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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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Why ports should be managed like airports
"An effective management model to bring down costs can be gleaned from the airport industry". That is the central argument of a viewpoint article by Peter de Langen and Periklis Saragiotis - published at the blogs page of Brookings Insitute, and PortEconomics.eu. The viewpoint: Why ports should be managed like airports Sea transport is the cheapest form of transport and more than 75 percent of international merchandise is carried by vessels. Yet, costs are still substantially higher than they should be. This is especially evident in...
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GREPORT2016: Report on Greek ports
With total throughput 6.36 million tonnes of dry bulk cargo, 3.98 million TEUs, 28.23 million coastal passengers and 2.07 cruise passengers in 2014, Greek ports are important actors in local, national and regional level. In 2014, their turnover exceeded the €326 million. GREPORT 2016, the Report on Greek Ports by PortEconomics members Thanos Pallis and George Vaggelas is the first comprehensive record and analysis of the developments of the Greek port industry over the last decade. The port study, published by Port &...
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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...
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The Analyst: commercial not political decision-making
COMMENT: Port reform processes gradually lead to a port industry where port authorities remain under government ownership, but have autonomy, are financially self-sustaining and operate as port development companies, writes Peter de Langen. In this framework, these port authorities are, like many airport companies, state owned enterprises, or SOEs. The good news is that there is an increasing understanding of how and how not to manage SOEs. The bad news is that some of these insights are not being applied to the ports industry. Take the...
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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...
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The top-5 strategy errors made by ports
By Peter de Langen and Jonas Mendes Constante After many years advising companies from different sectors about creating and executing their strategic plans, we have witnessed both good and bad decisions - not necessarily in equal order. Here, we outline the five most common mistakes that port authorities and terminals companies make. First up, it is important to remember that the strategic plan is a document, not a process. A strategic plan can only create results if its goals are widely shared and incorporated by all departments, and if...
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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...
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