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Port Governance
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Port Governance

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Transportation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 21410

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Vítor Caldeirinha

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Marketing and Logistics, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, 2910-761 Setúbal, Portugal
Interests: ports; logistics; maritime transport
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. J. Augusto Felício

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management (ISEG), Lisbon University, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: ports; transport; logistics; sustainable economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ademar Dutra

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Southern Santa Catarina (UNISUL), Brasil
Interests: port performance; shipping and port management; green port; port community system; port efficiency; port governance; port finance

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to present this Special Issue on “Port Governance”. Shipping and ports are evolving in order to meet the new needs of customers, shippers, and logistic chains in addition to the sustainability requirements of populations and local communities, which imply the involvement of new governance policies that integrate different views and different forces. Nowadays, more competitive and better-performing ports imply new governance models are appropriate to each situation and involve different variables from cities to the environment—from logistics chains to new technologies. The governance of ports can no longer be carried out only from the inside, but must be open to the surroundings, the hinterland, shipowners, customers, other modes of transport as well as to active collaboration with other ports, cities, port and local communities, and regions covering economic, environmental, political, technological, and blue economy aspects, among others. Port governance should consider best practices worldwide, and the choice of which level of decision and control is most appropriate for each problem, treating port issues such as commercial, negotiation, investment, strategy, or autonomy as important governance variables. Fundamental issues for port governance research include greater liberalization or intervention by the central state or administrative regions, greater coordination of national or regional ports, the merging of ports or their autonomy and liberalization, the focus on competition or cooperation on different issues between ports and logistics chains, integration with logistical platforms and modes of transport, the commitment to reduce costs or improve quality, central cost control, and the role of port associations. After all, what are the differences in port governance models between countries and continents? What are the best models in each case and what is their natural evolution? What variables influence port governance? The challenges are complex, and there are very important themes that should be developed by port researchers, such as port and city relations, port waste reception, sustainable port policy, climate change and ports, the relationship between port and terminal governance, the role of the port in the logistic chain governance, and the port governance models different countries. Other important issues to be analyzed include the role of ports in the expansion of the port community system and its governance, and the improvement of terminal performance or port innovation governance.

Prof. Dr. Vítor Caldeirinha
Prof. Dr. J. Augusto Felício
Prof. Dr. Ademar Dutra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • port–city relations
  • port waste reception
  • sustainable port policy
  • port governance
  • terminal governance
  • port logistic chain governance
  • port community system
  • port and terminal performance
  • climate change and ports
  • proximity port governance
  • COVID-19 port governance
  • port investment governance
  • port and blue economy
  • port governance models
  • port autonomy
  • port co-opetition
  • port performance management models

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1623 KiB  
Article
Port Governance and Cruise Tourism
by Alejandro Vega-Muñoz, Guido Salazar-Sepúlveda, Nicolás Contreras-Barraza and Lorena Araya-Silva
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4877; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094877 - 27 Apr 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2882
Abstract
Cruise activities, until 2020, have presented a significant increase in revenue, as well as number of cruises and passengers transported, and it has become a challenge for ports to respond to this demand for services. In response to this, the world’s ports have [...] Read more.
Cruise activities, until 2020, have presented a significant increase in revenue, as well as number of cruises and passengers transported, and it has become a challenge for ports to respond to this demand for services. In response to this, the world’s ports have implemented different governance models. In this context, in this paper, we aim to review the different governance models, as well as port cooperation, competition, and stakeholders. For this purpose, using science metric meta-analysis, an article set is extracted that strictly refers to the governance model of two databases integrated into the Core Collection Web of Science, whose selection process is polished with the PRISMA guidelines, establishing the eligibility criteria of studies using PICOS tool, to which a qualitative meta-analysis is applied. A limited studies set is identified, that includes governance model implementations, private strategies and internalization patterns in the port sector and cruise ships, patterns of port cooperation and governance, governance models in cruise ports, structures and strategies, and changes in the cruise market. Finally, various governance model forms are determined, all documented in the scientific research worldwide, discussing the various components of study topics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Port Governance)
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24 pages, 1475 KiB  
Article
Small and Medium-Sized Ports in the TEN-T Network and Nexus of Europe’s Twin Transition: The Way towards Sustainable and Digital Port Service Ecosystems
by Laima Gerlitz and Christopher Meyer
Sustainability 2021, 13(8), 4386; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084386 - 14 Apr 2021
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 3519
Abstract
Despite high competition among big EU ports, such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, or Valencia, acting as Core Ports in the Trans-European Transport Core and Comprehensive Network (TEN-T), this paper addresses the marginalized decision-making capability for environmental and digital transition immanent in the Small and [...] Read more.
Despite high competition among big EU ports, such as Rotterdam, Hamburg, or Valencia, acting as Core Ports in the Trans-European Transport Core and Comprehensive Network (TEN-T), this paper addresses the marginalized decision-making capability for environmental and digital transition immanent in the Small and Medium-Sized Ports (SMSPs) ecosystems in the EU. Irrespective of topical research, little is said about SMSPs ecosystem sustainability robustness and how SMSPs can pursue the transformative way. Here, management and strategic port decision levels are rather patchy and disconnected from the operational port performance. SMSPs are bound to limited resources and low cognitive, organizational, or institutional proximity, compared to their bigger counterparts. This situation provides a lot of room for critical demarche, since in the TEN-T Network, there are 225 Comprehensive and only 104 Core Ports, the majority qualifying, thus, as SMSPs. This research aims at reducing this research-to-practice lacuna by improving limited managerial capacity of SMSPs on environmental responsibility and digital efficiency. Using an ecosystem concept and aggregated empirical data in three EU macro-regions—the Baltic Sea Region, the Adriatic-Ionian Sea Region, and the Mediterranean Sea Region, three specific decision-making tools are suggested for managerial applications to facilitate and reinforce transition in SMSPs for environmental responsibility, social equity, and economic efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Port Governance)
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23 pages, 3021 KiB  
Article
Determinants of Sustainability Reporting in the Present Institutional Context: The Case of Port Managing Bodies
by Magali Geerts, Michaël Dooms and Lara Stas
Sustainability 2021, 13(6), 3148; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13063148 - 12 Mar 2021
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 4191
Abstract
Research on the practice of sustainability reporting that is specifically focused on the approach applied by port authorities (or port managing bodies—PMBs) and based on surveys as a data collection method, is very limited. Most research consists of single-case studies, only partly covers [...] Read more.
Research on the practice of sustainability reporting that is specifically focused on the approach applied by port authorities (or port managing bodies—PMBs) and based on surveys as a data collection method, is very limited. Most research consists of single-case studies, only partly covers the different dimensions related to the implementation of sustainability reporting, or is based on content analysis. This paper offers a multidimensional approach of the concept of sustainability reporting based on a global survey yielding 97 complete and valid answers of PMBs. A binomial logistic regression has been conducted to identify those organizational characteristics, whether or not under the control of the PMB, that have the largest explanatory power when it comes to the adoption of the practice of sustainability reporting. The research results present new variables compared to the findings of previous studies, such as proximity to a city, the history of data gathering, and the presence of environmental/social certifications. Furthermore, this paper also investigates how these organizational characteristics are interlinked with external, contextual forces by making use of Institutional Theory. By combining organizational characteristics with information on the institutional environment in which the PMB operates, a more complete image is obtained. The results of this analysis show that myriad different institutional pressures are in play when it comes to having influence over the decision making of PMBs with regard to the adoption of sustainability reporting. Furthermore, several prominent associations between one of the isomorphisms and certain organizational characteristics can be observed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Port Governance)
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14 pages, 780 KiB  
Article
The Role of Port Authority in Port Governance and Port Community System Implementation
by Edvard Tijan, Marija Jović, Ana Panjako and Dražen Žgaljić
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2795; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052795 - 5 Mar 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6997
Abstract
This paper researches the role of the port authorities in port governance, and the role of the port authorities in Port Community System implementation. The authors provide the theoretical frameworks of seaports, port authorities, port governance, and Port Community Systems. The literature review [...] Read more.
This paper researches the role of the port authorities in port governance, and the role of the port authorities in Port Community System implementation. The authors provide the theoretical frameworks of seaports, port authorities, port governance, and Port Community Systems. The literature review was carried out using the Web of Science database and additional relevant sources. The authors concluded that although different port governance models exist (regarding the type of port authority), there is no evidence as to which governance model is universally preferable, as it is specific to each seaport. In addition, the research has shown that port authorities play a very important role in the implementation of a Port Community System, increasing the sustainability of seaport operations. Its implementation enables the port authorities to evolve into real digital hubs and neutral data managers, which ultimately leads to the optimization of seaport processes and more efficient use of transport infrastructure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Port Governance)
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25 pages, 1016 KiB  
Article
An Exploration of Social License to Operate (SLTO) Measurement in the Port Industry: The Case of North America
by Bruno Moeremans and Michaël Dooms
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2543; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052543 - 26 Feb 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2290
Abstract
In this paper, we develop exploratory research to improve the understanding of actual practices applied in the port industry relating to local communities’ perception measurement and public engagement, aiming at maintaining and fostering relationships with local communities. The application of such practices would [...] Read more.
In this paper, we develop exploratory research to improve the understanding of actual practices applied in the port industry relating to local communities’ perception measurement and public engagement, aiming at maintaining and fostering relationships with local communities. The application of such practices would allow port managing bodies to improve their strategic alignment with the needs and requirements of their local communities. To this end, we distributed a survey to North American port managing bodies and terminal operators. The survey, answered by 37 respondents, follows a structure defined by critical elements affecting stakeholder perceptions and acceptability in relation to a project or an ongoing business activity. The results disclose differences in social license to operate measurement and public engagement practices between port managing bodies and terminal operators. Furthermore, follow-up interviews were conducted with eight port managing bodies in order to capture the value added and the barriers to engage with local communities. Finally, the study enables benchmarking possibilities both within the sample and on a global level, giving an indication and assessment of the respondents’ competitive positions regarding stakeholder perceptions, communication, and engagement practices, and the steps to be taken in order to strengthen any strategic and competitive state. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Port Governance)
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