Dynamics of change in the port system of the western Mediterranean

The ports of Mediterranean basin have experienced significant growth in container traffic over the last decade. In the western Mediterranean two distinct types of port have emerged: the established ports of the northern part of the basin which serve a gateway function and a set of new ports in the south which act as transhipment hubs. In this paper we explore the dynamics of change and reveal how growth is driven by shifts in individual trades. While the hub ports are integrated into Asian pendulum services, the gateway ports are experiencing growth because of new direct services to Asia and North America. We suggest that the distinctions between the transhipment hubs and the gateway ports are becoming blurred, especially because the gateway ports are also assuming greater transhipment roles. We also explore whether this new dynamism in the Mediterranean ports is reversing the long-standing hinterland domination of the ports of the northern range. We demonstrate that the gateway ports of the western Mediterranean continue to serve local and regional markets, with very limited penetration north of the Alps and Pyrenees. This is due in part to difficulties with rail services but also because of the continued efficiency of the northern range ports and their hinterland connections. We suggest that in the short run, at least, little change is likely.     

Italian ports: towards a new governance?

The adoption in 1994 of the law n. 84 introducing the landlord port model marked the starting point of a prime period for the Italian port industry. It contributed to the national port industry renaissance: Italian ports became again the leaders in the Mediterranean basin, both as gateway ports and as transhipment ports. Looking back to its 15 years of enforcement, critical aspects and weaknesses have been observed. The incentive to reflect on the governance structure of ports and on the changes affecting the whole logistics transport chain is driven by the relative and absolute loss of position of Italian ports with respect to their competitors of the North as well as of the South European range (and the ports of Northern Africa which are expected to compete fiercely in the coming future). Considering only the container traffic, from 2003 to 2008 the market share of Italian ports decreased from 20.7% to 15.7% in favor of its main European competitors. The loss of attractiveness of Italian harbors is a clear symptom of the several difficulties national ports face in dealing with the rapid changes affecting the port industry. This paper discusses the bill presented by the Italian Government concerning the ports governance reform.     

Competition for transhipment containers by major ports in Southeast Asia: slot capacity analysis

Container ports in Southeast Asia accounted for an estimated 30.0% of the world's transhipment traffic in 2004. The share of the region's transhipment trade was forecasted to increase to 32.5% in 2015. The potential offered by this large and expanding market encouraged major container terminal operators located in Port Klang, Singapore and Tanjung Pelepas to compete intensively for this business by attracting major container shipping lines that operated along key east-west sailing routes to hub at their terminals.

This paper analyses the annual slot capacity connected to the three selected ports that was deployed by all the container shipping lines in 1999-2004. The data are computed and categorized based on shipping trade routes. The study aims to shed light on port competition in Southeast Asia for transhipment containers by an in-depth and quantitative analysis.

The analysis finds that competition from Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas had a negative impact on Singapore's transhipment performance. Although Singapore continued to enjoy a dominant position as the premier transhipment hub in the region in terms of market share by both transhipment throughput and annualized slot capacity, the evidence suggested that its hold on the market appeared to be slipping, albeit gradually. Overall, Tanjung Pelepas is expected to pose the strongest challenge to Singapore's transhipment hub ambitions. Managerial implications for the ports are drawn.     

Port competitiveness in container traffic from an internal point of view: the experience of the Port of Algeciras Bay

The objective of this article is to analyse the factors that affect port competitiveness from the perspective of the agents and companies that operate in one of the Mediterranean ports most active in container traffic: the Port of Algeciras Bay (PAB). It is essential to understand the perspective of the suppliers of port services, in order to apply the necessary judgment when formulating policies to strengthen the competitive position of a port. The model selected to meet the objective outlined is based on the 'extended diamond' of Porter. The universe for the study comprises all the institutions and companies involved in the containerization process in the Port of Algeciras Bay. Within this methodology, two procedures are utilised. First, from the quantitative perspective, a survey has been conducted to obtain responses to two groups of questions, one dealing with situation and the other with perceptions. Second, and from a qualitative perspective, several open interviews have been conducted to corroborate the responses obtained to the questionnaire. From the data obtained in the survey, a model has been estimated that minimises the sum of the residuals in absolute value, utilizing the L1 regression; this model enables the competitive advantages and disadvantages of the PAB, from the point of view of the port operators, to be determined by an analysis of residuals. This analysis demonstrates that the variables representing greater competitive advantages are associated with trans-shipment, and with the maritime accessibility of the Port to vessels, whereas those generating greater disadvantages are associated with rail transport (which, according to those surveyed, has resulted in the diversion of significant volumes of traffic to other Spanish or European ports with better communications, particularly Valencia, Barcelona and Gioia-Tauro, and with the state of competition in container trans-shipment activities.     

Port competitiveness in container traffic from an internal point of view: the experience of the Port of Algeciras Bay

The objective of this article is to analyse the factors that affect port competitiveness from the perspective of the agents and companies that operate in one of the Mediterranean ports most active in container traffic: the Port of Algeciras Bay (PAB). It is essential to understand the perspective of the suppliers of port services, in order to apply the necessary judgment when formulating policies to strengthen the competitive position of a port. The model selected to meet the objective outlined is based on the ‘extended diamond’ of Porter. The universe for the study comprises all the institutions and companies involved in the containerization process in the Port of Algeciras Bay. Within this methodology, two procedures are utilised. First, from the quantitative perspective, a survey has been conducted to obtain responses to two groups of questions, one dealing with situation and the other with perceptions. Second, and from a qualitative perspective, several open interviews have been conducted to corroborate the responses obtained to the questionnaire. From the data obtained in the survey, a model has been estimated that minimises the sum of the residuals in absolute value, utilizing the L1 regression; this model enables the competitive advantages and disadvantages of the PAB, from the point of view of the port operators, to be determined by an analysis of residuals. This analysis demonstrates that the variables representing greater competitive advantages are associated with trans-shipment, and with the maritime accessibility of the Port to vessels, whereas those generating greater disadvantages are associated with rail transport (which, according to those surveyed, has resulted in the diversion of significant volumes of traffic to other Spanish or European ports with better communications, particularly Valencia, Barcelona and Gioia-Tauro, and with the state of competition in container trans-shipment activities.     

上海港将成为东北亚转运中心

由于缺少集装箱深水港,每年我国沿海都有大量的集装箱从釜山港、高雄港等转运。上海洋山深水港区的建设将打破这个格局。随着洋山深水港区投入营运,将能保证第五代、第六代集装箱船全天候进出。凭借经济腹地优势和箱源优势,上海港将成为亚洲最重要的集装箱航线交汇港。随着上海港的发展,吸引韩国釜山、日本的货物从上海港中转将成为可能。因此,上海港可以像新加坡和香港一样发展成为东北亚轴辐式转运中心和航运交汇式转运中心。     

Next generation mega container ports: implications of traffic composition on sea space demand

ABSTRACT

Demand for sea space brought about by increasing container-shipping traffic has important implications on how this space is managed and used. This is particularly important given the long-term nature, high-asset specificity, high- opportunity cost of investment, and significant economic impact of container port activity on a locality. The challenge is especially pressing for ports, which are facing constraints in seaside capacity where container traffic also has to co-exist with the needs of other types of ship traffic. This challenge is likely be multiplied for next generation container ports, which are expected to handle even larger traffic volumes. These ports are also likely to face competing sea space demands from other economic and social activities especially when they are concurrently major confluences of trade, logistics, and urban populations. This is the first research to investigate in detail the impact and importance of investigating sea space requirements from the perspective of cargo traffic composition and ship capacity. Results show that transshipment containers can generate much higher demand for sea space due to the higher volume of shipping capacity that accompanies such traffic. Sustainability issues and managerial and policy implications pertaining to the development of next generation container ports are provided.     

Multicommodity network flow model for Asia's container ports

This paper seeks to develop a multi-commodity network model to analyse the flow of containers within the Asia Pacific context. The model is used to evaluate the impact of container throughput in Asia's port by varying terminal handling charges and turnaround time. The three main regions analysed are north-east Asia, east Asia (Chinese port region) and south east Asia. Using the model, it could be shown that Busan port, which is an important transhipment hub in north-east Asia, could boost the container activities in the north-eastern part of China by improving its service quality. It is also found that the efficiency of the land link between Hong Kong and mainland China plays a crucial role for the future of Hong Kong port. While Singapore port maintains its position as a transhipment hub in south-east Asia, there would be expected competition from neighbouring low costs ports.     

Multicommodity network flow model for Asia's container ports

This paper seeks to develop a multi-commodity network model to analyse the flow of containers within the Asia Pacific context. The model is used to evaluate the impact of container throughput in Asia's port by varying terminal handling charges and turnaround time. The three main regions analysed are north-east Asia, east Asia (Chinese port region) and south east Asia. Using the model, it could be shown that Busan port, which is an important transhipment hub in north-east Asia, could boost the container activities in the north-eastern part of China by improving its service quality. It is also found that the efficiency of the land link between Hong Kong and mainland China plays a crucial role for the future of Hong Kong port. While Singapore port maintains its position as a transhipment hub in south-east Asia, there would be expected competition from neighbouring low costs ports.     

The size effect of a port on the container handling efficiency level and market share in internation transshipment flow

This study examines the relationship between the size of a port, its efficiency increase and the performance growth in the transshipment market. The hypothesis tested is that the bigger size of a port would increase the market share of the port in container transshipment; only when the size effect guarantees better ‘relative’ container handling efficiency in competing port system where the port belongs. To verify the hypothesis, this study carries out two analyses. First, the overall efficiency change of major Asian ports is examined through stochastic frontier analysis (SFA)—this produces the relative efficiency indices of the ports. Second, the relationship between efficiency indices and container transshipment volumes is studied through panel data analysis. From these analyses, it is observed that larger Asian ports show better cargo handling efficiency in relative terms; they also record bigger market share in container transshipment, while the size effect of the ports starts to play a factor when the annual container throughput reaches 5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).     

巴布亚新几内亚科考瑞港集装箱吞吐量预测

为评估新建巴布亚新几内亚科考瑞港的建设规模,构建由回归分析模型、腹地集装箱运输需求重力模型、多目标港口模糊评价模型和基于Logit模型的港口选择模型4部分组成的综合预测方法。对巴布亚新几内亚科考瑞港的腹地集装箱运输需求进行预测;并对腹地省份在不同港口的集装箱运量进行测算,从而科学合理地预测科考瑞港的集装箱吞吐量,为实施项目的必要性提供支持。该预测方法使用较少的基础数据即可比较科学客观地预测新建港口的集装箱吞吐量,能够较好地解决在不发达国家或地区统计资料缺失、安全局势不稳定导致腹地调研困难等情况下的吞吐量预测问题,为海外港口的建设、咨询项目提供帮助。     

杭甬运河集装箱港口布局方案研究

运用层次分析法对杭甬运河集装箱港口布局进行规划研究,通过对港口腹地经济环境、集疏运网络、港口资源、港口服务管理水平、港口地理位置和投资等因素的权重分析,得到了以杭州港区为杭甬运河的主枢纽港,宁波海河联运港区和绍兴港区为重要港口,萧山港区、柯桥港区、上虞港区和余姚港区为一般港口的布局方案,其中主枢纽港和重要港口应以建设集装箱专用码头为主,其余应建设多用途码头。其结果对杭甬运河集装箱运输的发展具有重要的参考意义。     

The evolution of containerization in East Asia

This paper examines the development and growth of container traffic in the Asia-Pacific region. It is hypothesised that containerization is losing its national character as the geography of container transport changes port hierarchies where only a few ports have become locationally favorable. The organizatioon of the paper is straightforward. First, the development and growth of container traffic in the Asia-Pacific region is examined in order to provide understanding of changes associated with containerization. Second, the role of selected Asian-Pacific ports as key economic players is reviewed, and container development in each port is analysed so as to measure the differences explaining the position of Asian-Pacific ports in the maritime system. Third, the degree of concentration and competition that exist among the container ports of the region is analysed with a view to evaluate what rate of expansion can be expected in the foreseeable future that will shape the network of the container market in the region. The paper concludes on a possible research agenda.     

Port e-Transformation,customer satisfaction and competitiveness

ABSTRACT

e-Transformation in container ports means port organization-wide innovative transformation encompassing internal and external value chains based on information and communication technology. There is a considerable theoretical literature on the impact of e-Transformation on business performance, but there is very little empirical study on its effectiveness in ports. The objective of this paper is to empirically investigate how e-Transformation in container port management can influence customer satisfaction and port competitiveness. The findings reveal that e-Transformation in container ports can affect customer satisfaction and port competitiveness through e-Workplace, customer relationship management and security, implying that container ports should make every effort to focus on e-transformation in these critical areas. Due to limited empirical studies in this area, the findings have provided an empirical support for the importance of e-Transformation in container terminal management and shed more light on how e-Transformation can affect customer satisfaction and port competitiveness.     

Cruise Traffic Seasonality Patterns in the Western Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea: A Challenge to Port Operators

The positive trend in the cruise industry since the beginning of the twenty-first century brings with it a series of challenges, mainly for cruise lines and ports. Among them is the seasonality of cruise traffic. This study examines the seasonality of the cruise traffic in the Western Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea. A sample of 26 ports in 7 countries forms the basis of the empirical analysis, which uses the monthly total cruise passenger movements of each port during the period from 2005 to 2015 as a variable. Methodologically, a “dynamic” classification of ports structured in three sizes is proposed, the seasonality pattern of each port is determined, a cluster analysis is applied to group the ports in clusters with homogeneous patterns, and the changes in seasonal concentration during the analysis period are determined using a Gini coefficient. The main findings suggest the heterogeneity of the ports in the analyzed area and the existence of two clusters with different seasonality patterns. Furthermore, a list of strategies is provided to address the negative effects of cruise traffic seasonality in the management of cruise terminals, taking into account that each cluster obtained requires different strategies.     

Container terminals in South Korea: problems and panaceas

Korea has achieved remarkable economic growth over the last three decades. This has largely been due to the adoption of export-oriented economic policies. This economic development has resulted in a rapid increase in export and import cargos. Since the foreign trade of Korea is carried predominantly by sea transport (approximately 99.8% in terms of volume), ports play a crucial role in this process. Although recent port developments are aimed at keeping pace with ever-growing seaborne cargoes, problems persist, especially insufficient port capacity and inefficient management and operations. As a consequence, the ports of Korea suffer from serious port congestion. This problem is particularly acute in Pusan, the fifth largest container port in the world. In the past, all ports in Korea were controlled and administered by the Korea Maritime and Port Administration which was a public port authority. In August 1996, the Korean government established a new government organization, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), with a remit to control and manage its seaports and other related activities and to improve management efficiency in the maritime area. As a way of solving problems related to port congestion and other sources of inefficiency, the new MMAF has launched several new port development schemes. In this context, this paper will discuss (1) the extent of congestion in Korean ports, especially Pusan, the major seaport of the country; and (2) governmental and commercial reaction to solving the problems, including measures such as new port development schemes aimed at attracting private and foreign finance. From this analysis, a strategy for port development in developing countries may be inferred.     

An empirical study of the impacts of operating and market conditions on container-port efficiency and benchmarking

Despite the growing amount of research on container-port efficiency and benchmarking, the literature on the subject is yet to provide stable and consistent results across researchers and in relation to dynamic operating and market conditions. In this paper, we formulate a number of operational hypotheses to test the sensitivity of benchmarking results to port market and operating conditions namely production scale, cargo mix, transhipment ratio, operating configurations, and working procedures. A series of data envelopment analysis (DEA) models are used to measure the operational efficiency of 420 container terminal decision-making units from 2004 till 2010. The results show that variations in operating conditions highly impact terminal efficiency and that future work on container-port performance and benchmarking should take into account the structure and mechanisms underpinning the operations of container ports and terminals.     

The Caribbean basin: adjusting to global trends in containerization

Positioned strategically between major east–west and north–south trading routes, the Caribbean basin has become a locus of new service configurations in container shipping. Over the last decade global shipping lines have been restructuring their service networks in the region in order to integrate local services with the newly rationalized intercontinental connections. By comparing service network structures in 1994 and 2002 at three levels of organization—local, regional and global—we are able to show that although Caribbean ports are well connected to the global system, and while the total number of services has declined between the two years, those mounted by members of global alliances have increased. Moreover, services of the global carriers at the local and regional levels are on the increase. As much as the alliances are reshaping Caribbean networks, the smaller carriers are still playing a role, but at a reduced spatial scale. Parallel with the modifications to network configurations are the changes in the port system. Essentially, traffic of the most important ports in the north and western part of the basin has grown at slower rates than the ports in the south and east. These traffic changes are only partly related to network changes. It is the growth of transshipments that is driving the most important developments in port traffic and bringing to the forefront the development of hub ports. The most important are: Colon, Panama (southwest), Freeport, Bahamas (north), Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (southeast), Kingston, Jamaica and Rio Haina, Dominican Republic (middle), and Cartagena, Colombia and Puerto Cabello, Venezuela (south).     

The Caribbean basin: adjusting to global trends in containerization

Positioned strategically between major east-west and north-south trading routes, the Caribbean basin has become a locus of new service configurations in container shipping. Over the last decade global shipping lines have been restructuring their service networks in the region in order to integrate local services with the newly rationalized intercontinental connections. By comparing service network structures in 1994 and 2002 at three levels of organization—local, regional and global—we are able to show that although Caribbean ports are well connected to the global system, and while the total number of services has declined between the two years, those mounted by members of global alliances have increased. Moreover, services of the global carriers at the local and regional levels are on the increase. As much as the alliances are reshaping Caribbean networks, the smaller carriers are still playing a role, but at a reduced spatial scale. Parallel with the modifications to network configurations are the changes in the port system. Essentially, traffic of the most important ports in the north and western part of the basin has grown at slower rates than the ports in the south and east. These traffic changes are only partly related to network changes. It is the growth of transshipments that is driving the most important developments in port traffic and bringing to the forefront the development of hub ports. The most important are: Colon, Panama (southwest), Freeport, Bahamas (north), Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (southeast), Kingston, Jamaica and Rio Haina, Dominican Republic (middle), and Cartagena, Colombia and Puerto Cabello, Venezuela (south).     

集装箱港区交通量计算模式探讨及道路系统的适应性分析

针对集装箱港区吞吐量增长给港区公路集疏运系统所带来的压力,研究公路交通量与集装箱公路集疏运量的关系。通过建立集装箱港区公路交通量的计算模式,并借助交通工程学的有关理论分析港口道路集疏运系统的适应性。本计算模式可指导集装箱港区公路集疏运系统的规划设计,保证集装箱港区公路集疏运系统的顺畅,为类似工程提供参考。