Thematic Area
Thematic Area
Thematic Area
The leading global container terminal operators in the top 15 EU container ports
PortEconomics member Theo Notteboom reviews the presence of the leading global container terminal operators in the top 15 EU container ports (based on 2022 TEU figures). The blue boxes refer to all types of direct or indirect terminal involvement: full ownership, joint venture or a majority or minority shareholding. A distinction is made between carrier-linked (bottom) and non carrier-linked (top) terminal operators. The table puts the current controversy in Hamburg on MSC’s offer to buy a 49.9% share in HHLA, Hamburg's largest...
Thematic Area
International freight transport: exports no longer China’s Achilles heel
In the anniversary magazine ’10 years of Flows’, PortEconomics member Theo Notteboom highlights trade between the West and China in an interview with Flow's editor-in-chief Koen Dejaeger. These flows of goods form the backbone of container traffic in the world today. How did they originate, and how will they evolve as geopolitical tensions mount? The role China has played in the development of international freight transport cannot be overstated. Today, the geopolitical power blocs are increasingly opposing each other; a tense...
Thematic Area
Conversation: rethinking port economics
PortEocnomics members Gordon Wilmsmeier and Jason Monios will be hosted at @ Connecting Ports - The Live Talk Show by HPC Hamburg Port Consulting GmbH this Wednesday - 13th December @14:00 CET (08:00 Colombia - GMT). Why should we rethink port economics? Are we ready to "finally" internalize external costs? Why should we explore degrowth scenarios? We live in an environment where disruptive and less controllable events are becoming more common. We argue that traditional concepts that aim to overcome disruptions and return to business as...
Thematic Area
Mobility in European container port rankings
PortEconomics members Pierre Cariou and Jason Monios, joined by Gabriel Figueiredo de Oliveira (University of Toulon, France), investigated the changes in European container port rankings to determine if and how a new dynamic phase can follow a phase of maturity in a container port range. Their portstudy examines mobility in ranking from 2000 to 2019 and sheds light on the influence of neighbouring ports in a range as well as the level of maturity of each range. Findings from three different methods (Gini coefficient...
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