This volume presents the report of the Pacem in Maribus Conference on Ports as Nodal Points in the Global Transport System held in Rotterdam in August 1990. Ports are one of the principal interfaces between land and sea, and the main entry and exit points in the global transport system which links the world's nations with more than 70 per cent of the Earth's surface. Discussion centred around the following themes: changes in the world economy; developments in technology; ports and the environment; ports as nodal points; the global transport system; developing countries and the cases of ports together with their roles and needs, and finally, the Port of Rotterdam. The book concludes with four recommendations concerning port management and planning, the environment, international co-operation and also suggestions concerning Africa.

This book offers complete coverage of logistics, examining modes, general issues, logistics in specific regions, free-trade zones, innovations in international logistics, case studies and a look at the future.

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.

Seaport gateways and the corridors which connect them to widely dispersed hinterlands are of vital and essential importance to international trade and the world economy. Distributing goods to ultimate land destinations or bringing the goods to seaports from inland origins is organizationally complex involving multiple actors. This book furthers understanding about how this movement is organized, the role of ports acting as gateways and the actions of corridor players. A key question that confronts the shipping and port industries, as well as public authorities, is how to increase the benefits of maritime trade to the companies and institutions directly involved as well as the port city-regions where the transfers take place? This question is being posed in the midst of a global economic recession and trade downturn, and in the context of contemporary policy frameworks whose goals are to generate economic benefits and efficiencies rather than to maximize traffic volumes. This book puts into perspective the reality, opportunities and challenges facing seaport gateways and corridors now and in the future.