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There are two objectives of this study: to analyze gaps in customer satisfaction and to test the customer loyalty gap on the basis of the reputation of Busan New Port. This study identifies the relationships between variables as well as the conceptual and operational definitions using prior research. Data was collected from 93 members of the International Freight Forwarders Association. The reliability and validity of the data was analyzed and the relationships between the variables were tested by analysis of covariance. The results are as follows: First, the reputation of Busan New Port means the abilities in which the port provides valuable benefits to international freight forwarders. The analytical results show that there is a gap in customer satisfaction between high- level and low- level reputation. Second, the levels of reputation are based on the gap in customer loyalty. This means that there are gaps in the friendly attitude of international freight forwarders and sustainable usage on the basis of the varying levels of port reputation.

This paper introduces a macro traffic flow model of carbon dioxide emissions from container ports. As long as both the throughput and the transshipment rate of the port are available, any port in the world can use it to estimate emissions. Initially, two Japanese container ports are used as reference points to derive the equivalent units of carbon dioxide per TEU for application to other ports. Then macro traffic flows within a container port are defined. Finally, carbon dioxide emissions from different container ports are estimated using the macro estimation procedure introduced in this paper. The results of trial estimations for selected ports among different countries highlight that the impacts of container ports on global warming are serious. This issue will be intensified if competition is increased by the larger container ports aspiring to be international mega hubs.

Implementations of inter-organizational networks are common, following a growing diversity of cooperative modes between the independent companies associated in these networks.

Their scientific analysis has recently intensified, attention to network structures obviously including the study of the way their performance can be measured. Although academic research has mostly dealt with the performance of the network’s members, the concern of this article is rather with the performance of the global network.

Among the numerous forms of existing inter-organizational networks, maritime port communities are complex organizations which have to deal with operational synchronization, strategic cohesiveness and global performance measurement problems.

This article therefore mainly describes a port performance measurement system (PPMS): built in a predominantly empirical research context, the performance model and the associated measurement indicators illustrate the kind of network-level dedicated, performance control systems, on which port communities need to rely when designing their global strategy.

This paper deals with the performance of port clusters. Port clusters are analyzed using a framework that draws from different schools that deal with clusters (see De Langen, 2004). Central to the framework is the identification of eight variables of cluster performance. Four of those-agglomeration and dis-agglomeration forces, internal competition, heterogeneity of the cluster and the level of entry and exit barriers-are related to the structure of a cluster and fourthe presence of trust, the presence of intermediaries, the presence of leader firms and the quality of collective action regimes-are related to the governance of clusters. The validity of these variables is confirmed in three case studies, of the port clusters of Rotterdam, Durban, and the lower Mississippi. The strengths and weaknesses of the three port clusters, the importance of the variables discussed above and opportunities for policy and management to improve the performance of clusters are discussed. The results of this study are relevant for cluster scholars and for scholars specializing in port studies and, since implications of this study for policy and management in (port) clusters are discussed, the study is also relevant for (port) cluster managers and for managers affirms in (port) clusters.

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) has become the world’s most important container-export area in the world because of the huge growth of container volume from China. Shanghai, the gateway of the YRD, handles most of the cargoes. But the nature of river port has restricted its development, which forced China to built the Yangshan deepwater port to act as the mega hub in the region. In response to the emergence of the YRD and Yangshan, two traditionally transshipment centers in the region, Busan and Kaohsiung, have implemented strategies to in response to the emergence of YRD and Yangshan. This paper analyzes Busan’s and Kaohsiung’s strategies and tries to forecast the development of these ports. Research result shows Busan is aggressive and ambitious but that Kaohsiung has little chance of becoming the mega-hub in the region.

Severe disruptions to maritime supply chains, including port closures, congestion and shortages in shipping capacity, have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper’s purpose is to explore flexibility-based countermeasures that enable actors in maritime supply chains to mitigate the effects of disruptions with different characteristics.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with shipping lines, shippers, forwarders and ports. Data on the COVID-19 pandemic's effects and countermeasures were collected and compared with data regarding the 2016–2017 Gothenburg port conflict.

Spatial, capacity, service and temporal flexibility emerged as the primary countermeasures, whilst important characteristics of disruptions were geographical spread, duration, uncertainty, criticality, the element of surprise and intensity. Spatial flexibility was exercised in both disruptions by switching to alternative ports. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring capacity flexibility included first removing and then adding vessels. Shipping lines exercising service flexibility prioritised certain cargo, which made the spot market uncertain and reduced flexibility for forwarders, importers and exporters that changed carriers or traffic modes. Experience with disruptions meant less surprise and better preparation for spatial flexibility.

Understanding how actors in maritime supply chains exercise flexibility-based countermeasures amid disruptions with different characteristics can support preparedness for coming disruptions.

Comparing flexibility-based measures in a pandemic versus port conflict provides insights into the important characteristics of disruptions and the relevance of mitigation strategies. The resilience of maritime supply chains, although underexamined compared with manufacturing supply chains, is essential for maintaining global supply chain flows.

This article aims to explore the concept of chain value of the public port system in Ecuador from the perspective of importing/exporting companies, analyzing how perceived value in the use of port services affects customer satisfaction and the intermediate links of the influence of trust and commitment on customer loyalty.

Relying on a survey of 634 Ecuadorian companies with experience in international trade as port users and a theoretical framework well-established in the literature on consumer behavior, the empirical study found evidence of a positive and significant relationship with the knowledge of chain effects.

The findings confirm the chain effect and reveal ways to maintain an ongoing satisfactory, trust and committed relationship with users, thereby ultimately gaining and maintaining their loyalty. The conclusions suggest how this postulate can help to close the gap referred to the effective management of port services, and point out that port managers should be concerned with a continuous in-depth understanding of the perceived value and its chain effects.

The authors add evidence of the use of the postulate of the chain of effects on these dimensions, whose applicability is very well established, tested and consensual for the doctrine in industrial marketing. In contrast, it is scarcely present in the port relationship with its users.

The purpose of this study is to quantify port efficiency assessment indicators to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on Chinese One Belt One Road (OBOR) ports.

This study utilized a grey prediction model GM(1,1) to forecast five relevant indicators for each of the 17 OBOR ports both with and without COVID-19 background conditions. Additionally, the data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiency assessment approach was used to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on port efficiency.

The results indicate that cargo and container throughput growth rates during the COVID-19 pandemic are reduced by 1.7 and 2.1%, respectively. There was also a noticeable reduction in technological efficiency (TE) as well as pure technological efficiency (PTE), while scale efficiency (SE) remained largely unaffected. Furthermore, the dynamic efficiency MI was mainly negatively impacted by changes in overall efficiency change (EFFCH), where pure efficiency change (PECH) less than one contributed significantly towards overall regression of port efficiencies during this period.

This paper is unique in its use of a combination of the grey prediction model and DEA efficiency assessment to quantify changes in important indicators during pandemic periods. This approach not only provides a quantitative understanding of the impact on port-level efficiency through numerical quantification but also offers readers an intuitive understanding.

It has been argued that a mono product economy experiences epileptic growth because it is prone to global dynamics such as epidemic. Therefore, the need to diversify investments cannot be over-emphasized. Hence, the study examined port operation's efficiency and revenue generation in global maritime trade: implications for national growth and development in Nigeria. The objectives of the study are to identify the factors that improve efficiency in port operations, and to ascertain how efficiency of operations will affect revenue generation and national growth.

The study employed correlation and multiple regressions analyses to test the hypothesis which states that port operation's efficiency does not have positive and significant effect on revenue generation in Nigeria. A cross sectional research design and structured questionnaires were deployed in the study and simple random sampling technique was used to select the sample size of 200 respondents.

Results revealed that efficient port operations affect revenue generation and national development.

Port operations in Nigeria are bedeviled with daunting challenges that hamper smooth and efficient working port's system.

The study suggested that modern port's technologies (ICTs) be deployed to enhance operations in the ports and manpower should be trained on regular intervals to understand modern logistics management techniques in the ports. Third, government should provide port infrastructures being the backbone of efficient port system. Lastly, the private sector should be partnered with in several areas including port's concession to facilitate effective and efficient service delivery in the Nigerian ports.

Cyber resilience has emerged as an approach for seaports to deal with cyberattacks; it emphasizes ports’ ability to prepare for an attack and to keep operating and recover quickly. However, little research has been undertaken on the challenges of governing cyber risks in seaports. This study aims to address this gap.

Governing cyber resilience is shaped by distributed responsibilities, uncertainties and ambiguities. The authors use this conceptualization to explore the governance of cyber risks in seaports, taking the Port of Rotterdam as a case study and analyzing semistructured interviews with stakeholders, participatory observation and policy documents and legislation.

The authors found that many strategies for governing cyber risks remain dedicated to protecting computer systems against cyberattacks. Nevertheless, port stakeholders have also developed strategies in anticipation of disruptions. However, these strategies appear informal and uncoordinated due to a lack of information exchange, insufficient knowledge regarding cyber risks and disagreement about how to make the Port of Rotterdam cyber resilient. What mainly hampers the cyber resilience of the port is the lack of a comprehensive regulatory framework and economic incentives. The authors conclude that resilience is merely an ideal at the Port of Rotterdam, meaning related governance strategies remain incremental and await institutionalization.

This paper offers insights into the cyber resilience of critical socio-technical systems, which have been underexposed in cyber resilience debates, but, when exploited, can manifest in large-scale disruptions.