The Analyst – Page 2
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FOUR TAKEAWAYS FROM THE ESPO ‘TRENDS IN EU PORTS’ GOVERNANCE 2022’ REPORT
The European Seaports Organization (ESPO) periodically assesses developments in port governance, and recently published its findings for 2022. The following four takeaways are relevant.
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ZERO EMISSION CONTAINERSHIPS: WHO DARES WINS
In the bigger scheme of things, the question where zero emission container ships will be introduced first is not very relevant; what matters is that they are introduced and as soon as possible.
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OPERATING IN A FOG THAT THREATENS
Economic indicators suggest that there is no recession on the horizon but practical realities are painting a different scenario.
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EURO’ BOX TRADES ASSESSED*
During the last two decades, there has been a steady shift regarding European container trade partners from the West (North America) to the East (Asia). The results of a new study from Royal HaskoningDHV,The Future of European Container Trade,show that this trend is likely to continue over the next two decades. Overall, European container trade is expected to grow by 2.8% per year (CAGR) between 2020 and 2040. However, the various European trade lanes are expected to show significantly different growth trends.
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PORT CLUSTERS: THE SOHAR ‘BREAKAWAY PROJECT’ GREEN INITIATIVE
Scholars looking into clusters in general, and port clusters specifically, have come to understand that the development of such clusters is a path dependent process, in the sense that past developments in ports aff ect the future development path of these ports. Sohar’s industrial port complex has been mainly built around the availability of relatively cheap gas.
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POLITICAL PRESSURES SET TO CHANGE TRADE HORIZONS
All of a sudden (or at least so it seems) gone is the conviction that free trade is a ‘win-win’ solution that will make all countries (and their people) better-off.
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THE DIMINISHING ROLE OF FORWARDERS IN PORT SELECTION
Maersk Line confirmed at the presentation of its 2021 annual results that it is focused on building long-term relationships with shippers.
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RE-SHORING: A BANDWAGON GATHERING MOMENTUM?
This year, C&A, a large fashion retailer, started producing jeans in bulk, in the heart of Europe. Their new factory is carbon neutral, heavily robotized and digitalized and has an initial capacity of 400,000 pairs of jeans per year.
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XXL WAREHOUSING: TIME TO THINK BIG
The port ‘business ecosystem’ includes logistics activities, most importantly warehousing. Most ports have developed logistics zones to attract warehouses. This strengthens the port business ecosystem, as warehouses generate captive cargo for the port. In addition, developing warehousing sites allows the port development company to capture some of the value created ...
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SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA FINANCE RECORD
September 2021, AIDDATA, a research entity embedded in a US university, and financed by various sponsors, published the study Banking on the Belt and Road, which contains an analysis of China’s international development finance, with specific attention paid to the fi nancing of Belt and Road (BRI) projects.
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GERMANY: PROS AND CONS OF RESTRUCTURED TERMINAL OPERATIONS
When it comes to mergers, some may say ‘what is good goes fast’. Others say ‘nothing good comes easy’. The Copenhagen Malmo merger was in the first category, the logic of the merger was immediately embraced and swiftly executed, even when hurdles needed to be overcome. The Antwerp Zeebrugge merger ...
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THE VOLUME: REVENUE RELATIONSHIP
COMMENT: One might think that the revenues of port development companies (PDCs) are primarily driven by the volumes handled in the port, writes Peter de Langen.
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THE UNEVEN COMMERCIAL POWER RELATIONSHIP
COMMENT: For all the right reasons, a lot of attention among port developers, policy makers and regulators is focused on the competition in the terminal and shipping markets and risks of the emergence of dominant positions, for instance due to vertical integration, writes Peter de Langen.
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EMERGING GLOBAL MARKET FOR STORING AND UTILISING CARBON
COMMENT: A stream of recent announcements suggests that a global market for storing and utilising carbon is emerging, writes Peter de Langen.
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UNCONVENTIONAL STEPS TO COMBAT CRIME?
Drug crime has been present in ports for centuries and is unlikely to ever go away, writes Peter de Langen.
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THE LOCALISATION TREND AND THE IMPACT ON PORTS
COMMENT: Maritime freight flows are the result of past supply chain design choices - if companies design global supply chains this results in global freight flows, writes Peter de Langen.
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FURTHER STEPS NEEDED FOR NEW MERGER
COMMENT: On goes the wave of mergers of port development companies, this time between the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, writes Peter de Langen.
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A STRATEGIC PLAN: TICKS THE BOXES BUT RADICAL ENOUGH?
COMMENT: The French Haropa ports of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris are steadily implementing the full merger announced over two years ago and the final step should be ready in June of this year, writes Peter de Langen.
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CARGO SAILING SHIPS; BECOMING SERIOUS BUSINESS?
COMMENT: Over the past couple of years, sailing cargo ships have made a bit of a comeback, writes Peter de Langen.
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E-COMMERCE, SERVICE DIFFERENTIATION AND PORT OPERATIONS
COMMENT: E-commerce had been growing impressively before COVID-19, with growth rates as much as 10 times higher than the growth of sales of physical stores, writes Peter de Langen.