Viewpoints
Viewpoints
Viewpoints
PortVideo: evolution of container volumes in European ports, 1985-2018
An animated portgraphic created by PortEconomics member and co-director Theo Notteboom shows the evolution of container volumes in European ports between 1985 and 2018.
Viewpoints
Game of leapfrog in the Mediterranean
Reform didn't advance quickly enough, with the public sector remaining the major player at Piraeus until the arrival of COSCO in October 2009. Prior to that, Piraeus Port Authority had been the sole port operator, with the Greek State holding the 74.14% of the shares and the remaining 25.86% being traded on the Athens Stock Exchange. As such, Piraeus port was operated as a state company, which had an impact on its performance. It was handicapped by over-staffing, reduced operational efficiency and a business strategy focused mainly on...
Viewpoints
The Analyst: meeting tomorrow's labour demands
By Peter de Langen Providing a series of training sessions for the European Transport Workers’ Federation allowed me and fellow members of the knowledge-dissemination platform www.porteconomics.eu to develop and discuss ideas on the future of labour in ports. In my case, this took shape in the context of a global discussion on the viability of a ‘post-work’ future. The main claim of the ‘post-work’ advocates is that we need to move towards a society where work takes a less central place. While people will obviously continue...
Viewpoints
Future maritime trade flows
By invitation, PortEconomics member Jean-Paul Rodrigue took part in a OECD/IFT Roundtable on Future maritime trade flows, held in Paris, and included 30 members of government, industry and academia. The two days were divided in five sessions covering selected topics, including the changing demand for maritime trade, costs and trade flows, maritime business strategies, infrastructures and the North Sea Route. A large array of issues were discussed and Jean-Paul Rodrigue summarises what has retained his attention. Future Maritime Trade...
Viewpoints
Ports in the new manufacturing landscape
The association between ports and manufacturing has constantly evolved through technological and economic changes. Prior to containerization, there were strong linkages between ports and heavy industrial activities, and indirectly with lighter forms of manufacturing. Many ports were a combination of commercial and warehousing activities requiring a large amount of labour, while other ports focused on transshipping bulk commodities with the related heavy industrial activities. Manufacturing activities are influenced in their...
Viewpoints
The Analyst: circular space opportunities
By Peter de Langen There is a clear transition towards a circular economy, where materials and components are reused or recycled at the end of their lifecycle, and this transition has important consequences for supply chains, ranging from the way products are designed to the business models of companies. Ports as transport nodes and as locations for logistics and manufacturing activities will be affected by the transition towards the circular economy. On the downside, ports handle huge volumes of non-renewable primary resources; the...
Viewpoints
PortGraphic: the global container terminals operators in top 20 European ports
By Theo Notteboom Interesting times in the container terminal business in Europe. PSA International together with Polish sovereign wealth fund PFR and IFM Investors have agreed a deal with Macquarie to buy DCT Gdansk, the number 15 container port in Europe. Also, MSC has plans to strengthen its ownership position in Medcenter Container Terminal (Gioia Tauro). In the past two years, there has been quite some activity in the terminal industry. For example, Cosco Shipping Ports got involved in Zeebrugge (Belgium) and Noatum Port holdings...
Viewpoints
The Analyst: bold move or shortsighted?
By Peter de Langen At the end of 2018, the Danish municipality of Kolding, the owner of Port of Kolding and the landlord port development company, decided to shut down the commercial port with a transition period of 25 years. That deserves a WOW. It also begs questions: is this a bold visionary move to be applauded? Is it likely to be replicated elsewhere? Does it have repercussions for the way we think about the ownership of state-owned port companies? From a public policy perspective, the core question is whether or not closing...
Viewpoints