Port Development: The Interplay of Logistics and Infrastructure

Ports represent the coalescence of regional and international economies. The port serves as a transfer point for goods, services and passengers destined for the region as well as for transiting through the region. The movement of passengers and freight is influenced by location factors and logistical decisions that have substantially different timing than that associated with port infrastructure investments. The port is also shaped by national and international policies for trade and investment. These policies that influence the port also exist for the users and operators of the port itself. The decisions implemented by the port owners, operators and users have a pronounced effect upon various constituencies within the region. The paper undertaken by the authors examines the port as an element of the regional transportation system. The long term capital investment in a port is viewed in relation to the interconnecting transportation systems and the logistical decisions that lead to the port use for transferring passengers and freight. The paper has been structured along the following outline.