Jean-Paul Rodrigue

Port regionalization: towards a new phase in port development

Logistics integration and network orientation in the port and maritime industry have redefined the functional role of ports in value chains and have generated new patterns of freight distribution and new approaches to port hierarchy. Existing models on the spatial and functional evolution of ports and port systems only partially fit into the new freight distribution paradigm. This paper aims to add to existing literature by introducing a port regionalization phase in port and port system development. It is demonstrated that the regionalization phase and associated hinterland concepts demand new approaches to port governance and a functional focus that goes beyond the traditional port perimeter.

The terminalization of supply chains: reassessing the role of terminals in port/hinterland logistical relationships

The paper discusses how logistics service providers are using terminals in their supply chains. It argues that an increasing ‘terminalization’ of supply chains is unfolding, whereby seaport and inland terminals are taking up a more active role in supply chains by increasingly confronting market players with operational considerations such as imposing berthing windows, dwell time charges, truck slots, all this to increase throughput, optimize terminal capacity and make the best use of available land. With the development of inland terminals, a new dimension is being added: logistics players are now making best use of the free time available in seaports terminals and inland terminals, thereby optimizing the terminal buffer function. As a result, transport terminals are achieving an additional level of integration within supply chains that goes beyond their conventional transshipment role. Given increasing levels of vertical integration in the market and an increasing pressure on port capacity, a further terminalization of supply chains is likely to occur, which will strengthen the active role of terminals in logistics.

GLOBALIZATION AND THE SYNCHRONIZATION OF TRANSPORT TERMINALS

Abstract Globalization underlines higher levels of integration between different production and distribution systems. It is commonly acknowledged that this process leans on improvements of transport modes and infrastructure, resulting in a space/time collapse. However, it is argued in this paper that the synchronization of transport terminals is the main paradigm shift of the current space/time collapse. Terminals are where transport efficiency is mainly achieved. Empirical evidence is drawn from the strategies of freight and air transport companies.

Transportation and spatial cycles: evidence from maritime systems

Abstract This paper brings forward the concept of change and its impact on the geography of maritime transportation. Maritime systems are investigated from perspectives of constant contradiction between transport supply and demand, containerization and its spatial diffusion, and the adaptation capacity of transport networks in response to changes. Central to these perspectives are cycles which provide a conceptual background for the analysis of the world economy and of the role of transportation.

The corporate geography of global container terminal operators

The terminal and stevedoring industry has expanded substantially in recent years with the emergence of global container terminal operators controlling large multinational portfolios of terminal assets. This paper deals with the emerging corporate geography in the container terminal industry with issues related to the similarities or differences among terminal locations, the processes leading to the expansion of these holdings and the interactions they maintain as nodes within the global freight distribution system. It will be demonstrated that terminal operators show varying degrees of involvement in the main cargo handling markets around the world and that business cycles and a changing world economic geography can alter the geographical orientation of operators’ investment strategies. We unravel the corporate geography of leading firms such as Hutchison Port Holdings, Port of Singapore Authority, DP World, and APM Terminals, but also operators that are more regionally focused, such as Ports America, Eurogate, SSA Marine, and ICTSI.

Challenging the Derived Transport-Demand Thesis: Geographical Issues in Freight Distribution

One of the core concepts in transport and economic geography states that transportation is a derived demand, both for passengers and for freight transport alike. This assumption is reflected in the conventional literature which underlines that transport exists because it is the expression of a spatially differentiated function of supply and demand, and is thus considered to be ‘derived’ from other activities. However, recent developments in logistics and supply-chain management underline a paradigm shift in the consideration of freight transport as a derived demand. In many sectors of activity, the functions of production, consumption, and transportation have become embedded to the point that it is difficult to tell them apart. The author investigates the extent to which the concept of derived transport demand is being challenged by supply-chain management strategies. To overcome some of the inadequacies of the conventional perspective, it is suggested that several segments of freight-related activities should be considered as part of an integrated transport demand. Although operationally derived demand still applies to freight distribution, strategically—at the level of global commodity chains—integrated demand appears to be the emerging paradigm that is worth investigating further.

Re-assessing port-hinterland relationships in the context of global commodity chains

Given the tremendous changes in logistics, ports are coping with a very flexible environment. This has brought several major challenges in contemporary maritime transportation, particularly over the hinterland which has received renewed attention in recent years. The maritime component of the global freight transportation system has become very dynamic and efficient. As large segments of freight distribution systems are becoming more closely integrated, port-hinterland relationships have become a fundamental component of freight distribution. It may even been argued, and as paradoxically as it sounds, that contemporary improvements in maritime shipping are mainly derived from improvements in inland transport systems. The current technological and commercial context indicates important changes in the conceptualization of hinterlands. Among the most significant forces that are shaping hinterlands, the fragmentation of Global Commodity Chains (GCC) can be considered as particularly relevant.

Parallel modelling and neural networks: An overview for transportation/land use systems

We provide in this conceptual paper an overview of a parallel transportation/land use modelling environment. We argue that sequential urban modelling does not well represent complex urban dynamics. Instead, we suggest a parallel distributed processing structure composed of processors and links between processors. Each processor is a set of neurons and weights between neurons forming a neural network. For spatial systems neural networks have two main paradigms which are processes simulation and pattern association. Parallel distributed processing offers a new methodology to represent the relational structure between elements of a transportation/land use system and thus helping to model those systems. We also provide a set of advantages, drawbacks and some research directions about the usage of neural networks for spatial analysis and modelling.

The financialization of the port and terminal industry: revisiting risk and embeddedness

The paper explores the evolving relationship between the port and terminal industry and the financial sector. Since the financial industry has taken an active role in global economic affairs, understanding global trade and transportation requires more than ever a perspective about financial issues and their impacts on transport operations. Paradoxically, the recent analytical emphasis on the strategies of port operators has rarely focused on one of the fastest and most radical changes ever to affect the maritime and port industries. The paper argues that through the lenses of financial issues—financialization—a unique dimension of the maritime industry can be understood. It analyses how a changing pattern in risk perception has supported a bubble in the period 2002 to 2008 and how financial interests in the industry have repositioned themselves since the start of the economic crisis in 2008. The analysis demonstrates how since then, the financial sector is—reluctantly—rediscovering the risks that are part of the maritime industry, notably those related to business cycles.

Transport terminals: new perspectives

The first impression most geographers may have about the study of transport terminals is that their relevance outside of the transportation field would be very limited. To the contrary, transport terminals are at the very center of critical issues in economic, political, urban, and other geographic subfields, and deserve much more attention. One cannot fully appreciate how globalization works without understanding how seaports, airports, rail terminals, and truck terminals operate as the linchpins of the global economy. Transport terminals represent some of the most critical parts of the physical infrastructure that makes possible the increased volume of passenger and freight movements around the world. As such, funding for new and expanded infrastructure is a central concern for local, regional, national, and supranational authorities. Since much of this infrastructure must be in or near major urban areas, issues involving the positive and negative externalities of port and terminal location can come to dominate public discourse at the local level.