Viewpoint – Page 9
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Takes two to tango
Promoting competition in port activities seems a simple enough concept for government to handle,but theory does not always go into practice easily.
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Foreign bodies
Space to expand, government backing and support from terminal operators - sounds like any port authority''s dream. But Rotterdam has never been one for dreaming. Here''s a port that has always been one step ahead of the game. In the 1950s growing ship calls prompted the construction of Botlek and ...
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Independence Day
International terminal operators, with their wide reach, high profile branding and bottomless pockets,have fast become synonymous with successful port operations, leaving public sector terminals to be viewed as the poor relations of the port world. And with capacity shortages making sour reading for shippers, these terminal factory lines can only ...
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Big spin-offs
The thirst for ever larger containerships is seemingly never quenched. Last month, the gleaming Emma Maersk sashayed on to the market with its declared 11,000 teu capacity - and whispers of a ''real'' capacity of more than 13,000 teu.
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Expect the unexpected
As I walked around Limassol port last month and watched the port manager calmly overseeing thousands of evacuees using his port as a springboard for other destinations, I have to say I was impressed. This port on the south coast of Cyprus didn''t ask to be the channel for evacuees ...
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Question Time
The UK Ports Policy Review Roadshow rolled into London on 25 May and was the focus of some serious attention as well as merriment by industry participants and analysts alike.
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Grasping the big issues
This is the last Viewpoint I shall be writing. I''m returning to my old business of ships agency, and to my old firm, Inchcape Shipping Services after three terrific years editing PS.
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NewsMaritime Centres and Democracy
In Belgium and Holland recently it was striking to see what a deep-routed culture of maritime tradition prevails. The history of maritime activity goes back centuries and as with any such region, this breeds much more than just the port and its core activities. In Benelux you will find the ...
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Use this rich era of growth to clean up our act
Economist Ben Hackett rings in the new year with some positive news. Despite predictions to the contrary, the global economy is in robust shape and will remain so, provided of course the ''almighty'' consumer (you and me) does not lose heart.
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P&O Act 1 or 2?
Will DPW''s bid for P& O prevail or is Temasek/PSA rewriting the script? Mike Mundy investigates.
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What is going on?
Ports are hot all of a sudden - that''s what. Dubai Ports World (DPW) are aiming to gobble up as much capacity around the world as they can lay their hands on, their almost indecent haste fuelled by deep pockets filled with petrodollars. At the end of October they were ...
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Bring back the Big Easy
In the short life of this magazine we have had to report on three major calamities wrought upon us by Mother Nature: Typhoon Maemi flattened Busan''s container terminal; then the Boxing Day tsuname wiped out whole coastlines; and now Hurricane Katrina. Each one an Act of God.
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You cannot be serious!
You would think that after at least ten years of full-on port privatisation that countries wishing to attract new investors, and the investors themselves, would know how to get it right. Two recent events, however, suggest otherwise.
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Let there be ports
TOC provides a wealth of ideas and material for a magazine like ours and the recent event in Antwerp was no exception. We catch those conference sessions we can and download the speakers'' papers from those presentations we can''t get to, to mull over later. We chat with people who ...
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End of an era at P&O - so what next?
Mid-2005 will, in years to come, probably be seen as a pivotal moment for P& O. The jury is out, however, on whether it will be seen in a positive or negative context.
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Sustainability versus Progress
The Bengal tiger may be an endangered species but the Indian economy is certainly not. Investment bankers talk of it as the next Asian tiger - arguably it already is.
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Between the gate, the breakwater and beyond
Our Close-Up this month is remarkable for two reasons: first Robin Middleton is an interesting character with an interesting job; more importantly, his job description offers a possible template for other coastal states to follow.
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Hard Choices
Life is about making choices - some harder than others. And choices have consequences. But once a course has been chosen - right or wrong - then what is done is done and anyway it''s usually impossible to reverse back the way you''ve come.
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Cause and Effect, Control and Responsibility
Cause and effect is a common method of organizing and discussing ideas so let''s take a look at some cases relevant to this issue of PS. Mankind has always favoured coastal dwelling. The sea provided a rich harvest; and trade and communications were made easier. The sea has brought danger ...
