Competitiveness and Strategic Positioning of Seaports

Thanks to the development of world trade, more than two-thirds of the world's total cargo depends on maritime transport. Maritime transport and ports play an important role in the sustainable development of the global economy. Currently, as international transshipment ports, ports are evolving from conventional retail terminals to containerized distribution logistics centers (hubs). Undoubtedly, the shipping and port industries are directly related to the global economy. The ports are the main carriers and information exchangers with the outer regions. In addition, the port economy has become an important lever for promoting regional economic development. In order to ensure a port's competitive position within a certain range, many port administrations and stakeholders have measured competition performance based on microeconomic concepts such as market shares and annual growth rates among competitors. However, in past years it can be seen that the growing attention to the social responsibility of the port, that is, the impact of port operations and activities on the environment, has often attracted public attention. The port is also facing great pressure on the results of its social responsibility. Such a satisfactory capacity or growth rate is insufficient to measure the competitive position of ports in today's environment. Ports or interested parties may have additional charges for environmental impacts, such as emissions, water pollution, noise, etc. to achieve sustainable port development. Ports with excellent environmental performance and high social reputation are likely to have a competitive advantage. There are various methods for determining their competitiveness, especially for container ports. As a rule, a lot of literature indicates that the key factors affecting the competitiveness of a port, such as port capacity, productivity, quality of service, accessibility of inland areas and reputation. However, there is also evidence that the public is increasingly focusing on environmental issues of the port, which leads to much more negative externalities for society. One of the major environmental impacts is exhaust gas emissions (air pollution), which are mainly caused by vehicles in the port industry. The development trends of the port and shipping industries are associated with the spread of globalization and containerization. Accordingly, the competitive environment is becoming increasingly tough for all participants in the maritime transport market. In such conditions, in order to be competitive, it is necessary to reduce negative externalities and pay more attention to environmental protection. Environmental issues directly affect both global economic growth and the competitiveness of ports.