PortStudies
PortStudies
PortStudies
Port connectivity indices: an application to European RoRo shipping
In recent years, there has been significant interest in the development of connectivity indicators for ports. For short sea shipping, especially in Europe, Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) shipping is almost equally important as container shipping. In contrast with container shipping, RoRo shipments are primarily direct, thus the measurement of its connectivity requires a different methodology. Peter de Langen, PortEconomics co-director, along with Maximiliano Udenio (Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands), Jan C. Fransoo (Eindhoven...
PortStudies
Off-peak truck deliveries at terminals: the 'Good Night' program in Israel
Avoiding truck congestion and peaks in landside activity is one of the challenges to container terminal managers. The spreading of truck arrivals at terminals can be facilitated by widening the opening hours of terminals at the landside. Israel’s Ministry of Transport has instituted the “Good Night Program”, involving monetary incentives for importers and exporters who deliver containers to ports at night. The latest port study of PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom, along with David J. Bentolila (Zefat Academic College,...
PortStudies
Mega vessels: the adaptive capacity of upstream ports Antwerp and Hamburg
Port system development is a key theme in port geography literature. Recent decades have brought a rise in container terminal development at estuarine, coastal and offshore port locations, in part driven by scale increases in vessel size. The latest port study of PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom examines how container ports located upstream on rivers use processes of adaptive capacity building in an attempt to remain competitive in port systems. Theo links the development path of upstream seaports to a range of economic,...
PortStudies
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...
PortStudies
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...
PortStudies
Public-private interests and conflicts in ports: a content analysis approach
Various levels of private sector involvement such as changes to incentives, capital utilisation, flexible finance schemes, and the infrastructure investment has occurred as consequences of port devolution and reform processes. PortEconomics associate member Grace Wang, along with Cassia Bömer Galvao (São Paulo Catholic University) and Joan Mileski (Texas A&M University Galveston) identified- using a basic content analysis across both academic literature and maritime specialized media with research appropriate selected keywords-...
PortStudies
How is business adapting to climate change impacts appropriately? Insight from the commercial port sector
Adaptation to climate change impacts is a key research topic in business ethics that poses substantial implications on the good lives of human beings. The commercial port sector is a highly relevant study focus with its pivotal roles in supply chains and international trade. Hence, it is important to investigate whether the port planning system and practice is appropriate in tackling climate change impacts. But beforehand, what must be thoroughly understood is the attitude and behaviors of port planners and operators on ports’ climate...
PortStudies
PPRN launches research stream on port finance
A new stream of research on port finance is launched within the Port Performance Research Network (PPRN). The first meeting of the group will take place in August during the PPRN annual meeting organized on the eve of the IAME (International Association of Maritime Economists) Conference (23-26 August 2016, Hamburg, Germany), with PortEconomics members Francesco Parola, Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Theo Notteboom, Thanos Pallis, and Giovanni Satta being among the leading scholars involved. Over the last decades, the relation between the...
PortStudies