From a legal point of view, a territorial port seems to be similar to a decentralised port. Unfortunately, the concept of local public interest, which justifies the exercise of port powers by local authorities, is difficult to define. We will therefore rely on the mirror concept of state port to try to identify the criteria for defining decentralised ports. This analysis will lead us to question the relevance of understanding territorial ports as ports of lesser importance in terms of economic development or territorial planning.
This article is a contribution to the work about pre- and post-shipments to/from seaports, and on the place of secondary ports in the organization of trade. It develops an argument based on the analysis of generic and regionalized factors in the understanding of transport strategies. It also mobilizes the study of the interplay of actors to shed light on the processes at work in the territories. Empirical and qualitative in scope, it is based on a series of semi-structured interviews that reinforce the grey literature. This article analyses the recent boom (2016-2023) of rail pre- and post-shipments services for unaccompanied trailers to/from French roll-on/roll-off and ferries’ ports on the Channel/North Sea and Mediterranean coasts. It provides an annotated list of factors facilitating and dampening the demand for unaccompanied trailer transport by sea and rail; and drawing on the case of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union (Brexit), it highlights the importance of regional contexts in the dynamics of the evolution of this demand. Finally, this article provides an overview of unaccompanied trailer rail services, in order to highlight the underlying interplay of actors, which shows the extent to which the phenomenon is driven by a small number of maritime, port and rail operators who adopt a cooperative and competitive approach. In the course of this evolution, a new competitive landscape, based on the emergence of a small number of secondary […]
Over the last thirty years, the increasing globalisation of economic exchanges has contributed to the emergence of a network of main ports linked together by maritime transport and, in particular, the lines developed by the major shipping lines or the alliances they have formed. In addition to Asian ports, and particularly Chinese ports given the national port strategy, this network of main ports has also been structured by investments made by shipping lines in port terminals intended to become their regional hubs and thus facilitate the massification of flows. From these hubs, feeders serve other ports, giving rise to a form of classification within these main global ports. This organisation has helped to shape the global value chains, or world trade routes, which are both the medium and the result of globalisation. The covid-19 health crisis, the ensuing economic crisis and current geopolitical tensions are all contributing to a possible transformation of these global value chains. The purpose of this paper is therefore to examine the possible impacts on maritime transport, with a focus on the renewed role of secondary ports. Based on the results of a survey of around one hundred shippers (supply chain management), three elements will be highlighted. The first concerns changes in purchasing strategies, with, at the very least, a "China+1" strategy, which may extend to industrial relocations. The challenge is to examine the possible locations for these relocations […]
This article examines the relationship between ports and territories in the Caribbean, based on a cross-analysis of port and human development trajectories and states. Several indicators are used to highlight the possible existence of correlations between the growth of port activities in this area and the state of human development over the period 2006-2021. The evolution of traffic and port connectivity to liner shipping (UNCTAD's LSCI index), firstly shows a growing hierarchy in favour of a small number of hubs located along the main shipping routes (Caucedo, Freeport, etc.) and close to the Panama Canal (Colon, Cartagena, etc.). These port dynamics can sometimes, particularly with the increase in transhipment traffic in the main hubs, lead to a disconnection from the socio-spatial configuration of the neighbouring areas (in terms of number of inhabitants and surface area less than an hour away by car). Analysis of the human development of Caribbean port regions over the period studied also reveals the non-systematic nature of the links between changes in the HDI and connectivity to maritime transport. These results make it possible to establish several types of cases, thus contributing to the notion of a territorial port.
In countries with numerous ports, the substantial investment required, particularly in the face of climate change, often leads to the classification of ports as either ‘large’ or ‘small’ as a way of defining priorities. Governments can also resort to private financing through new forms of partnerships. Addressing this issue, the article focuses on the case of ports in Madagascar, a developing country with limited resources, to illustrate how resource scarcity drives a strict prioritization of ports and promotes alternative financing solutions, such as privatization. The article contributes to an already extensive body of literature on port governance, drawing from a longitudinal study that traces the history of port governance in Madagascar, from the earliest recorded exchanges to the present day. This perspective underscores the historical continuity of debates surrounding port financing and highlights the strong prioritization of certainports in response to resource limitations. It also reveals the opportunistic nature of governance, where authorities, when possible, strive to maintain the operation of as many ports as they can. In light of increasing port investment in the coming years, this historical trajectory suggests that Europe may witness a rise in port privatization, alongside the selection of key ports that will benefit from substantial investment.
In the context of sustainability, ports often emerge as points of contention involving stakeholders from the maritime industry, local government, and communities. The interaction between ports and cities reveals that effective communication and the cultivation of maritime culture can serve as a potent combination for the transmission of information between the port and the city. This implies that the successful development of a port can be achieved by establishing a well-functioning communication channel for the exchange of knowledge, actions, experiences, and cultural values. The research idea postulates that the cultural component can serve as an additional dimension within the frameworks of sustainable development and resilience enhancement research, specifically within the domain of port organizational resilience and sustainable development. Notably, substantial attention is directed towards small and medium-sized ports, as these entities are particularly susceptible to the influence of the port on the surrounding social communities, owing to the intricate interconnections among culture, heritage, and environmental conditions. The subject of this study centres on the cultural interaction between ports and cities. The research goal is to explore the impact of port-city cultural interactions on the sustainable development of medium-sized port cities and their associated coastal regions. To this end, the research is guided by specific objectives, which include elucidating […]
During the last few years, the utilization of Remote Inspection Techniques (RIT), including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), has gained significant momentum within the maritime sector. Today, RIT are rather extensively being exploited for ship inspection and maintenance purposes, thereby revolutionizing conventional practices and setting a new benchmark in the industry. In this context, these technologies are clearly emerging as indispensable tools in the modernisation of port operations. By effectively leveraging the capabilities of these technologies, ports can achieve remarkable strides in security, safety, efficiency, and sustainability. This paper aims to examine the extent to which small and medium-sized ports in Scandinavia are using RIT for ground-based port operations and sea navigation. To this end, it is based on findings from a focus group discussion with seventeen (17) different Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOs) in Scandinavia that draw reference to the extent of use of these technologies in ports. Recommendations for the use of RIT in ports have been, thereupon, tabled considering the need for a review of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code to address the application of UAVs in managing port security.