South Asia’s trade almost doubled in the past decade, but the share of trade in GDP is still smaller (47 percent) than in East Asia (55 percent), and South Asia’s economic competitiveness continues to lag that of other regions. Part of the problem is the region’s container ports. As a result of inefficiencies, the average cost of exporting or importing a container in the region is more than twice what it is in East Asia. Better port logistics could help increase trade, diversify exports, attract more foreign direct investment, and spur economic growth. As container traffic continues to grow and physical expansion is constrained by the limited supply of available land at most ports, the best way to improve port performance is by increasing productivity. To identify strategies for doing so, this report examines the performance of the 14 largest container ports in the region based on two sets of criteria: operational performance and economic performance. To measure operational performance, the report benchmarks total time at port, waiting time at port, and idle time as a share of total time at berth. To measure economic performance, it benchmarks productivity and efficiency using two useful techniques: Malmquist total factor productivity decomposition and data envelopment analysis. The report identifies key drivers of port performance and examines how differences in performance across ports are related to those drivers. This analysis is based on an original dataset on private sector participation, governance, and competition in South Asia’s container port sector. To highlight the potential gains from improving performance of container ports, the report uses econometric techniques to isolate the impact of efficiency improvements on maritime transport costs and trade. The results suggest that the best strategy for improving port performance in the region is a three-pronged approach that (a) encourages private sector participation through a well-developed enabling environment, including further adoption of the “landlord†? port model; (b) strengthens the governance of port authorities’ boards; and (c) promotes competition between and within ports, in part through transparent and competitive concession bidding.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Ports in Proximity provides an overview of key contemporary research in the field through a broad range of international case studies. The concepts of strategic management, supply chain management, port and transport economics and economic and transport geography are applied throughout the book to offer an in-depth understanding of the processes underlying spatial and functional dynamics in port systems. The opportunities for cooperation between competing adjacent ports is examined while the avenues for further joint research are identified, setting an agenda for further study.

Infrastructure Investment in Indonesia: A Focus on Ports presents an important and original collation of current material investigating the efficient facilitation of major infrastructure projects in Indonesia and Australia, with an emphasis on infrastructure investment and a focus on port planning and development. This interdisciplinary collection—spanning the disciplines of engineering, law and planning—draws helpfully on a range of practical and theoretical perspectives. It is the collaborative effort of leading experts in the fields of infrastructure project initiation and financing, and is based on international research conducted by the University of Melbourne, Universitas Indonesia and Universitas Gadjah Mada. The volume opens with a macroscopic perspective, outlining the broader economic situations confronting Indonesia and Australia, before adopting a more microscopic perspective to closely examine the issues surrounding major infrastructure investment in both countries. Detailed case studies are provided, key challenges are identified, and evidence-based solutions are offered. These solutions respond to such topical issues as how to overcome delays in infrastructure project initiation; how to enhance project decision-making for the selection and evaluation of projects; how to improve overall efficiency in the arrangement of project finance and governance; and how to increase the return provided by investment in infrastructure. Special focus is given to proposed improvements to the portal cities of Indonesia in the areas of major infrastructure project governance, policies, engagement, operation and processes. By rigorously investigating the economic, transport, finance and policy aspects of infrastructure investment, this book will be a valuable resource for policy makers and government officials in Indonesia and Australia, infrastructure investment organisations, and companies involved in exporting services between Indonesia and Australia. This book will also be of interest to researchers and students of infrastructure planning and financing, setting a solid foundation for subsequent investigations of financing options for large-scale infrastructure developments.

This book is focused on the impact of ocean transport logistics on global supply chains. It is the first book solely dedicated to the topic, linking the interaction of parties along this chain, including shippers, terminal operators and line carriers. While ocean container transport logistics has been greatly studied, there are many important issues that have yet to receive the attention they deserve. The editors and contributing authors of Ocean Container Transport Logistics: Making Global Supply Chain Effective seek to address these topics and shed new light on the subject. The book is divided into three parts. Part I examines the innovation, trends, competition and business model of container terminal operations. In Part II, the book looks at how tactical and operational management is used in shipping liners. The chapters cover topics such as empty container repositioning, slow steaming, routing, network design and disruption management. Finally Part III explores at shippers and global supply chain management, with chapters on transportation service procurement, hinterland transportation, green corridors, as well as competition and co-operation in maritime logistics operations. The eighteen chapters of the book all highlight the immediate effect of ocean transport logistics on global supply chain.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the economics of the business of maritime transport. It provides an economic explanation of four aspects of maritime transport, namely, the demand, the supply, the market and the strategy. The book first explains why seaborne trade happens and what its development trends are; it then analyses the main features of shipping supply and how various shipping markets function; the book finally addresses the critical strategic issues of the shipping business. The full range of different types of shipping are covered throughout the chapters and cases. The book combines the basic principles of maritime transport with the modern shipping business and the latest technological developments, particularly in the area of digital disruption. The ideas and explanations are supported and evidenced by practical examples and more than 160 tables and figures. The questions posed by the book are similar to those that would be asked by the students in their learning process or the professionals in the business environment, with the answers concentrating on the reasons for what has happened and will happen in the future rather than merely fact-telling or any specific forecast. The book is most suited for students of shipping-related disciplines, and is also a valuable reference for maritime professionals.

Being an island nation, the ocean is never too far from Sri Lanka. Situated right at the center of the world's busiest sea lanes of communication, the geography connects the country with the Indian Ocean, and its destiny is linked to this strategic body of water. For centuries, the Indian Ocean has been part of Sri Lanka's strategic, security, and political narratives. However, over the years, the country's involvement in the affairs of the Indian Ocean has retracted due to domestic and regional circumstances. Its consciousness of its ocean identity declined when it took an inward orientation which gave greater visibility to its South Asian identity, and its own imagination began to pivot towards the Indian hinterland. However, with the rising importance of the Indian Ocean in geopolitics, and with the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka's consciousness of its ocean identity has grown. Successive governments have formulated policies that would have paved its way to become the hub of the Indian Ocean, making the ocean the center of its economic development, maritime security, and defense relations. Amidst this backdrop, this book explores historical and contemporary perspectives on Sri Lanka's relations with the Indian Ocean.