European Port Policy
European Port Policy
European Port Policy
Environmental differentiated port pricing: the case of the Hamburg-Le Havre range
Contested industries have fallen under increased scrutiny of the public eye when it comes to their environmental performance. In particular the transport industry is still considered as a large polluter. Therefore, stakeholders put pressure on the industry to work on their environmental footprint. Shippers assess whether their supply chain as a whole can be increasingly ‘greened’, given increasing environmental awareness from both customers (in B2B settings) and consumers (in B2C settings). Ports, as important nodes in transport...
European Port Policy
Green port certification: the need for more collaboration
PortEconomics.eu member Michaël Dooms was invited as one of the keynote speakers and panellists at the annual international workshop on Green Port Certification at the APEC Port Services Network (APSN) held in Beijing on 17th and 18th of April 17thand 18th. APSN has been running a Green Port Award System since 2016 aiming at enhancing the green profile of ports in the Asia-Pacific region. Michaël shared his experience as one of the independent evaluators following the 2 years of existence of the GPAS system. About 100 port stakeholders from...
European Port Policy
Public shareholders in government owned port development companies: insights from the Dutch case
Ηow public interests in seaports can be secured in the corporatized model? This corporatized model, in which port authorities engage in port development on a commercial basis, is increasingly used. PortEconomics members Peter de Langen and Larissa van der Lugt discuss in detail an important question that so far has not received attention in the literature on port governance: how can the public shareholders use their influence as shareholders of port authorities to achieve public policy goals. In their latest port study published in the...
European Port Policy
Details of a port privatisation: Thessaloniki port
By George Vaggelas and Thanos Pallis The port is Thessaloniki in Greece. The date is March 2018. A long port privatization process that lasted almost 13 (!!) years is finally concluded, with the Greek state handing 67% of the shares of the Thessaloniki Port Authority S.A. to the new owners of the port, the South Europe Gateway Thessaloniki (SEGT) Ltd. This transaction is the outcome of an international call by the Greek government, that was initiated in 2014 and the winning of the tender by SEGT; the other two binding bids for a majority...
European Port Policy
PortGraphic: european container port traffic gains and losses, 2007-2017
By Theo Notteboom The portgraphic shows the changes in container throughput in European ports between pre-crisis year 2007 and last year. We use absolute growth figures in TEU. The total container throughput in the entire European container port system increased by some 17 million TEU between 2007 and 2017, but not all ports saw traffic gains. Hamburg's volume in 2017 was still 1.07 million TEU below the 2007 volume. Among the losers, we also find Med hubs such as Gioia Tauro and north European ports that were hit hard by the rather recent...
European Port Policy
The infrastructure investment needs and financing challenge of european ports
What are investment needs of European ports and what are the financial challenges in order to address these needs? PortEconomics co-director Peter de Langen has co-authored a study for the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO), examining ‘The Infrastructure Investment needs and Financing Challenge of European Ports’, so as to answer these questions.Among others, the study focuses on the diversity of port investments, make the case for investments in basic port infrastructures, explains how investment needs of EU ports are...
European Port Policy
PortGraphic: the top 15 container ports in Europe in 2017
By Theo Notteboom The cargo volume handled remains a key performance indicator for ports. While also other indicators related to logistics performance, sustainability, innovation and economic impact are gaining ground, it remains relevant to observe how cargo volumes have evolved over time. The table shows the top 15 container ports in the European Union in 2017 based on container throughput expressed in TEU. It also includes container growth figures compared to 2016 and pre-crisis year 2007. What do the figures reveal? Top 15:...
European Port Policy
Med ports in the European port system: which competitive games between north & south?
What is the role of Med ports in the European port system? PortEconomics member Francesco Parola analysed the competitive games between north and south ports during his intervention at the Port Summit organised by Voka in Antwerp. Francesco's presentation includes a discussion: The port ranges in Europe and the heterogeneous background The North-South competition The inland market areas: a growing contestability? The key med countries and EU corridors The potential game changers Francesco's presentation is freely...
European Port Policy