Thematic Area
Thematic Area
Thematic Area
Container terminal automation: a global analysis on decision-making drivers, benefits realized, and stakeholder support
The METRANS Transportation Center has released the full study on "Container Terminal Automation" developed by PortEconomics members Geraldine Knatz, Theo Notteboom & Thanos Pallis In the past decade, container terminal automation has become a key theme in terminal development and operations. The progressive introduction of semi- and fully-automated terminal systems is driven, among other reasons, by the need for operations standardization, reduction in manning and increase in productivity. Yet, only certain terminals will fit the...
Thematic Area
Piraeus port privatisation revisited: geopolitical leverage in maritime transport and global supply chains
PortEconomics co-directors Thanos Pallis and Peter de Langen had the opportunity to present their current portstudy in progress on geopolitical leverage in maritime transport and global supply chains at the workshop on Globalization, Shipping and Trade, organized in Paris on October 12, 2023. Globalized production entails large flows of goods that are for 80% of them shipped over the seas. It is, therefore, essential to understanding the motivation of all stakeholders participating in the maritime transport of goods and their interaction...
Thematic Area
China’s investments in seaports along the maritime silk road
by Thanos Pallispublished in Naftemporiki (ed). Focus on Shipping, 28 Sept, 2023 Chinese investments in European seaports have increased rapidly in the 21st century. This increase is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – in particular, its maritime component, the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) – and is among the economic and geopolitical effects of China’s growing role in global affairs. Seaports are crucial pivots connecting a national economy with the world economy. Historically, however, China was a land power;...
Thematic Area
Circular Economy to be fully integrated in ‘Port Economics, Management and Policy’, a global leading reference handbook
PortEconomics members Theo Notteboom (Gent University/University of Antwerp/Antwerp Maritime Academy, Belgium), Athanasios Pallis (University of Piraeus, Greece), and Jean-Paul Rodrigue (Hofstra University, New York, US) – authors of the Port Economics, Management and Policy handbook – partner with Circular Flanders. Supported by Circular Flanders, the team of leading scholars will examine the potential and the role of ports in circular economy implementation and the impacts of the circular...
Thematic Area
As expected, large containerships are arriving in Latin America
By Ricardo J. Sánchez, Daniel E. Perrotti & Ma. Alejandra Gómez-Paz Fort In the business of containerised cargo international logistics, which connects domestic and global economies, the ships' sizes have direct implications in the decision-making process for logistics and trade. Business, financial, operational, and public decisions on infrastructure, logistics services, and territorial planning partly revolve around issues such as the size and technology of ships and the allocation of resources that shipping companies decide for...
Thematic Area
IAPH World Ports Tracker Q2 2023: more port calls with less cargo, truck driver shortages appear; overall liner trade connectivity improves
IAPH has released its fifth edition of the World Ports Tracker for quarter 2 of 2023, which contains the most comprehensive situation report on economic activity by ports themselves, as well as by using S&P Global container market intelligence data and now UNCTAD-MDST’s liner shipping connectivity index, both on container trade trends. PortEconomics co-directors Theo Notteboom and Thanos Pallis are the authors of the IAPH World Ports Tracker included in the analysis of UNCTAD-MDST Liner Shipping Connectivity Index (LSCI) on top of the...
Thematic Area
The Analyst: Amsterdam’s bold move on cruise may be a missed opportunity to promote sustainable cruise tourism
By Peter de Langen Amsterdam’s city council has approved a plan to ban cruise from Amsterdam’s city center. Another bold move from a port that some years ago took the decision to phase out the handling of coal by 2030. While I was (in a previous column in Port Strategy) and continue to be positive about the decision on coal, in my view the ban on cruise is shortsighted. For very understandable reasons, Amsterdam aims to reduce the negative impacts associated with tourism. But negative effects from tourism are not a given, and they...
Thematic Area
Top-15 European container ports, H1 2023
PortEconomics co-director Theo Notteboom provides insight on the EU container port landscape in the first half of 2023: Most top 15 #container #ports in the #European #Union show a moderate to strong year-on-year decline in TEU throughput in H1 2023. For quite a few ports, these negative figures come on top of the traffic losses incurred in 2022. The economic slowdown is reflected in the handled container volumes. Only Piraeus and Gioia Tauro show a TEU growth. Ports of Genoa and Algeciras recorded a small drop. A traffic loss of 5.6%...
Thematic Area