Port Container Terminals Research Articles

Unraveling intra-urban freight parking patterns: A data-driven geospatial study of shared logistics sector in Hong Kong

Insufficient urban parking in densely populated cities has led to challenges like traffic congestion and unauthorized parking. While existing literature extensively covers parking behaviors among private vehicles and taxis for commuters, limited research has been proposed centering on urban shared freight activities. It can be problematic to neglect shared freight activities because these logistics activities often require more flexible parking space for goods loading/unloading near urban destinations. This study therefore introduces a geospatial data-driven approach to investigate urban parking behaviors from shared freight activities using GPS trajectories collected in Hong Kong. The analysis involves three main folds: using rank-size distribution and log-odds ratio to comparatively examine spatial heterogeneity of parking, evaluating illegal on-street parking events via illegal parking index, and quantifying relationships between parking behaviors and urban functions using random forest (RF) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). The findings reveal significant concentrations of parking events on weekdays/weekends and with different parking durations. Particularly, high illegal on-street parking concentration is reported in Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung, where the port container terminals and industrial activities are located. We further discover that industrial and dining densities both indicate significantly positive impacts on the relationship to the increases of overall parking frequency and illegal parking index. This study can be of great interest to current parking management and enforcement strategies in cities and relevant practical implications are discussed.

Employability skills of maintenance technicians in container ports: Implications for maritime technical and vocational education and training

The study investigated the employability skills of maintenance technicians engaged in container ports in Sri Lanka. The specific objectives were to investigate 1) employability skill gaps between technicians’ evaluations of the level of current possession and the expected level to be possessed for the current job tasks, 2) employability skill gaps between technicians’ evaluations of the expected level of skills for current job tasks and immediate superiors’ evaluation of the importance of the same for current tasks, and 3) maintenance technicians’ exposure to skill development strategies after joining the respective container port terminals. The study was conducted in the two main container ports of Sri Lanka- Colombo and Hambantota. Responses were pooled from two independent sample groups- maintenance technicians and their immediate superiors. Maintenance technicians had graduated from technical and vocational education and training institutions with levels 3 or 4 National Vocational Qualification. Findings identified employability skill preferences of maintenance technicians and their immediate superiors, which led to possible skill gaps. The findings highlight the importance of TVET institutions identifying the preferences of business sectors, they should be prepared to impart employer-preferred skills to their trainees and to bridge any gaps in expectations. This will lead employees to develop realistic expectations of employer preferences. Hence, the findings of the study have implications for technical and vocational education and training institutions, students enrolled in these institutions, employees engaged in container ports, and their employers. Highlights Employability skills are vital to be employed and to remain employed Skill gaps have consequences for job seekers, employers, and training institutes This study investigated employability skills of technicians in container ports

About the Main Directions of Transport Strategies of the State and Private Companies

The article discusses the main positive and negative factors that determine the volume of the cargo base of the east-west transboundary transport corridors passing through the territory of Georgia. The emphasis is placed on the problems of the development of rail transport to the Caspian Sea and water transport along the route of the Caspian and then the Black Sea. The new evolutionary concept for attracting additional cargo on Eurasian routes is proposed. In addition, the author discusses the global maritime container services, which are represented by transnational corporations that carry out significant assets in the world market, and own fleets of container ships, containers, container terminals in ports, dry ports, and land transport systems. Cargo shipping lines and a wide clientele were established. The article notes that business concentration processes continue in the market to ensure a continuous and efficient transport and logistics process, to reduce the cost of cargo delivery, to meet better the needs of customers, and to strengthen the competitive advantages compared to other maritime and land operators, trains. The work includes the examples of the world's largest companies in the field of container shipping: Maersk Lines (Denmark), Mediterranean Shipping Company (Switzerland), and CMA CGM (France), which have created a powerful alliance called the P3 Network, which includes the creation of Joint Vessel Traffic Operations Center. The alliance aims to provide the worthy European response to China's growing influence on the global transport sector. The article mentions Georgia's interest in integration into the European transport system. Keywords: Railway transport, transport corridors, containerization of cargo flows, transport engineering.

Competition effects of vertical integration in container ports: assessing the European Commission decisional practice

PurposeContainer liner shipping companies started expanding their business by investing in container port terminals in the late 1990s. This market entry results in an extensive presence of vertically integrated liners and terminals. This study aims to explore the competition effects of this vertical integration trend based on a regional (European) analysis. In particular, it extracts lessons from the European Commission (EC) cases on the competition effects of vertical integration. The critical analysis of the cases examined at the institutional level intends to reach conclusions on whether liner–terminal vertical integration harmed or advanced competition in the relevant markets and/or the extent that there is a need to revise the current policy practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study critically assesses the EC’s decisional practices in port container terminal vertical mergers in the last 25 years (1997–2021). Based on a literature review comparing maritime and competition economists' perspectives, it reviews the types of mergers examined, the methodology followed for relevant market definition and calculation of market shares and the estimated competition effects. The Hamburg–Le Havre area is the port range used as a case study for comparing the decisional practice with actual market developments. These container ports serve the greatest consuming market of final and intermediate goods in Europe and are gateways to Central and Eastern Europe.FindingsThe assessment identifies a need for expanding the investigation as a precondition for reaching conclusions on both the anti- and pro-competitive effects. First, only a limited number of transactions have been notified to the EC. Second, the empirical research identified a gap in this process, as there were no decisions (phase I) on vertical mergers between 2008 and 2016. Third, the exante assessment has not applied a phase II in-depth analysis to any case due to the absence of competition concerns. Finally, due to the absence of complaints, there is a lack of any ex post assessment of the effects of vertical integration.Research limitations/implicationsThis assessment is important for understanding the current and emerging features of intra-port and inter-port competition and the potential effects that the continuation and expansion of liner companies' vertical integration strategies will have along maritime supply chains. It also contributes to the broader discussion on liner companies' strategies, such as the research and policy-making efforts around the globe to understand the impact of both vertical and horizontal integration.Practical implicationsThese discussions are critical for a diversity of businesses that use liner shipping services or provide facilities and services to container shipping lines or ports. They are important for the interests of customers and consumers as they could inform any needed re-visiting of competition policy to protect from the dominance of any market developments that would lead to conditions limiting competition. Expanding analysis on the competition effects of non-notified mergers would help a better understanding of market changes.Social implicationsEnhancing competition and limiting monopolies is valuable from a consumer's perspective. This is more so in the case of maritime trade that serves the needs of societies. The study contributes by generating a better understanding of how decision-makers have worked towards that direction and what realignments are worthy.Originality/valueThere are no previous comprehensive reviews and analyses of the ways that policy-makers at the regional level have addressed the competition effects of vertical integration strategies of liner shipping companies when enhancing competition is valuable from a consumer perspective. Comparing maritime economists and competition, the study, via its literature review, also offers a comparison of maritime and competition perspectives on these competition effects, allowing positioning of how effective decisional-making practices have been.

Сучасний стан ринку морських контейнерних перевезень

The aim of this article is to study the dynamics of development of both the global and national market of container transportation. One of the ways to increase the efficiency of transportation is the rational organization of the work of ships, taking into account the needs and requirements of the market, both of service consumers and of the carriers themselves. The increase in demand for container transportation of goods and the rapid growth of the container capacity of container ships led to a change in approaches to the organization of their work. Thus, the number of ports of call on main lines has begun to decrease. In addition, the movement patterns on them have become almost asymmetrical. Individual lines began to serve at their own container terminals in ports of call, or at terminals that have an agreement to serve only their vessels. Vessels with smaller container capacities were pushed onto feeder lines calling at hub ports located at the intersection of main services and regional ports. In addition, there are changes in the structure of cargo flows, the organization of lines, ports of call and cooperation between transportation participants, the division of the global transportation market into segments served by certain operators, changes in the role of hub ports in delivery schemes depending on the corresponding ports of call on the lines and container capacity vessels serving them. These changes occur under the influence of not only the construction of mega-sized ships, pandemics, piracy, military operations and affect not only the economy of a certain country, but also the global economy as a whole, political, social, geographical and transport, ecological and other spheres of human activity. Research of various factors on the changes taking place in the container transportation market will allow predicting and, possibly, leveling the consequences of their influence in the future. Prospects for further research in this direction are the identification of the main reference points at which significant changes in container transportation took place, the identification of factors that had an impact and the modeling of both individual situations and their interaction as a whole.

Prevalence of Hypertension and Its Determinant Factors among Workers at Port Container Terminal

Introduction: Port container terminal workers have high potential to develop hypertension due to their work nature that exposed to high altitude working area, long working hours and other risk factors. Most workers at port container terminals were male who are at higher risk to get hypertension according to National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019. It is important for the port workers to maintain a healthy lifestyle for them to improve their quality of work as well as to avoid from getting chronic diseases like hypertension. Objective: This cross-sectional study was aimed to determine the most significant risks factors associated with hypertension among the port workers. Methods: A total of 200 male port container terminal workers participated in this study. Sociodemographic background, lifestyle, and work-related factors were obtained by using questionnaire which consists of 5 sections; A: Socio Demographic Information; B: Working Characteristics; C: Disease History; D; Sample Measurement; and E: Daily Dietary Intake. The blood pressure of the workers was obtained by using Omron HEM-7221-Z Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor. Results: The prevalence of hypertension among the workers was 50.5%. The most significant risk factors associated with hypertension were education level (OR=2.4, 95% CI: 1.14, 4.88) and BMI (OR=2.7, 95% CI: 1.09, 6.67). Conclusion: The high prevalence of hypertension among the workers were contributed by low level of education and unhealthy BMI. Thus, intervention programs are needed to be initiated by the company to educate the workers along with regular health monitoring to counter this problem from getting more serious.

Optimization of Green Containerized Grain Supply Chain Transportation Problem in Ukraine Considering Disruption Scenarios

Grain supply chain transportation problem is a nontrivial and intractable issue for many developing countries. Grain as a bulk commodity is usually transported by bulk carriers. By taking into account the special condition of Ukraine, we proposed the containerized grain supply chain transportation optimization problem. In this problem, the sustainable supply chain system delivers grains in containers among primary elevators, intermodal yards, and port container terminals. Then, a containerized grain transportation model was developed to minimize the total cost of the sustainable supply chain system. Specifically, 20-foot containers were proven as more reasonable to be used in this paper. We also considered different transportation tools: trucks that can load one 20-foot container, trailers that can load two 20-foot containers, and wagons that can hold two 20-foot containers. Additionally, a disruption model was proposed by considering different disruption scenarios. Based on an analysis of the simulation results, some cost minimization strategies were proposed. Finally, a sensitivity analysis that aimed to analyze the effect of the proposed strategies on the minimal total cost and sustainability of the supply chain was conducted. The main conclusions drawn from the simulation are that the established food supply chain model is meaningful and accurate, and the incorporation of the disruption model aligns with practical requirements. Additionally, an increase in intermodal yard capacity, truck park size, and wagon park size decreases the total cost of the supply chain. The first two have a positive effect on the sustainability of the supply chain, while the latter increases the disruption risk of the supply chain.

Augmented reality and portable devices to increase safety in container terminals: the testing of A4S project in the port of Genoa

Port container terminals are intrinsically complex environments and the human factor is often the main cause of accidents. Industry 4.0 technologies enable to dispose of enormous quantity of data, process them with advanced algorithms also allowing predictivity, and provide virtual/augmented reality tools to interact with human operators. Promising solutions are spreading that use the loT paradigm to acquire data and apply Big Data techniques to manage them.The objective of “Awareness for Safey-A4S” project, is to test a complete solution that allows field operators to be equipped with intelligent wearable devices, allowing "conscious" interaction in complex environments. This solution provides for the visualization of environment information in real time through Augmented Reality devices. These devices themselves represent a "sensor" providing information to the general system. Such information, integrated with environmental data and gathered through a specific I-IoT cloud platform and customized field devices, can improve safety and effectiveness of operations. Further support for operator safety is provided by a route tracking system aimed at directing operators, walking in the terminal, on the shortest and safest path. Such system can consider in real time the risks due to the movements of terminal equipment. The current paper presents this solution and the first field tests at PSA SECH container terminal in the Italian port of Genoa port to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution in increasing safety in complex and dangerous environments.

Maritime terminals’ cargo handling equipment cooperation leveraging IoT and edge computing: The ASSIST-IoT approach

Port container terminals with their logistic infrastructure are essential nodes for a functional economic activity in the developed world. Hence, innovation in efficiency of the port-container industry is a fundamental issue. This paper presents a Next Generation IoT architecture inspired by the merging of commercial terminal-oriented ICT solutions with the results of H2020 research. The architecture is designed to overcome the constraints and meet requirements of a real scenario in maritime ports where different Container Handling Equipment must share heterogeneous data in a decentralized way, leveraging edge computing. This allows for their easier cooperation and avoiding unproductive movements and central communication, while reducing communication latency related to terminal operations. The paper describes a usage example, accompanied with evidence of the first stages of deployment.

Quay-Yard operation analysis of port container terminals in Nigeria

This paper presents significant measures to tackling berth occupancy and quay-yard operation problems. Case study was conducted on a port container terminal in Nigeria confidentially identified as ‘Port A’ in this paper. Hungarian assignment algorithm was used to reduce the total travel time of the yard trucks from an average of 6.4 minutes to 3.5minutes, while M/M/c/K queuing model was applied in scheduling the quay crane assignments. Results showed tremendous increase in quay crane rate, berth capacity and improved berth utilization. Also, for the reach stacker, the crane rate can be improved to 30 TEUs/hr at berth occupancy below 0.40 with TEUs factor of 1.4. These results imply that for Nigeria terminals operating with reach stacker crane, it is possible to improve the berth capacity without affecting the berth utilization of the terminal.

GMM-based online optimization for container stacking in port container terminals

Online optimization has a limitation in that it creates a policy that is unrelated to the actual data by not characterizing the problem data uncertainty. In this study, to overcome the limitations of the vertical stacking policy which is a conventional online optimization approach utilized in the container stacking problem (CSP), we propose a GMM-based online optimization. The container weight is classified into data-driven weight classes based on the Gaussian mixture model (GMM), and our stacking policy is updated in response to problem data. When comparing the weight variance of the other existing stacking policies with the proposed stacking policy, the proposed stacking policy showed smaller values of weight variance on average. Based on this study, containers can be stacked to facilitate flexible responses to various situations with uncertainties and reduce the time taken for container relocation movements.

Assessment of container terminals competitiveness in the Brazilian market: a cluster analysis

ABSTRACT This article presents an analysis of the competitiveness of Brazilian container port terminals and discusses the implications for the sustainable development of this sector in Brazil in the context of container ship size maximization. A cluster analysis was developed. Thirteen criteria were selected in the analysis taking into consideration both the previous literature and the characteristic of Brazilian ports. The classification shows that the third group of terminals (Santos Brasil, BTP and Paranaguá) has the highest average values in eleven out of the thirteen criteria, standing out mainly in annual capacity, number of plugs, and GDP hinterland. This is the most competitive group with the highest frequency of ship visits. It is also interesting to find that this group of terminals has a limitation regarding the operational draft that limits the port sector when receiving large ships. Considering the expected inclusion of New Panamax-class ships operating on the Brazilian coast, container terminals have restrictions due to the limited operational draft. Conclusions are drawn regarding the potential for implementing strategies and policy interventions. The study represents an application inspired by the current debate in the Brazilian port sector, which presents the country’s urgent problem of receiving large capacity ships.

Port capacity expansion under real options approach: a case study in Brazil

Investments in port container terminals are sensitive to uncertainties. Public investments in infrastructure have been significantly reduced in the last decade in developing countries. The Brazilian government infrastructure investment was only 1.85 % of GDP in 2019, representing the lowest level in the last fifty years. Nonetheless, the regulatory framework of the port sector in Brazil has undergone significant changes over time, increasing the number of private port container terminal leases. The expansion capacity of the private port facilities is strongly linked to the demand uncertainty, which impacts the financial return to the long run. In this scenario, the uncertainty of global cargo transportation can discourage infrastructure investments in this class of project in Brazil. To overcome these issues, the financial modelling applying real options approach is better suited than the traditional valuation methods based on Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis. The present study aims to value flexibilities of anticipating, or postponing, or interrupting investments of an existing operational port terminal in Brazil with expansion capacity under the demand uncertainty. The financial decision to invest in a port expansion is modeled by an American option. The results demonstrate that the investor adds significant value to the project by having the possibility to postpone investments. The proposed model presents the contribution of optimizing the decision of sequential expansions of capacity in port terminals, at any time and according to scenarios' revelation. In addition, the model allows the government authorities to review lease contracts, considering the relevance of timing to invest in project expansion decisions. The proposed model can also be extended to other infrastructure projects in emerging economies.

Towards AI driven environmental sustainability: an application of automated logistics in container port terminals

ABSTRACT Artificial intelligence and data analytics capabilities have enabled the introduction of automation, such as robotics and Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), across different sectors of the production spectrum which successively has profound implications for operational efficiency and productivity. However, the environmental sustainability implications of such innovations have not been yet extensively addressed in the extant literature. This study evaluates the use of AGVs in container terminals by investigating the environmental sustainability gains that arise from the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation for shoreside operations at freight ports. Through a comprehensive literature review, we reveal this research gap across the use of artificial intelligence and decision support systems, as well as optimisation models. A real-world container terminal is used, as a case study in a simulation environment, on Europe’s fastest-growing container port (Piraeus), to quantify the environmental benefits related to routing scenarios via different types of AGVs. Our study contributes to the cross-section of operations management and artificial intelligence literature by articulating design principles to inform effective digital technology interventions at non-automated port terminals, both at operational and management levels.

Short-term prediction of outbound truck traffic from the exchange of information in logistics hubs: A case study for the port of Rotterdam

Short-term traffic prediction is an important component of traffic management systems. Around logistics hubs such as seaports, truck flows can have a major impact on the surrounding motorways. Hence, their prediction is important to help manage traffic operations. However, The link between short-term dynamics of logistics activities and the generation of truck traffic has not yet been properly explored. This paper aims to develop a model that predicts short-term changes in truck volumes, generated from major container terminals in maritime ports. We develop, test, and demonstrate the model for the port of Rotterdam. Our input data are derived from exchanges of operational logistics messages between terminal operators, carriers and shippers, via the local Port Community System. We propose a feed-forward neural network to predict the next one hour of outbound truck traffic. To extract hidden features from the input data and select a model with appropriate features, we employ an evolutionary algorithm in accordance with the neural network model. Our model predicts outbound truck volumes with high accuracy. We formulate 2 scenarios to evaluate the forecasting abilities of the model. The model predicts lag and non-proportional responses of truck flows to changes in container turnover at terminals. The findings are relevant for traffic management agencies to help improve the efficiency and reliability of transport networks, in particular around major freight hubs.

컨테이너 터미널 인력운영 변화요인의 탐색적 연구 - 부산항과 광양항을 중심으로 -

본 연구에서는 컨테이너 터미널의 변화요인(터미널 운영, 안전 및 법규, 조직문화, 기술발달, 사회외부적환경변화)이 컨테이너 터미널의 인력운영에 미치는 인과관계를 파악하고자 한다. 연구를 위해 부산, 광양항에 종사하는 터미널 관계자를 대상으로 300부의 설문지를 배포하였으며, 수집된 설문지 중 무응답 및 부실하게 응답한 설문지 53부와 결측치가 있는 16부의 설문지를 제거한 유효 설문지 231부를 통해 5가지 요인을 추출하였다. 이후 탐색적요인분석과 다중회귀분석을 진행하였으며 다음과 같은 결론을 도출할 수 있었다. 첫째, 컨테이너 터미널의 변화요인 중 기술발달(자동화), 조직문화, 사회·외부적환경 변화 요인이 컨테이너 터미널 인력운영에 유의미한 영향을 미친다는 사실을 도출해 낼 수 있었다. 둘째, 컨테이너 터미널 인력운영체계의 변화에 기술발달과 사회·외부적환경변화가 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 인력구성(사무직/현장직)에 기술발달과 사회·외부적환경변화, 그리고 안전 및 보안이 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 넷째, 인력감소에 기술발달이 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 마지막으로 인력의 전문화 및 교육시스템에 기술발달과 사회·외부적환경변화, 그리고 터미널 운영이 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

Sea level rise exposure assessment of U.S. East Coast cargo container terminals

ABSTRACT Continuity of marine port operations and recovery in the event of disaster and flooding are dependent upon planning for acute or chronic disruptions. Ports are developing the capacity to integrate climate change adaptation with strategic planning and making capital investments in infrastructure. Geospatial risk assessments have demonstrated utility for planning marine port terminal facilities. Such assessments have tended to be coarse and comprehensive (whole port cities) or narrow, site-specific and single-hazard approaches (single terminal or site scale). This study develops a methodology for major container port terminals on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States to advance a screening approach to sea level rise, identify exposure to terminals and associated surface transportation, and enable comparative assessment. The study leverages geospatial data, elevation, imagery, transportation databases, tide gauges, and sea level rise projections. The approach extends prior methods to quantify exposure across multiple ports and terminals. Hypsographs and modelled future tidal flooding are derived for each port. Results highlight the need for port planning to develop GIS, monitor sea level rise trends, engage in integrative assessments, and optimize mitigation and adaptation actions. Results show similarities across yet also differentially increasing threats of relative sea level rise and tidal flooding at individual terminals.

A Solution Approach to the Daily Dockworker Planning Problem at a Port Container Terminal

This study focused on vital resources at port container terminals such as quay cranes and dockworkers. We studied the impact of incorporating the dockworker assignment problem (DWAP) into the quay crane assignment problem (QCAP). The aim of this study was to formulate and solve an integrated model for QCAP and DWAP, with the objective of minimizing the total costs of dockworkers, by optimizing workers’ assignment, so that the ships’ costs due to the time spent in the port are not increased. We proposed an integrated solution approach to the studied problem. Our proposed model has been validated on an adequate number of instances based on the real data. Obtained solutions were compared with the solutions obtained by the traditional sequential approach. It was demonstrated that, for all solved instances, our proposed integrated approach resulted in a reduction in the total costs of dockworkers. The major contribution of this study is that this is the first time that these two problems were modeled together. The obtained results show significant savings in the overall costs.

Lessons to be Learned from Top-50 Global Container Port Terminals Efficiencies: A Multi-Period DEA-Tobit Approach

The growing competition among container port terminals enhances the pressure for optimizing their efficiency level in the performance of containers’ service. Comparing container terminals based on their performance is a complicated task due to the variety of ports’ type, scale, and service configuration. This however is an important task in the efforts of improving not only national trade transportation but also the global trade system, since valuable best practices can be identified and adopted among container terminals. Notwithstanding, available information about container port terminals’ efficiency level, based on their performance measured by the service of Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), is yet incomplete due to the lack of information about which factors influence their efficiency the most. This additional information will support the decision-making processes of container terminals’ authorities to direct their focus on specific factors that will improve their efficiency. This paper investigates the efficiency of the top-50 global container port terminals that service the global freight supply chain in a period of 5 years (2013-2017) through a two-step procedure. First, a benchmarking analysis, namely, Data Envelopment Analysis, is implemented to estimate the efficiency level of the container port terminals. The second step involves the methodology followed in this paper which is further expanded to quantify the effects that different factors have on container terminals efficiency through the implementation of suitable Tobit regression models. The findings of this paper identify the benchmark container terminals that should be taken as examples for under-performing container port terminals and also points out the factors that must be enhanced for improving global trade system, like, number of cranes, terminal space and quay lenght.

Optimal competitive pricing in European port container terminals: A game-theoretical framework

Containers’ handling in dedicated port terminals correspond to a highly competitive market where pricing strategies play a decisive role in their economic and operational performance. For that reason, the formation of an appropriate pricing strategy should follow a thorough methodological treatment supporting policy-making and state-of-the-practice. In the current paper, such a methodological framework is developed and applied to a realistic system, incorporating the concept of pricing differentiation among competing container port facilities. Such an approach may identify pricing strategies that significantly differ from the marginal cost pricing practice, typically adopted by the majority of port authorities. As so, the proposed framework uses elements from non-cooperative game theory and equilibrium network design, enabling its application in realistic large-scale cases. Two distinctive instances are analysed in an additive manner, (a) one simplified case demonstrating the properties of the methodological framework and (b) a generalized case reflecting the market of European container terminals. Moreover, optimal pricing strategies are estimated by two distinctive game formats: a strategic/matrix form of discrete strategies and a continuous game form, each confirmatory of the other. The results provide evidence of the pricing opportunities associated with ports’ geographical location especially in relation with the demand profiles manifested in such spatially separated markets.