The Lack of it and Infractures Affects Both the Intermodality and the Competitiveness of the Mediterranean Ports

Abstract

Liner shipping Companies dominate maritime trade in the world's main geographic areas, with a form of organization based on transshipment. The structure of trade is now driving the shipping Companies to move toward exerting direct or indirect domination over large inland areas from whence goods derive and to which goods are shipped. Until recently their attention had not focused closely on the Mediterranean, considered merely as an east-west transit route. Previously home to high costs, inadequate investments and low service levels, the Mediterranean is now a growing market that can offer and absorb containers and commodities and it is the shortest route to the rich countries of southern Europe. Furthermore, the rapid development of transshipment has radically changed the market and the list of top ports. In this context, the new policy of shipping Companies is to achieve larger dimensions and control the hub and spokes port system and inland intermodality also in Mediterranean area. The consolidation of bigger shipping Companies has now reached a relatively stable position and Companies are planning a new leap forward towards the control of inland transport and value-added logistic services. But this policy in the Mediterranean sea is not going on. The paper is structured as follows: In Section 1 and 2 we analyse shortly the development of North African, Black Sea countries and the growth of Southern European countries in term of GDP. We analyse EU maritime policy towards Mediterranean third countries to improve logistical and intermodal possibilities; in Section 3, an analysis is offered of the capacity of inland facilities (roads and railways) to deal with the growing flow of containers in Mediterranean zone; in Section 4 we focus on the IT available at container terminals and to users; Section 5 underlines that scattered productive structures, high value goods produced in small quantities, maritime and inland services supplied by small and specialized Companies, in one hand impede the managing intermodal services controlled by IT, and in other hand give opportunities to direct, maritime deliveries; finally, in the conclusions, it is stressed that the lack of availability of IT, road and rail links with direct access to the ports, compared with the amount of container throughput expected in ports, constitute negative aspects that threathen the power of attraction of Mediterranean ports.