Containers
Containers
Containers
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...
Containers
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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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...
Containers
PortGraphic: dynamics in alliance formation in container shipping
By Theo Notteboom Alliances are about operational vessel-sharing co-operation between container shipping companies on multiple trade routes (mostly east-west). The first strategic alliances between shipping lines date back to the mid-1990s, a period that coincided with the introduction of the first post-Panamax containers vessels on the Europe-Far East trade. The alliance partnerships evolved as a result of mergers and acquisitions (e.g. merger between P&OCL and Nedlloyd and the take-overs by P&O Nedlloyd and SeaLand by...
Containers
Latin America and the Caribbean ports: container throughput rises 1.7%
The movement of cargo in containers in Latin American and Caribbean ports grew 1.7% during 2015, according to figures unveiled in ECLAC’s new edition of its ranking of container port throughput, published in its Maritime Profile. These figures confirm two trends observed during the last years in the region: the slowdown of foreign trade shown by container terminals and great heterogeneity of the growth rates inside the region. Regional average of 1.7% container throughput growth, although still higher than the rate recorded in 2014...
Containers
Port of Rotterdam celebrates 50 years of container handling offering 4 perspectives of the future
On 3 May 1966 - so 50 years ago - the MS Fairland arrived in Rotterdam under the watchful eye of Queen Juliana, with 226 containers on board. From that moment on, the Sea-Land Shipping Company has been maintaining a weekly container service between New York and the West European ports of Rotterdam, Bremen and Grangemouth, and Rotterdam became Europe's first container port. The importance of container transport for global trade can hardly be overestimated – which is why the container has also been called ‘the invention of the century’....
Containers
Container port investment: the inexorable rise of financial players
Since the early-2000s, given the increasing profitability of the container port business, a number of financial investors were stimulated to both reach new market segments and enter the industry as investors. As additional financial resources have been increasingly requested from the sector to fuel greenfield mega-projects, M&A activity and the accelerated foreign expansion of international terminal operators (ITOs), financial investors increased have their effort by providing financial and technical support to both shipping...
Containers
Portgraphic: chinese, EU & north american container port regions: 1985-2015
By Theo Notteboom The figure shows the evolution of container throughput in the three main container port regions in China (i.e. Yangtze River Delta, Pearly River Delta and the Bohai Rim). We compare these volume dynamics with some key port systems in North America and Europe: the port system along the North American West Coast including ports such as Seattle/Tacoma, Vancouver, LA, Long Beach and Oakland; East coast ports such as Norfolk, Charleston, New York/New Jersey, Baltimore, Savannah and Halifax; the Hamburg-Le Havre port range...
Containers