Guest co-editors:  Douglas N. Hales and Jasmine Siu Lee Lam

Global shipping has experienced huge changes over the past decade. It began with the shipping boom prior to 2007, radically slowing during the recession period, but picking up again in late 2013. But over the past 18 months, shipping has slowed again, while the industry is continuing to increase capacity. This cycle has changed the way in which seaports compete and the investments they attract for expansion.  Prices for multi-model, intermodal, and port services have cycled accordingly while the demand for high service levels increased.  However, since early 2015 global shipping has slowed, creating excess capacity, and driving down container shipping prices, some routes as much as 75%.  This has created a shift in how global seaports compete and their effect on intermodal and multi-modal services. The purpose of this special themed issue on global shipping and ports is to examine how the shift in global trade has affected global shipping and port competitiveness and performance including shipping and port services, multi-modal shipping, hinterland services, intermodal carriers, and linkages to short-sea shipping, as well as how shipping and ports respond to sustain their competitiveness. This themed issue is designed to examine the effects of the change in shipping and port competitiveness, their long term economic sustainability by creating and advancing new theory, testing existing theory, and examining application through empirical studies.

Submitted papers for the themed issue should emphasize a primary research question that addresses the change in shipping and port competitiveness, their supporting infrastructure, as well as changes in the ports to attract new customers, how they view future investments, and how they address economic sustainability. Manuscripts should utilize a robust methodology that contributes to theory advancement, theory testing, empirical application, and analytics. All methodological approaches are welcome, but those using a multi-method approach are especially encouraged. The special issue is not limited to commercial applications, but also includes charitable and humanitarian logistics.

Examples of topics include, but are not limited to:

• Shipping Services and Competitiveness
• New Theory Development or Theory Testing in Port Competition
• Balanced Theory of Port Competitiveness Applications
• Seaport Sustainability – Future Viability Resource Dependency Theory Applications
• Humanitarian Supply Chains
• Port Risk Management
• Containerization or Bulk Cargo
• Military Applications
• Carrier or Shipper Issues
• Intermodal and Multi-modal Logistics
• Distribution & Warehousing Networks Linked to Ports
• Port Services and Port Innovation
• World Bank Investment in Ports & Public-Private Partnerships

The themed issued will be the Summer 2018 issue.

Manuscripts should be submitted to www.editorialmanager.com/TransJour no later than August 31, 2017 for consideration.

Please refer to the following link for author and submission guidelines.

The Transportation Journal has been the leading journal of logistics and supply chain-related transportation research for over 50 years.

Co-editors:

Douglas N. Hales, Guest Co-Editor

University of Rhode Island

Email: [email protected]

and

Jasmine Siu Lee Lam, Guest Co-Editor

Nanyang Technological University

Email: [email protected]