Air and water cargo transport mode substitutions among US customs districts

In the mid-1980s, under the impetus of deregulation, the competition between air and water cargo transportation showed a marked increase. The nature of this process and its empirical manifestation among the exports and imports of 30 commodity groups in six major American customs districts and the US as a whole is examined. The prevailing patterns of reliance upon each mode in 1987 and the changes that occurred between 1985 and 1987 are discussed. Finally, a logistic regression is offered and employed using 620 individual export and import commodities to determine what types of commodities are most likely to fluctuate between the transportation modes.     

US imports of petroleum and related products in the 1980s

Petroleum and related goods account for an enormous share of international maritime trade. For the United States, the world's largest energy consumer, imports of petroleum and related products are a vital connection to foreign suppliers. This paper illustrates cartographically the geographic structure of imports of three major petroleum-related commodities—crude petroleum, refined petroleum products, and natural gas—and their changes in the 1980s. Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient analyses reveal a modest deconcentration of crude petroleum within the US port system, an increasing concentration of petroleum products, and a relatively volatile geography of natural gas imports.     

The changing economic impacts of the port of New York

This paper investigates the economic effects of maritime trade through the Port of New York on the New York metropolitan region. It decomposes the impacts associated with the trans-shipment of waterborne exports and imports in 1977 and 1987 into those arising from the changing tonnage of trade and those attributable to the changing commodity mix. Input-output analysis is used to calculate the numbers of jobs, personal and business incomes, and output which arise from each effect. Finally, it examines the impacts on specfic industries and occupations in the region.     

The US—Canadian free trade agreement and North American maritime trade

The free trade agreement (FTA) implemented in 1988 by the United States and Canada will complete the integration of the economics of the world's two largest trading partners. While the vast bulk of US-Canadian trade is transported overland, the FTA will also affect the volume, commodity composition, and spatial distribution of maritime trade. The spatial structure of US-Canadian water-borne trade is examined followed by an investigation of the short-run (non-investment related) impacts of the FTA on the US port system. Commodity-specific analyses of tariffs and non-tariff barriers and elasticities of demand are employed to estimate the sectoral and spatial changes in water-borne trade volumes since 1988 that are attributable to the FTA.     

Military contracts to water transportation services in the United States

Long excluded from academic analysis, military expenditures on water transportation are a significant aspect of the industry, especially given the rapid increases in the U.S. military budget in the 1980s. This paper begins with an overview of military relations with the water transporation industry; next, it proceeds to a survey of the spatial dimensions of prime contracts awarded to water transporation and dredging firms in the U.S. Thirdly, it explores their economic impacts on teh U.S. economy using input-output analysis.     

Competitive status of US ports in the mid-1980s

Competition among US ports has heightened significantly in the 1980s, in large part due to the rising importance of intermodal transportation systems. This paper measures the shares of national waterborne imports and exports for the eight largest US ports and their changes between 1985 and 1987. It examines the decline of East-Coast ports, especially New York, and the ascendancy of their West-Coast counterparts, notably Los Angeles and Seattle, on the basis of 42 commodity groups. Finally, it documents the minibridge and reverse minibridge systems as they pertain to the emerging pattern of winners and losers.