The Strategist – Page 3
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BANANA: OUT OF BALANCE?
COMMENT: Dubai Port World’s (DPW) Banana project, aimed at establishing a deep-water container terminal near the mouth of the Congo River, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), continues to prove to be a slippery road, writes Mike Mundy.
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ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IMPETUS
COMMENT: Even before the coronavirus pandemic reared its head global supply chains were heading down an increasingly digital route but COVID-19 has provided added impetus, writes Mike Mundy.
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THAT ‘C’ WORD AGAIN AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?
COMMENT: I hate to mention the C word – coronavirus – (again) but it does prompt thinking about what happens post the virus?, writes Mike Mundy.
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Coronavirus: making it go away!
COMMENT: If ever there is a strategy needed, it is a well thought out one to minimise the impact of the coronavirus, writes Mike Mundy.
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CONCESSIONS: WATCH OUT FOR THE TWO BIG LANDMINES
COMMENT: If there are two things that can go wrong with a concession process – a new concession or a renewal – they are the lack of proper structure and what can be described as the ‘human factor,'' effectively a major disagreement between parties. Both can be avoided, writes ...
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MED’ TRANSHIPMENT MERRY GO ROUND…
Another round of musical chairs appears to be underway in the Mediterranean transhipment business, writes Mike Mundy.
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NO NEED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF “WeWork” CULTURE
COMMENT: It is interesting to see the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) voicing a pitch for a larger slice of Trans-European (Ten-T) funding and particularly on the basis of assisting ports that have projects with an ROI which is “low and slow", writes Mike Mundy.
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Time for a change
COMMENT: Isn’t it about time that political appointments at the top of port management bodies were stopped? asks Mike Mundy
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Check and double check, the best project evaluation criteria
What drives a port authority or other government agency to develop the infrastructure for a new terminal and offer a new concession when there is little or no prospect of the facility offering a satisfactory rate of return to potential operators, asks Mike Mundy.
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Take the highway to profitability
COMMENT: There is a new container sector study about to hit the streets, Container Terminals: Paths to Profitability, writes Mike Mundy.
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Zagreb built on misconceptions?
COMMENT: The new Zagreb Container Terminal, under development in Rijeka in Croatia, is currently experiencing a dispute over the award of construction works relating to allied rail facilities, including the new intermodal yard, writes Mike Mundy.
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Eritrea must look at its options
COMMENT: With relations between Eritrea and Ethiopia now back in positive mode - after a 20-year dispute - the Eritrean ports of Assab, in the south of the country, and Massawa in the north are the focus of strong interest from international port operators, writes Mike Mundy.
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NewsSouth Africa must beat corruption and confusion
COMMENT: Transnet, the operator of South Africa’s port terminals and provider of rail freight services, has been beset by corruption and malpractice scandals over the last three years, writes Mike Mundy
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Waking up to mega ship realities
COMMENT: A new Discussion Paper from the International Transport Forum (ITF), the intergovernmental think-tank for transport policy, on the Argentinian port of Buenos Aires has raised a number of key issues faced by various ports around the world - particularly maritime and landside access issues - when it comes to ...
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NewsRationale of Newcastle’s suitors
COMMENT: The Port of Newcastle, New South Wales, has reported explicit interest on the part of international terminal operators to develop a container terminal at the port, writes Mike Mundy.
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Thumbs up for Valencia index
COMMENT: The Valencia Containerised Freight Index (VCFI) – a new initiative developed by the Valencia Port Authority and the research/study body Valenciaport Foundation – is, according to Aurelio Martinez, president of the Port Authority of Valencia, intended to fill an information gap regarding maritime freight rates for key maritime routes ...
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Port pirates must be eliminated
COMMENT: Piracy at sea targeting cargo carrying vessels is an unfortunate reality most of us are familiar with, but piracy at berth or anchor in port is a new development, writes Mike Mundy.
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Think you have an environmental problem?
COMMENT: Think you have got an environmental problem, asks Mike Mundy? Think again: your problem is probably miniscule when compared with the one recently identified in Calabar Port, located in the southeast corner of Nigeria in Cross River State.
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Politicians and ‘favours’ unhappy bedfellows
COMMENT: The end of March saw ‘operation Skala’ launched in Brazil, a federal investigation into alleged bribes paid by port sector companies to government personnel in return for ‘favours’ such as concession contract extension, writes Mike Mundy.
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Fair and proper process the only way
COMMENT: Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, and James Macharia, transport cabinet secretary, have been piling the pressure on Catherine Mturi-Wairi, managing director of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), to achieve greater freight movement on the new Chinese-built standard gauge railway (SGR) connecting Mombasa with Nairobi, writes Mike Mundy.
