Port Economics

Port Economics, Management and Policy provides a comprehensive analysis of the contemporary port industry, showing how ports are organized to serve the global economy and support regional and local development. Structured in eight sections plus an introduction and epilog, this textbook examines a wide range of seaport topics, covering maritime shipping and international trade, port terminals, port governance, port competition, port policy and much more. Key features of the book include: Multidisciplinary perspective, drawing on economics, geography, management science and engineering Multisector analysis including containers, bulk, break-bulk and the cruise industry Focus on the latest industry trends, such as supply chain management, automation, digitalization and sustainability Benefitting from the authors’ extensive involvement in shaping the port sector across five continents, this text provides students and scholars with a valuable resource on ports and maritime transport systems. Practitioners and policymakers can also use this as an essential guide towards better port management and governance.

Port Economics is the study of the economic decisions (and their consequences) of the users and providers of port services. A port works as an "engine" for economic development. This book provides a detailed discussion of port freight service users, such as freight water and land carriers, that have their ships and vehicles serviced and their cargoes unloaded by ports, as well as passenger services such as ferry carriers which are serviced by ferry passenger ports. This text continues to enhance our understanding of port economics by exploring the economic theories, supply and demand curves, and the actual and opportunity costs relating to the carriers, shippers and passengers who use ports. This new edition has been updated throughout. This includes: An expanded discussion of container, break-bulk, dry-bulk, liquid-bulk and neo-bulk ports; An introduction of port service chains, hinterland transport chains, maritime transport chains and port multi-service congestion; A discussion of seaborne trade, dry ports, port centrality and connectivity and free trade zones. This updated and comprehensive introduction to port economics will be of benefit to students and researchers in their study of port economics and management. It is also of great importance to professionals who manage and operate ports as well as freight and passenger carriers.

Port Economics is the study of the economic decisions (and their consequences) of the users and providers of port services. A port is an "engine" for economic development by providing employment, worker incomes, business earnings and taxes for its region. The book provides a detailed discussion of types of carriers that use ports, the operation of cargo and passenger ports as well as the operation of such specific ports as Hong Kong, Hamburg, Le Havre, Savannah, Miami and Panama. Port Economics is the first contemporary textbook of its kind. It enhances our understanding of port economics by – classifying port users and suppliers of port services in the context of economic demand and supply curves; denoting that the demand for port services has two prices, the price paid to the port by the users and the price (or actual and opportunity costs) incurred by port user carriers, shippers and passengers; presenting the economic theories of carriers, shippers and passengers. The numerous up-to-date references will be of benefit to students and researchers of the economics of the shipping trade; to government officials in developing port and shipping policies; and to port operators in understanding the port-choice selection process by shipping lines and other carriers.

This study applies modern economic principles to the operations of modern port facilities, ranging from new ports in the planning stages for developing nations to established American and European ports retrofitted to handle container cargos and larger vessels. It investigates all the links in the chain of port services - the transfer of goods between land and sea transportation - and offers recommendations for strengthening the weaker links. Port Economics covers the historical development of port organization and technology, production measures, short- and long-term cost functions, pricing, and investment. The capital input by the port authorities and the labor input by the cargo-handling companies are discussed, and the authors consider the utility of merging port and stevedoring charges. Queuing processes are adjusted to fit the special circumstances of port traffic, allowing for the measurement of such variables as throughput and congestion costs. The theory developed for individual ports is extended to national port systems over time. Throughout the book, elements of the theory are tested empirically against data from ports in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The final chapter is a large-scale case-study of the Nigerian port system, which serves to test the whole of the authors' economic theory, including such concepts developed in the later chapters as dynamic port system investment and optimal port charges. Jan Owen Jansson is Chief Economist of the Swedish National Road and Traffic Research Institute. Dan Shneerson is Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Haifa. Their book is the eighth in MIT Press Transportation Studies Series, edited by Marvin L. Manheim.

Business and Economics of Port Management is a comprehensive but concise textbook and reference for insights into the workings of port industry from the business and economics perspectives. The book examines port management from various entities which include the government, port operator, shipping line, logistics companies and other port service providers. It provides in-depth discussions on strategic issues, challenges and disruptions that are faced by this industry. Given the uniqueness of each port and international nature of the port business, the book comes with useful case studies and lessons from different port regions around the world. Key lessons on challenges and issues faced by port managers, developers and regulators are highlighted and discussed using a combination of professional insights and publicly available information sources. The aim is to illustrate the decision-making process with the purpose of contributing to better outcomes for the industry, government and the public at large. Anyone who is approaching the subject matter will gain utmost understanding of how ports are critical in the global economy and societal well-being.

The relationship between ports and governments has changed profoundly over the past quarter of a century. Many governments have sought to extract themselves from the business of port operations and, in many cases, the provision of port services has devolved to local governments, communities or private management and administration. As such devolution implies a change in governance model, this trend raises questions about consequent performance. This issue examines the changed port management environment, focusing particularly on government policies such as devolution, regulatory reform and newly imposed governance models, all of which have exerted a significant influence over the nature of that changed environment. The issue is structured so as to first explore the devolution and port reform approaches for 14 countries or regions, before examining how ports are governed and what the choice of governance might mean for their performance. Part I introduces the issue, and provides a framework for defining the basic concepts involved in devolution; it paints a picture of the current port environment, its likely future evolution and the expected impact this will have on the functioning of ports. Part II examines the port industry in 14 countries or administrations, and presents the thinking behind any devolution programs that have been implemented. Part III focuses on port governance and devolution generally, and examines governance from both strategic management and economics perspectives, including topics such as governance models, supranational governance and stakeholder conflict. Part IV examines the measurement of port performance and closes by providing conclusions and a future research agenda. This issue will be of interest to port managers, government officials and academics alike. *Examines the relationship between ports and governments with a focus on devolution *Divided into sections that provide an overview, evaluate the port industry, disucss port governance, and suggest new measures of port performance *14 countries or regions are addressed

This book provides a detailed discussion of port freight service users such as freight water and land carriers that have their ships and vehicles, respectively, serviced by ports and have their cargoes unloaded from and to their ships and vehicles, respectively as well as a detailed discussion of port passenger service users such as passenger ferry carriers that have their ferry vessels and passengers serviced by ferry passenger ports. This text continues to enhance our understanding of port economics by exploring the economic theories, supply and demand curves, and the actual and opportunity costs, relating to the carriers, shippers and passengers who use ports.

The aim of this book is to offer a comprehensive overview of the economics of ports for scientists, students and professionals. The text is divided into five self-contained parts: the first chapter defines the demand for port services using an econometric approach. The second part analyzes the provision of port services using the production, cost, investment and profit functions of various ports. The third part combines the two previous parts in order to propound a general equilibrium approach. The fourth part looks at regulation, efficiency and the existence of ports as natural monopolies. Finally, the fifth part uses Cost Benefit Analysis for an economic evaluation of the feasibility of building new ports or enlarging existing ones.