon, Portugal), Manuela Batista and Vítor...
PortStudies
Revisiting port system delineation through an analysis of maritime interdependencies among seaports
A port system is a system of two or more ports, located in proximity within a given area. In literature, various geographical and functional scales have been identified ranging from complete coastlines to the notions of a ‘range’ and a ‘multi-port gateway region’. Not only does the spatial scale create confusion on the true functional delineation of port systems, but it also complicates a clear understanding of the relational mechanisms at stake within these port systems. This latest portstudy of PortEconomics members Theo Notteboom...
PortStudies
Developing China’s ports, how the gateways to economic prosperity were revived
Many countries in Africa and Asia have coastlines that present opportunities for them to become gateways for trade between the hinterlands and global trading routes. However, policy makers struggle to translate this potential into engines of economic development and social transformation. In the past 40 years, China has taken advantage of its strategic geographical location and its status as one of the world’s top manufacturing regions. From a very low position on almost all metrics, today China has become home to more than half of the...
PortStudies