Port of Rotterdam Authority

PurposePort performance and port choice have been treated as separate streams of research. This hampers the efforts of ports to anticipate on and respond to possible future changes in port choice by shippers, freight forwarders and carriers. The purpose of this paper is to develop and demonstrate a port performance measurement methodology, extended from the perspective of port choice, which includes hinterland performance and a weighting of attributes from a port choice perspective.Design/methodology/approachA review of literature is used to extend the scope of port performance indicators. Multi-criteria decision analysis is used to operationalize the context of port choice, presenting a weighted approach using the Best-Worst Method (BWM). An empirical model is built based on an extensive port stakeholder survey.FindingsTransport costs and times along the transport chain are the dominant factors for port competitiveness. Satisfaction, reputation and flexibility criteria are the other important decision criteria. The results also show how the availability of different modal alternatives impact on the position of a port. A ranking of routes for hinterland regions is done.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on two extensions of port performance measurement. So far, not all factors that determine port choice have been included in port performance studies. Here, first, factors related to hinterland services are included. Second, a weighting of port performance measures is proposed. The importance of factors is assessed using BWM. The approach is demonstrated empirically for a case of the European contestable hinterland regions, which so far have lacked quantitative analysis.

The World Organization of Dredging Associations (WODA) has identified underwater sound as an environmental issue that needs further consideration. A WODA Expert Group on Underwater Sound (WEGUS) prepared a guidance paper in 2013 on dredging sound, including a summary of potential impacts on aquatic biota and advice on underwater sound monitoring procedures. The paper follows a risk-based approach and provides guidance for standardization of acoustic terminology and methods for data collection and analysis. Furthermore, the literature on dredging-related sounds and the effects of dredging sounds on marine life is surveyed and guidance on the management of dredging-related sound risks is provided.

Most port infrastructure projects are large scale, and have a long life-time during which they are confronted with multiple uncertainties. Many of these can be dealt with reasonably using standard management practices. However, some uncertainties such as future demand, shipping traffic and future technology are difficult to forecast. If these uncertainties are not taken into account during planning, the resulting infrastructures may not be functional in a new or different future. This paper suggests that standard ‘project’ or ‘risk’ management practices are not adequate to deal with exogenous uncertainties which can form vulnerabilities for a project. It proposes Adaptive Port Planning (APP), an approach that offers a unified approach for strategic planning and risk management, and guides planners to systematically deal with uncertainties that appear over the lifetime of an infrastructure project. APP is a dynamic and effective management tool that can provide structure during realization and exploitation phases of a civil engineering project.

In 2011, the shipping company Maersk announced Triple-E class ships, expected to be the world's largest ships in service. Following this, 22,000 TEU container ships may become a future reality. This proposed evolution in vessel size will necessitate engineering evaluation of most modern ports to determine the capacity to receive these mega vessels. Basic infrastructure, such as the entrance channels, basins, turning circles, and the berthing and waiting areas in a port, must have adequate capacity. Quay walls, jetties, etc. must have sufficient strength to berth and moor these mega vessels safely while supporting heavier quay cranes with longer outreaches. Recently constructed infrastructure in the Port of Rotterdam, designed for Suezmax vessels, was examined to determine if there is sufficient reserve capacity to cope with the much larger 22,000 TEU vessels. The conclusion was that growth in vessel size had been anticipated during the design phase. Therefore, relatively small adaptations were required in the infrastructure. In some scenarios, operational limitations could be imposed to compensate for increased ship dimensions and associated capacity requirements.