As trade-barriers are removed and logistics services requirements and costs increase, multi-national companies are searching for industrial and logistics centres where repackaging, labeling, bar-coding, light assembly and other value-added services can be provided. The ESCAP countries have been developing healthy economic ties not only on a regional basis but also with those of other regions, mainly through maritime transport. The majority of them have potential to establish ports that would be viable logistics centres however the sector has been inefficiently managed, over regulated and constrained. Recently there have been many attempts in ESCAP ports to shift their emphasis to value-added logistics services in order to remain competitive. The main purpose of this study is to develop strategies and guidelines that would help ports in this transition of emphasis.

Port Economics, Management and Policy provides a comprehensive analysis of the contemporary port industry, showing how ports are organized to serve the global economy and support regional and local development. Structured in eight sections plus an introduction and epilog, this textbook examines a wide range of seaport topics, covering maritime shipping and international trade, port terminals, port governance, port competition, port policy and much more. Key features of the book include: Multidisciplinary perspective, drawing on economics, geography, management science and engineering Multisector analysis including containers, bulk, break-bulk and the cruise industry Focus on the latest industry trends, such as supply chain management, automation, digitalization and sustainability Benefitting from the authors’ extensive involvement in shaping the port sector across five continents, this text provides students and scholars with a valuable resource on ports and maritime transport systems. Practitioners and policymakers can also use this as an essential guide towards better port management and governance.

How logistics clusters can create jobs while providing companies with competitive advantage. Why is Memphis home to hundreds of motor carrier terminals and distribution centers? Why does the tiny island-nation of Singapore handle a fifth of the world's maritime containers and half the world's annual supply of crude oil? Which jobs can replace lost manufacturing jobs in advanced economies? Some of the answers to these questions are rooted in the phenomenon of logistics clusters—geographically concentrated sets of logistics-related business activities. In this book, supply chain management expert Yossi Sheffi explains why Memphis, Singapore, Chicago, Rotterdam, Los Angeles, and scores of other locations have been successful in developing such clusters while others have not. Sheffi outlines the characteristic “positive feedback loop” of logistics clusters development and what differentiates them from other industrial clusters; how logistics clusters “add value” by generating other industrial activities; why firms should locate their distribution and value-added activities in logistics clusters; and the proper role of government support, in the form of investment, regulation, and trade policy. Sheffi also argues for the most important advantage offered by logistics clusters in today's recession-plagued economy: jobs, many of them open to low-skilled workers, that are concentrated locally and not “offshorable.” These logistics clusters offer what is rare in today's economy: authentic success stories. For this reason, numerous regional and central governments as well as scores of real estate developers are investing in the development of such clusters. View a trailer for the book at: http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/22284-logistics-clusters-yossi-sheffi

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.

Globalisation and the rapid increase in world trade in the past decade have contributed to greater demand for international transport and logistics and, consequently, the expansion of the maritime industry. The dramatic changes in the mode of world trade and cargo transportation make it more important than ever to have a clear understanding of the way in which freight is transported by sea and the role of ports in this exchange. Maritime Logistics examines the latest development, knowledge and practices taking place in logistics and supply chain within the port and shipping industry. Written by a team of international experts, who provide a truly global perspective on this increasingly key area of logistics, the book covers everything that students of logistics, as well as those working within the industry should know and understand including shipping lines, dry bulk and port-centric logistics.

Mobility is fundamental to economic and social activities such as commuting, manufacturing, or supplying energy. Each movement has an origin, a potential set of intermediate locations, a destination, and a nature which is linked with geographical attributes. Transport systems composed of infrastructures, modes and terminals are so embedded in the socio-economic life of individuals, institutions and corporations that they are often invisible to the consumer. This is paradoxical as the perceived invisibility of transportation is derived from its efficiency. Understanding how mobility is linked with geography is main the purpose of this book. The third edition of The Geography of Transport Systems has been revised and updated to provide an overview of the spatial aspects of transportation. This text provides greater discussion of security, energy, green logistics, as well as new and updated case studies, a revised content structure, and new figures. Each chapter covers a specific conceptual dimension including networks, modes, terminals, freight transportation, urban transportation and environmental impacts. A final chapter contains core methodologies linked with transport geography such as accessibility, spatial interactions, graph theory and Geographic Information Systems for transportation (GIS-T). This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the field, with a broad overview of its concepts, methods, and areas of application. The accompanying website for this text contains a useful additional material, including digital maps, PowerPoint slides, databases, and links to further reading and websites. The website can be accessed at: http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans This text is an essential resource for undergraduates studying transport geography, as well as those interest in economic and urban geography, transport planning and engineering.