Creating new port infrastructure is essential in unlocking energy and net-zero transition pathways globally. In addition to standard business planning, it is increasingly important to build an understanding of how investment that extends port infrastructure to increase operating capacity may be expected to impact local economies and jobs, both to empower required public policy decision-making and build 'social licence' for new infrastructure creation. Here, we consider the case of planned investment in a new ultra-deep-water quay in the remote Scottish regional economy of Shetland to support both decommissioning of North Sea oil and gas extraction capacity and deployment of planned offshore wind farms. We adapt a scenario simulation approach commonly applied at national and international levels to investigate how expanding regional port operating capacity is likely to impact local economic performance and employment. We find for the case of the Dales ultra-deep-water quay planned by Lerwick Port Authority, this is likely to have net positive impacts on local income generation in all time frames. However, the extent of gains depends crucially on whether labour supply constraints in this remote island setting impact in ways that simply displace jobs across sectors and add to the cost of living and doing business.
This study investigates the relationship of container port throughput on regional economic performance in 15 countries targeted by Taiwan's New Southbound Policy (NSP) over the period 2010-2022. Methodologically, the analysis employs segmented static panel models using Fixed Effects and Random Effects estimators, combined with cross-sectional dependence tests and panel unit root tests, structural break analysis, and policy-year interaction models. The results show that port throughput is positively and significantly associated with economic performance, and the strength of this association increases after the identified structural break around 2016. The interaction analysis further indicates that the relationship between port throughput and economic performance becomes significantly stronger after 2016, while no significant change is observed following the COVID-19 period. Additional robustness checks using lagged port throughput suggest that the relationship is not statistically significant when using lagged values, implying potential simultaneity or reverse causality. Overall, the findings suggest that port throughput is strongly associated with economic performance; however, the results should be interpreted as associations rather than causal effects. These findings highlight the evolving role of ports as key nodes in regional trade and economic systems, particularly under changing global trade conditions.
International maritime governance is primarily structured around the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), and the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Differences in legal traditions, domestic legal systems, and enforcement mechanisms may affect the implementation and application of these conventions across jurisdictions. This study adopts a comparative mixed-methods approach, combining analysis of maritime dispute cases with qualitative analysis of 15 expert materials. It examines the implementation of UNCLOS, MARPOL, and SOLAS across common law, civil law, and mixed legal systems, focusing on legal integration, enforcement capacity, institutional commitment, and dispute resolution. The findings indicate that differences in domestic legal integration and enforcement arrangements may influence treaty implementation and cross-border maritime dispute resolution. The study further suggests that greater institutional coordination and adaptable domestic implementation mechanisms may facilitate more consistent application of international maritime conventions across different legal systems.
Increasing uncertainty and disruptions in global supply chains necessitate a systematic assessment of the varying nature of port resilience across different terminal types. This study aims to analyze port resilience within a framework that allows for comparison across terminal types and supports decision-making. Accordingly, an integrated approach based on fuzzy MCDM was developed; criterion weights were determined using Fuzzy AHP, and the performance of six terminal types was ranked using the Fuzzy TOPSIS and Fuzzy PROMETHEE methods. The findings indicate that the Technical and Safety dimension is the most critical determinant, with cybersecurity and digital infrastructure standing out within this dimension. The results reveal that container terminals exhibit the highest resilience performance, followed by liquid bulk, dry bulk/Ro-Ro, general load, and passenger terminals. The study goes beyond fragmented or shock-specific approaches to reposition port resilience within a holistic and comparative framework across terminal types. Furthermore, it offers actionable managerial implications for resource allocation, the determination of intervention priorities, policy transfer, and the institutionalization of MCDM-based decision-support mechanisms.
Ports are increasingly required to respond to both internal and external market challenges. Forces including competitive, environmental, operational, and financial pressures represent challenges that can rarely be addressed in isolation by port managers due to limited resource availability. Ports have responded by seeking different forms of collaborative arrangements with competing ports. Within this context, this study aims to evaluate and prioritize alternative port collaboration strategies identified as port cooperation, port coordination, and port integration. Second, it aims to identify the key drivers underlying each strategy choice. The port collaboration strategic alternatives are evaluated against eight selected criteria covering multiple dimensions, namely institutional, economic, operational, and strategic. Expert judgements were collected from port professionals from the Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, and were analyzed using the Best-Worst Method (BWM). The results show that operational performance and political consideration are the two most influential criteria in the determination of collaborative strategy. Among the alternatives, port cooperation strategy is regarded as the most favorable, while port coordination is perceived as the least preferred. Each port collaboration alternative yields specific criteria priorities, implying differences in the drivers of ports' strategic motivation. Academic and policy implications for industry are discussed.
