Public vs private management of public utilities - The case of urban public transport in Europe

This paper analyses the determinants of the performance differential between the private and public management of urban public transport in Europe. Our analysis supports the view that private management is associated with a lower operating cost. We show, however, that the size of the costs' differential can depend on the interaction of the local authorities' capacity for expertise and the private operators' autonomy margin. In particular, we show that, in certain situations, there might be little difference in operating costs. Thus, in terms of total costs (production and transaction costs), no systematic advantages should be expected from private management.     

The impact of muddy bottoms in ports

Ports are drivers of regional and of countries’ economic development. Most ports are built close to coastlines, where waters are shallower and tend to suffer from deposit sedimentation processes, which reduce depths in operational areas. In presence of shallow waters and sedimentation, ports must decide whether to dredge or not, where both decisions have significant impacts on ports’ annual incomes. Nevertheless, there are seabeds, namely muddy bottoms, in which vessels can navigate with a safety degree. This paper aims at investigating the extent to which the theoretical knowledge of vessel’s control in muddy waters is valid at a certain nautical bottom, as defined by the Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (since 2009 the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure but the acronym stays PIANC) and its impact on port economics. To achieve the proposed objective, an email survey was sent to worldwide pilots that manoeuvre ships in muddy waters. The survey validated the theoretical knowledge, showed that navigation in muddy waters is possible, that it can contribute to reduce ports’ operational costs, and that the subject can be rather controversial.     

农民工在港口演绎另类人生

时至岁末,农民工问题再度进入人们视野。调查显示,目前,仅跨地区流动的农民工就有1亿人;在第二产业就业的农业户口劳动力已占57%,有些行业中农业户口的从业人员已占相当高的比重。但农民工受到侵害的现象却日益严重:拖欠工资,工作环境恶劣,工伤事故频发,农民工欲诉无门,正规劳动合同难签,签了的合同也不规范,甚至出现了“生死合同”,劳动报酬低,没有社会保障,生活条件差等等。相对于大多数农民工的无助与无奈,港口农民工的情况却让我们眼前一亮。沿海地区的港口企业,把对待农民工的人性化管理,纳入到“以人为本,人才强港”的企业文化之中,在吸纳农民工并逐步将其转为产业工人方面,做出了令人感佩的探索,诠释了一个负责任大港的社会价值观。     

自动化新技术在港口的应用与发展

<正>信息化、自动化技术在港口的应用,是建设现代化港口的重要内容,也是衡量港口科技进步和现代化水平的重要标志。然而,在当代科学技术飞速发展和自动化技术水平不断提高的今天,如何结合国情、港情,明确自动化的内涵,从而更好地应用这些先进技术,为建设现代化港口服务,才是我们追求的目标。     

安全港口的法律问题

随着国际海上运输业务的发展，各航运公司的租船营运也越来越普遍，本文是想通过对期租和程租两种情况下，有关“安全港口”的责任期间及责任归属等问题的探讨，希望能够与各位船长和同行达成共识。     

美国的绿色港口之路

美国各大港口正面临着巨大的塞港压力,必须迅速发展以满足当前及未来的贸易需求。由于多数港口在市区,空气和水质问题使得港口运作和扩建变得越来越复杂。美国各港口应对这一挑战的办法是把环保理念纳入到日常运作和对未来码头的设计和建设中去。这不仅来自联邦政府、各州政府、环保部门和环保社团日益加大力度的监管,而且也来自各港口本身,港口要求自己管理环保。     

墨西哥集装箱港口

1集装箱港口位置 墨西哥主要集装箱港口有太平洋沿岸的Ensenada（恩塞纳达港）,LazaroCardenas（拉萨罗-卡德纳斯港）和Manzanillo（曼萨尼约港）及墨西哥湾（大西洋沿岸）的Veracruz（韦拉克鲁斯港）和Tampico（坦皮科港）,具体位置见图1。     

NAFTA and Canadian ports

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by Canada, the U.S.A. and Mexico and which came into effect on 1 January 1994, is a significant move towards further integration of the North American economies. This paper examines the likely impact of NAFTA on Canadian ports. Three channels of impact are identified. First, there are direct impacts on trade flows between Canada and its North American trading partners. In this regard we find that ports do not typically handle the types of products that are likely to be affected by NAFTA, and so the direct impacts may be minimal. Second, and more significantly, port catchment areas are likely to undergo substantial changes as they respond to a more competitive environment within the free trade area. Third, the transportation sector has itself been included in NAFTA, and Canadian ports will face increased competition from land based transportation modes. We conclude that ports in Canada must learn to work more consciously as agents of regional economic development.     

温州港口业:扬起城市经济发展的龙头

温州港的快速扩张和临港工业的壮大，使城市的产业格局和经济格局悄然发生变化。商业型、加工型、消费型小城市逐步被新兴港口工业城市所取代，显然，港口业的龙头地位不可或缺。本文通过调研论证，提出加快港口发展和拉动临港工业措施与建议。     

澳大利亚港口对船舶通道及船梯的要求

介绍了澳大利亚海事局发布的货物装卸设备的修正案中有关甲板通道,货舱通道的要求。建议在船舶设计阶段就要考虑该修正案,以避免码头方面拒绝卸货的情况发生。     

Analysing training and education in ports

The quality and availability of labour is important for the performance of ports. Insights from cluster theories are relevant for analysing training and education in ports, as ports can be regarded as clusters. In general, labour in clusters is relatively mobile, education services in clusters are relatively good and employees have a high willingness to invest in specific skills. However, skilled and talented labour still may be scarce, especially in regions with tight labour markets. Thus, in many clusters, including port clusters, firms and governments actively aim to improve the quality of labour. This paper presents an analysis of these efforts of firms and governments to improve the quality of the labour force in three seaport clusters. In this paper the concept of a ‘training and education regime’ is presented as an approach to analyse efforts of firms and governments to improve the quality and availability of labour. Important results of three case studies include first, the observation that the quality of training and education regime differs substantially between clusters. Second, the presence of aregime manager in Rotterdam adds to the quality of Rotterdam’s training and education regime. Such an organisation may be effective across countries and clusters. Finally, the presence ofleader firms, willing to invest in training and education also improves an education regime.     

The problems faced by Indian ports today

Indian ports require substantial physical modernization, but their poor performance can also be attributed to administrative problems. Institutional change is both a necessary condition for privatization and one of its principal benefits.     

Towards a common ports policy? EU-proposals and the ports industry's perceptions

This paper discusses the European Union's (EU) proposals to improve the efficiency and infrastructure of European ports, and investigates the extent to which these proposals are welcomed by the ports industry. On the one hand, the analysis of the recent EU policy developments makes apparent that the EU is increasingly impinging upon the port industry's life. On the other hand, the findings of the semi-structured interviews with the industry's representatives suggest that although port authorities and port operators remain in principle against a coherent common EU ports policy, the industry believes that certain EU initiatives can enhance the competitiveness of the maritime transport system.     

崛起中的南亚港口

南亚地区是全球最具活力的集装箱运输市场之一。在制成品出口增长和消费品进口上升的双重作用下,南亚港口的集装箱运输呈现一派繁荣景象,其中尤以印度港口的表现最为突出,     

Reconstructing Polish ports and shipping

Dramatic efforts to put Poland's economy back on the right track indicate an urgent need to undertake studies concerning the future shape and structure of the Polish Merchant Marine as well as Poland's share in international maritime transport. Changing ownership and structure of enterprises, modernization of tonnage, improvement of domestic and foreign infrastructure, implementation of proper manning policy in the fleet and improvement of managerial techniques in the daily operation of ports and ships are some of the tasks which must be considered by those responsible for the future of Polish ports and shipping companies.     

The political economy of ports in the United States and Great Britain

Abstract

This is an exploration of the political economy of ports in the United States and Great Britain. A number of technical, economic, and political issues concerning ports are examined. Particular attention is paid to the institutional evolution of ports from private to public ownership, and its consequences for port efficiency. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations designed to reverse the trend toward port nationalization in both countries.     

加快福州港口建设带动临港产业发展

在分析福州港30年来取得的成就,指出目前存在的问题后,提出了大力发展临港工业、港口现代物流业和港口现代服务业的主张,并提出了实现福州港跨越式发展的建议。     

全球港航界的一次盛会--记在上海召开的第24届世界港口大会

<正>由上海国际港务集团主办的第24届世界港口大会于5月21日至27日在上海国际会议中心隆重召开。上海市人民政府市长韩正、交通部部长张春贤、上海市副市长杨雄、市政府副秘书长沈骏、国际港口协会会长彼特·施特鲁伊斯等出席开幕式。大会副会长、上海国际港务集团总裁陆海祜主持会议。     

国内集装箱港口的现状与发展趋势

集装箱运输以其高效、便捷、安全等特点,赢得了运输市场,成为现代交通运输工具的重要组成部分,越来越受到世人的瞩目。到目前为止,我国港口己建成几百个专用集装箱泊位,其装卸设备和技术先进,工艺自动化程度不断提高,2004年吞吐量突破了6000万TEU,并将持续高速增长,随着船舶的大型化以及现代物流业的发展,集装箱港口将进一步向深水化、大型化、信息化、多功能化的方向发展,并已初步形成全球集装箱运输中心。     

日本集装箱港口的放松规制与民营化

为增强集装箱港口竞争力,以日本放松规制与民营化的港口新政为例,阐述其政策背景、制度变迁和改革进展,提出我国港口服务应引入不同的投资主体和经营形式。