Port Competition Research Articles

Analysis and Evaluation of Comprehensive Competitiveness of China’s Main Coastal Ports

As the center of national resource strategy and global resource allocation, the port is of great significance in economic development and foreign trade. The implementation of “The Belt and Road” initiative makes China’s ports play a more prominent role in foreign trade than before. As the dominant node of the maritime route of the Silk Road, China’s ports are facing great opportunities and challenges. With the increasing economic pressure in the world, the competition of ports is increasingly fierce, and the ports are facing a severe challenge. This paper analyzes the basic problems and explores how to develop further in China’s coastal major ports along “The Belt and Road”. The evaluation factors of port comprehensive competitiveness are selected to establish the evaluation index system. The factors of 13 ports are defined by SPSS software to obtain the ranking of comprehensive competitiveness of the ports through the ladder comparison with cluster analysis. Based on the result, the appropriate policy is suggested.

A Study on the Competitiveness of Major Port in Asia from the perspective of NSR Utilization

본 연구는 북극항로가 상용화 된다고 가정하였을 때 아시아 5개 주요 항만 특성을 고려하여 어느 항만이 가장 경쟁력 있는 항만인지를 알아보기 위해 AHP 분석을 실시하였다. 경쟁력을 측정하는 상위계층 평가항목으로는 항로관련요인, 항만시설요인, 항만운영요인 간의 중요도를 평가하였으며, 하위계층 평가항목으로는 항로관련요인에 북극항로 거리, 북극항로 절약시간, 대상국가 쇄빙선 보유현황 간의 중요도를 평가하였고, 항만시설요인에 항만 효율성, 터미널 총 면적, 터미널 평균 수심 간의 중요도를 평가하였으며, 마지막으로 항만운영요인에 대상항만 컨테이너 물동량, 대상국가 컨테이너 물동량, 정기선 운항 서비스현황, EU국가 간 정기선 운항현황 간의 중요도를 평가하였다. 특히 항만효율성은 DEA-CCR, DEA-BCC, SE 모형을 통해 분석하였다. 분석 결과 북극항로 절약시간의 가중치가 가장 높게 나타났으며, 대상국가 쇄빙선 보유현황, 북극항로 거리 순으로 가중치가 나타났다. 이를 바탕으로 항만경쟁력을 평가하였을 때 상하이항이 가장 경쟁력 있는 항만으로 평가되었으며, 부산항, 도쿄항, 홍콩항, 카오슝항 순서로 항만경쟁력이 평가되었다. 북극항로 개발에 관심을 갖고 적극적으로 참여하며, 북극이 사회의 영구 옵서버 자격을 획득한 국가인 한·중·일의 항만이 비교적 경쟁력이 높은 것으로 평가되었다.

Fuzzy Scheduling Problem of Vessels in One-Way Waterway

Effective use of port waterways is conducive to enhancing port competitiveness. To minimize the waiting time of ships, improve traffic efficiency, and enhance the applicability of the model to the presence of uncertain factors, a fuzzy scheduling optimization method for ships suitable for one-way waterways is proposed based on fuzzy theory. Considering the ambiguity of the speed of ships entering and exiting the port or the time it takes to cross the channel, the previous research on vessel scheduling on one-way waterways has been extended by introducing a triangular fuzzy number and a method for determining the feasible navigable time window of a ship subject to the tide height constraint was proposed. In this study, the genetic algorithm is used to construct the mathematical model for solving fuzzy vessel scheduling problems based on time optimization, and the minimum delay strategy is used to determine the service sequence. Then, the parameters setting are discussed in detail to find the optimal settings. Finally, an experimental comparative analysis of the randomly generated cases was conducted based on the simulated data. The results show that the designed fuzzy vessel scheduling algorithm reduces the dependence on the port environment, is versatile, and can effectively improve the efficiency of ship schedules and traffic safety compared to other methods. Moreover, it can avoid the problem of the illegal solution occurring in the manual scheduling method.

An Integrated Methodology for the Multi-Objective Optimization of Port Railway Capacity: The Case Study of the Port of Trieste

The relevant pressure exerted on ports following the advent of globalization and containerization has contributed to transform the role of such intermodal transport facilities, increasing their complexity with reference to both performed activities and involved actors. The potential of solid hinterland connections in enhancing port competitiveness has sustained the larger embracement of the railway mode, which has proved to be a financially and environmentally sustainable solution, especially on long hauls. However, the limited residual capacity currently characterizing several railway network and nodes may threaten the accommodation of additional future traffic volumes and, thus, it requires the adoption of a coordinated strategy to more efficiently manage existing railway infrastructures, other than the realization of some new ones. In this regard, an integrated methodology has been developed to specifically model, simulate and optimize port railway processes, as part of a more complex system, imposing the maximization of capacity with the concurrent minimization of used shunting locomotives, to varying of infrastructural and operational conditions. This combination of techniques has been applied to the case study of the Port of Trieste, Italy, showing the greater influence of tracks availability over changes in the operational conditions, in terms of a shorter duration of specific administrative tasks and the employment of more shunting locomotives.

Evaluating the efficiency of Mediterranean container ports using data envelopment analysis

Mediterranean container ports are constantly requested to face new market challenges after years of decline of their traffic in favour of a stronger leadership of Northern range ports, also favoured by the consolidation of the Arctic Route and the Belt and Road Initiative. To regain competitiveness, Mediterranean ports must undertake a path of operational, managerial and infrastructural strengthening. This study applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to 35 Mediterranean container ports in order to identify the potential key success factors on which to intervene to improve their competitiveness potential and response to the new market needs. The application uses the port throughput as output, and three inputs: yard area, number of quay cranes and distance of the port from the Suez–Gibraltar axis. The latter has been inserted in the study to evaluate whether it can affect port efficiency. Both input- and output-oriented approaches are used in order to investigate the port competitiveness through the production function (input-oriented), and the port commercial competitiveness based on the output and feasibility of its production (output-oriented). Results can provide insights for the implementation of future policies and management strategies aimed to strengthen the Mediterranean port context.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS OF THE SERVICES OF THE SEA PORTS OF THE BLACK SEA-AZOV BASIN FROM THE POSITIONS OF INTERPORT COMPETITION

Topicality. The urgency of the topic is due to the rapid development of integration and globalization processes that have changed the conditions of port business and the requirements for the provision of seaport services. An increasingly problematic issue is the need to determine the competitiveness of Ukraine's maritime infrastructure, which lags behind most developed countries in terms of service quality and speed of transport, in order to further identify effective ways to increase the competitive position of seaports. The problem of analysis of interport competition and competitiveness of port services in modern conditions of world market development requires improvement of the methodological apparatus. Analysis of the international competitiveness of port services is considered necessary to do according to a methodology that takes into account the set of production facilities and the relationships between them, the influence of numerous factors and variables using modern methods of multicriteria analysis..Aim and tasks. The aim of the article is to determine the current competitive position of Ukrainian seaports in the Black Sea-Azov basin using the method of "Data Envelopment Analysis" to provide further recommendations for its improvement..Research results. The study found that the competitiveness of services is understood as the degree of their compliance with the requirements of the selected market; as a set of factors that reflect both the technical and economic characteristics of services and the conditions of their implementation; as a set of consumer and cost characteristics, in connection with which there is a distribution of demand. In general, the factors influencing the competitiveness of seaport services can be grouped into a block of geographical, natural-climatic, infrastructural, logistical-technological, geopolitical and institutional factors. Assessment of the competitiveness of seaports from the standpoint of interport competition by the method of "Analysis of the operating environment" determined that the ports of Chernomorsk, Yuzhny, Odessa quite effectively use available capacity (88.6%, 98.9% and 85.1% respectively), but lag behind indicators of the ports of Trabzon, Batumi, Constanta, Burgas, South, Caucasus.Conclusion. The study found that the main approach on the basis of which is the formation of the competitiveness of the seaport, is a resource approach aimed at increasing port capacity. To analyze the international competitiveness of port services used a methodology that takes into account the set of production facilities and the relationships between them, the influence of factors and variables using methods of multi-criteria analysis (method "Analysis of the operating environment"). Prospects for future research are related to the development of effective ways to increase and use port capacity to increase the international competitiveness of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea-Azov region.

Container throughput analysis and seaport operations management using nonlinear control synthesis

This paper is to explore the dynamical analysis and active control synthesis for improving seaport operations through system optimization. First, the multi-dimensional system of the fractional Lotka-Volterra model is utilized to investigate its underlying dynamics of port competition and cooperation for container throughput. The nonlinear dynamical behaviors are intensely examined by using eigenvalue evaluation, bifurcation analysis and time series analysis to illustrate the stability of the competition and collaboration model. With the system theory based on fractional order calculus, various dynamic properties of ports system have been discovered. Based on the dynamical analysis, adaptive fractional-order sliding mode control with artificial neural network algorithm has been realized for port growth rate improvement against disruptions. Furthermore, the proposed approach is successfully validated by the case study of major Korean seaports for improving port operations through neural network prediction. The decision making policies implemented by control algorithms are guaranteed to improve the port growth rate against disruptions. Specifically, the novel management strategy is to provide managerial insights and innovative solutions for seaport authorities who can make more efficient strategic planning for handling risk management in maritime logistics.

Strengthening the Collaborative Environment in Port-Hinterland Corridor Management Initiatives: A Value System Approach

With port competition now increasingly taking place on the landside, port actors have a genuine interest in enhancing their role and introducing improvements in the hinterland transport and logistics system. Among the different opportunities that are available, less attention has been placed on those that port–hinterland corridor management initiatives have to offer. These will be discussed herein, and a proposal is put forward for strengthening the collaborative environment in those initiatives, further reinforcing existing opportunities or creating new ones. More specifically, a value system approach is outlined and the steps for its development are sketched, putting forward value-oriented perspectives over the current performance-related ones. The proposed approach adds another useful dimension to the business thinking and decision-making of corridor members, enabling them to more holistically understand their respective roles and positioning and, in turn, further enhance collaboration among them, not just for improving performance but also, more importantly, for adding further value to the corridor. In the long term, this can result in greater benefits being realized for the corridor community as a whole.

Transhipment port's competitiveness forecasting using analytic network process modelling

This study proposes a novel approach to forecast a transhipment port's competitiveness on the basis of market share. The potential reasons for escalating or diminishing competitiveness are explored by utilising a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology. We assess the competitiveness of transhipment ports by seven major components: connectivity, port facility, efficiency, cost factor, policy and management, information systems and green port management, and contribute to the understanding of the interdependence among the components. We investigate the Bangladesh container market due to the uniqueness of its regional context and dimensions of competitiveness. Bangladesh has direct connections to four regional hubs, namely, Singapore, Colombo, Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas. These regional hubs compete to grasp a significant volume of container movements in line with the rapid growth of Bangladesh's industrialisation and national economy. We find that Singapore outperforms others in terms of competitiveness, but all ports perform below expectations in green port management practices. These findings would benefit port authorities for improving their competitiveness, and liner shipping companies and shippers in making strategic port choice decisions.

DEVELOPMENT OF DIRECTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE PORT'S COMPETITIVENESS

Topically. In the context of the globalization of the global economy, competition between countries, enterprises and their associations is becoming increasingly fierce. In this regard, the issue of competitiveness becomes particularly relevant. The country's economy operates in conditions of unlimited competition, so national enterprises must constantly adapt to these conditions. Modern ports are the hubs of any economy. In the face of fierce international competition, improving their competitiveness is a strategic task. The competitiveness of an enterprise is its potential, capabilities, and flexibility in adapting to market relations. Aim and tasks. The main purpose of the article is to study the theoretical provisions of competitiveness and develop methodological recommendations for improving the efficiency of competitiveness management at enterprises, in particular the port industry. Research results. This article considers the concept of "competitiveness", as the ability to carry out their activities in the conditions of market relations and at the same time receive a profit sufficient for scientific and technical improvement of production, stimulating employees and maintaining products at a high level of quality. Various types, functions, classifications, security levels and methods for assessing the competitiveness of an enterprise are presented. Factors influencing not only the competition of enterprises in general, but also the port industry at the macro and micro levels were considered. Conclusion. The article identifies ways to increase the competitiveness of the enterprise: improving the quality of products, reducing prices for services and goods, introducing innovations and new technologies, searching for new opportunities. Special attention is paid to improving the competitiveness of Port industry enterprises and finding ways to improve it. One of the most effective tools for improving competitiveness of ports is the use of modern marketing tools.

Research on European Container Ports Based on Lotka-Volterra Model

Europe is one of the important regions with the global container shipping business. Studying competition among port container business helps to improve the overall containerized transportation efficiency in Europe and assist liners to make correct decisions under the new global shipping pattern. Therefore, this paper uses non-autonomous Lotka-Volterra model to quantitatively study the type and degree of competition among major European container ports. The result shows that the ports in the Mediterranean region tend to be predatory and competitive. Besides, this paper also predicts the future trend of competition and cooperation of European container ports under the scenarios of “Sulphur Restriction Order” by modifying the utility function.

Сирийские морские порты и их глобальные показатели

The article considers the role of the seaport in the economy and politics of the state. There are listed the main functions of seaports: trade, transportation, employment, industrial, fiscal, and political functions. The important role of the seaports of Syria in improving the quality of transport support for foreign trade activities was noted. The favorable geographical position of the Syrian ports on the Mediterranean coast determines a significant role in international maritime trade between European and Oriental countries. The statistical data on the seaports of the Syrian Arab Republic in the cities Latakia and Tartus have been analyzed. The dynamics of the volumes of containers transshipped through the seaport of Latakia, as well as through the seaport of Tartus is considered. A comparative analysis of the dynamics of the traffic volumes between both ports was carried out. The pace of development in the work of the Syrian ports is being studied on the basis of the GCI (The Global Competitiveness Index) and the liner shipping service index. Comparison of the liner shipping service index between Syrian ports and ports of neighboring countries has been made. The international rating of Syrian ports is presented in comparison with the rating of the nearest ports in the region by infrastructure. Conclusions are made about the low rating of Syrian ports in comparison with competing countries and international ports in general. There has been found the necessity of a detailed study of the reasons for the low competitiveness of the Syrian ports, including the crisis of 2011, rupture of relations between Syria and many countries of the world, economic sanctions against Syria, etc., in order to further develop measures to increase the competitiveness of Syrian seaports.

A comparative analysis of the competition strategy of seaports under carbon emission constraints

The development of ports is essential to the competitiveness of cities. Harbor cities in China have put much effort into expanding the business of their ports, ignoring the overlapping of hinterland markets with other ports. Excess resources expended by ports may intensify regional environmental issues, such as carbon emissions. Motivated by the emissions reduction targets proposed by the International Maritime Organization and the urgent need for the development of green and sustainable ports, the Chinese government is trying to draft a carbon constraint policy to prevent the disorderly development of ports. It is thus necessary to study competition strategies under the context of carbon emission constraints.In this paper, the improved Hotelling model is used to describe the competitive relationship between ports. Then, three competition scenarios of the seaports under no carbon emissions policy, a carbon emission cap policy, and a carbon cap-and-trade policy are examined to analyze the effects of carbon emissions policy on port service prices, demand for goods, maximum profits, and social welfare. The results show that (1) from the perspective of port managers, only when government-defined carbon emission limits are lower than the critical value, the carbon cap policy is binding on port competition; when it comes to the cap-and-trade policy, government-defined carbon emission limits only affect profits. (2) From the government's perspective, the cap-and-trade policy maximizes social welfare more than the other policies regardless of the value of government-defined carbon emission limits.

Port Governance and Cruise Tourism

Cruise activities, until 2020, have presented a significant increase in revenue, as well as number of cruises and passengers transported, and it has become a challenge for ports to respond to this demand for services. In response to this, the world’s ports have implemented different governance models. In this context, in this paper, we aim to review the different governance models, as well as port cooperation, competition, and stakeholders. For this purpose, using science metric meta-analysis, an article set is extracted that strictly refers to the governance model of two databases integrated into the Core Collection Web of Science, whose selection process is polished with the PRISMA guidelines, establishing the eligibility criteria of studies using PICOS tool, to which a qualitative meta-analysis is applied. A limited studies set is identified, that includes governance model implementations, private strategies and internalization patterns in the port sector and cruise ships, patterns of port cooperation and governance, governance models in cruise ports, structures and strategies, and changes in the cruise market. Finally, various governance model forms are determined, all documented in the scientific research worldwide, discussing the various components of study topics.

Hinterland connectivity as a driver of the development of competitiveness of Polish ports in the post-EU accession period

Academic research has indicated that port competitiveness is multidimensional. Although a wide range of drivers of port competitiveness has already been determined, particular ports seem to use different sets of them at different development stages. This paper argues that significant growth in transhipment in Polish ports results from infrastructural development and mainly from enhanced hinterland connectivity. Before Poland had joined the EU, the hinterland connectivity was so underdeveloped that it was more convenient for many companies to use services of the German North Sea ports. However, with EU funds, road investments, travel times between the ports and hinterland have shortened by at least one-quarter. Moreover, the development of railway lines as well as the increase in the number of intermodal container terminals in the hinterland have also improved accessibility to the ports. Rail transport is especially significant for maintaining the competitiveness of ports at times of cutting-edge industry change, increasing the role of economies of scale in shipping.

Simulation of the assessment of the competitiveness of sea ports of Ukraine using the Harrington function

Relevance of the research topic. The article is devoted to the problem of assessing the competitiveness of seaports of Ukraine, the relevance of which is highlighted in the National Transport Strategy of Ukraine for the period up to 2030; Strategies for the development of seaports of Ukraine for the period up to 2038; Corporate strategy of the state enterprise "Administration of Seaports of Ukraine" until 2025. Analysis of recent research and publications. The article provides an overview of modern foreign publications on assessing the competitiveness of seaports using various methods, in particular: the Herfindahl-Hirschman index; psychometric Likert scale; expert assessments based on an extended version of M. Porter's "diamond" approach. Selection of unexplored parts of the general problem. The author emphasizes the inadequacy of domestic work on assessing the competitiveness of seaports using economic and mathematical modeling. Problem statement, research goals. The aim of the article is to implement a methodological approach to assessing the competitiveness of Ukrainian seaports using the Harrington desirability function. Method or methodology of the study. The methodological basis of the study is the methods of economic and mathematical modeling. Presentation of the main material. In modern economic conditions, the seaport is considered a complex economic system. One of the most convenient and clear methods of solving multicriteria problems, which include the assessment of competitiveness, is the desirable function of Harrington. The author simulates the assessment of the level of competitiveness of 13 seaports of Ukraine using the psychophysical scale of Harrington's desirability on the basis of these indicators that characterize their technical condition. Conclusions in accordance with the article. As a result of modeling, it was obtained that the generalized coefficient of desirability of assessing the competitiveness of Ukrainian seaports has a value in the range from 0.42 to 0.77, ie the assessment of "satisfactory" and "good". This means that the modernization of ports, which helps to improve these indicators (number of berths, their length, maximum depth of parking near berths, the total area of warehouses) can significantly increase the level of their competitiveness.

Port system evolution in Chinese coastal regions: A provincial perspective

Against the background of provincial port integration in China, provincial port groups have become critical market players in the port industry. It has become necessary to review the evolution of the port system in Chinese coastal regions from a provincial perspective. This paper investigates the evolution of the Chinese port system by treating eleven coastal provinces as the units of analysis. The port system is categorized into four segments according to cargo type, namely, containers, solid bulk cargo, general cargo and liquid bulk cargo. Multiple methods are applied to study the port system from the perspectives of market shares, cargo concentrations, the port hierarchy and port specialization. The findings suggest that no province holds a leading market position in all cargo sectors, and interprovincial port competition remains intense. The degree of specialization in the provincial port systems is generally moderate, though Hebei Province is an exception with a high level of port specialization due to its special geographical location. This paper also elaborates on several policy implications for provincial port groups.

Passive or proactive capacity sharing? A perspective of cooperation and competition between two regional ports

ABSTRACT Port operations in an uncertain environment and compete with nearby ports in a same region to incentive carriers. In this paper, we consider a game-theoretical model to analyze the co-opetition between two ports with capacity sharing. Three competitive game interactions are discussed, namely, benchmark model, passive sharing, and proactive sharing to maximize the payoff by determining optimal berth quantity and service price. The observations show that when faced with a strengthened rival with sufficient capacity, the optimal ports’ decision for the capacity sharing mode is determined by the tradeoff between the benefit that is gained from the sharing capacity and the losses that are caused by port competition. Moreover, our research comprehensively examines how the port operation cost and the difference between the potential capacity demand of two terminals affect ports’ optimal strategy selection and presents a broad set of decision outcomes, which provides new insights for port coopetition.

On the quality of ship arrival predictions

The arrival of a ship at a port is a complex process. It has been reported that ships in port can spend 5–10% of their time in unnecessary anchorage. Predicting the accurate time of ship arrivals could support port actors to optimally allocate their resources and reduce this time, to the benefit of port competitiveness. Currently, the rise of real-time automated ship identification data has given ports, shipping lines and other actors the possibility to predict but also to follow the consecutive steps a ship undertakes while entering a port. Much work has been done on the development of advanced estimated time of arrival (ETA) predictors, but little is known about the quality of ETA information that shipping lines provide to ports. We explore, quantitatively, the predictive power of the sequences of ETAs that ships transmit to the Port of Antwerp while arriving. We propose several forecast evaluation measures to assess the quality of a sequence of predictions and their ability to converge to the actual time of arrival. For the Port of Antwerp, we compute and interpret the measures on a dataset of port calls in the year 2019. Our aim is to compare ETA prediction quality across ships. Understanding variations in prediction quality gives port authorities a basis for discussion with individual shipowners, enabling them to improve their predictions and thus contribute to the competitive performance of the port. As an innovation, we cluster the different berths in our data set with the OPTICS algorithm to gain a better understanding of the effects of the river locks a ship must transit on her way to the allocated berth. Our findings indicate that, on average, shipping lines offer poor and optimistic arrival estimates, which they gradually adjust. The adjustments increase as the ship approaches the port and sometimes they overcompensate earlier predictions. In this, we find little evidence that shipping lines are adopting the advanced arrival prediction methods that have been developed in recent years. Our proposed prediction evaluation measures open the door for a uniform and quantitative approach to assessing the quality of prediction sequences of ships entering ports, to the benefit of a miscellany of port actors.

An Analysis on the Importance of Port Competitiveness Factors in the Integrated Operation of Bulk Port - Focusing on Incheon Port -

TOC (Terminal Operating Company) 제도는 1997년 1월 인천항과 부산항을 시작으로 도입⋅확대되어 2018년 기준 전국 10개 항만 44개 TOC 제도 부두를 41개 부두운영회사(TOC)가 운영하였다. 인천항 중 내항을 운영하던 10개의 TOC 운영사는 지속적인 물동량 감소, 타 항만으로의 물동량 이전, 내항재개발에 따른 부두면적 축소, TOC 운영사의 경영수지 악화 등 여러 가지 문제들로 인해 해양수산부 주도의 ‘내항 TOC 통합’이 2018년 5월 이루어졌다. 인천 내항 TOC 운영사 통합은 정부 주도의 우리나라 최초 대형화 및 단일화 통합으로서 10개 운영사가 합쳐지는 국내 최대 규모 TOC 결합이라는 점에서 의미를 갖는다. 본 연구는 AHP기법을 활용하여 TOC 운영사 통합시 항만경쟁력을 결정하는 주요 요인을 도출하고, 상대적 중요도를 정량화하여 실증분석을 시도하였다. 이는 우리나라 최초 벌크항만 TOC 운영사의 대형 통합 사례로서 통합 이후 항만경쟁력 영향요인을 도출했다는 점에서 기존 연구들과 차별성을 가진다. 본 연구는 인천 내항 10개 TOC 운영사가 운영하던 통합 이전의 환경과 내항 통합법인 출범 이후 환경을 분석하고, 하역사, 고객사, 공공기관 및 학계 전문가를 대상으로 벌크항만 TOC 통합시 항만경쟁력 요인의 상대적 중요도를 분석하였다. AHP 분석결과 ‘항만입지’0.304, ‘항만비용’0.224, ‘항만시설’0.204, ‘항만물동량’0.144, ‘항만서비스’0.124 순으로 중요하게 인식되는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 벌크항만 TOC 통합 또는 유사 항만 통합 사례시 참고할 수 있는 유용한 정보를 제공하고, 항만경쟁력 증대를 위한 정책수립시 활용할 수 있는 자료를 제시하였다는 점에서 의의가 있다.