The future governance structure of Libya's container ports: A survey of stakeholder attitudes

Abstract

The landlord and regulatory functions at Libya's container ports are currently administered and controlled by a national port authority, while the Socialist Ports Company is responsible for operational functions. This paper comprehensively describes the new direction of government policy and strategy, as well as the dynamic changes in the sector's operational environment. The main aim of the paper is to determine the perspectives of key stakeholders on the possible future governance structure for Libya's container ports. This is achieved through the implementation of an attitudinal survey. A statistical analysis of responses reveals a consensus that the technical performance of Libya's ports needs improvement if the sector is to remain competitive within the Eastern Mediterranean. By ranking stakeholder priorities and preferences, more than one scenario for future port governance emerges. The results also suggest that a change to the governance structure of the sector, almost irrespective of its form, is perceived as a top priority for enhancing operational and business performance and that this is widely expected to have a positive impact on stakeholder interests. The paper concludes that the analysis provides new and clear empirical evidence in support of the perceived positive impact of a port devolution policy in Libya.