The Institutional Position Of Seaports - An International Comparison (geojournal Library Volume 51)

The phenomenon of international seaport administration is the subject of this book. As a Ph. D.-student at the Delft University of Technology (period 1993 - 1997) I had the opportunity to develop and exercise my hobby on a full time base. The result was a Ph. D.-dissertation which was defended in December 1997. Unfortunately, these research results were published in Dutch while the majority of the interviewees and employees in the world of international seaport administration are English speaking people. Both for the reason of high international relevance of the results I felt the necessity to get this Ph. D.-research translated and published in English. With the excellent help of my promotor Prof.dr. W.G.M. Salet I found Prof.dr. H. van der Wusten prepared to cover this study on international seaport administration in the Kluwer GeoJournal Library series. I thank Mr. Van der Wusten for giving me this opportunity. But also due to the outstanding help of my current employer 'Zeeland Seaports Authority' the funding for the translation became very quickly possible. I thank the Managing Director of Zeeland Seaports Authority, Mr. J.M.H.G. Philippen, and the Commercial Director, Capt. J. Verkiel, for their interest and wonderful help in getting this study translated. And of course my sincere thanks go to Katy Owen who actually made this dream come true The Institutional Position of Seaports deals with the logic and functioning of international seaport administration. This volume not only contains interesting reading for public and private port administrators and managers but can offer by its international comparisons relevant insights for the deregulation, privatisation, liberalisation and deconcentration of former government duties. Every seaport hosts different port activities in which public and private actors interact in changing relations. There is a permanent question of how responsibilities among public port administrators and the private users of the port have been divided and institutionally anchored. The unique model of analysis as used in this research has been built up by the distinction in four different control relations between state and market. By means of this institutional model the division of responsibilities for nautical control, port planning and port services can be determined. The reader can also learn via this model about the specific conditions that are needed to activate the learning capabilities of the different port activities. The model of analysis can be applied to every seaport in the world. Audience: This book is essential for everyone who is in a public or private managing or policy-making position in a seaport. It can also be of great help to students in disciplines like maritime economics, strategic management, social geography and public administration; for example, to make them more aware of the specific role divisions and mechanisms between state and market in international seaports Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Introduction to the Study....Pages 1-9 The Regulation of Responsibilities....Pages 11-42 The Nature of Seaports....Pages 43-55 The Port of Rotterdam....Pages 57-125 The Ports of Antwerp and Hamburg....Pages 127-152 Ports in the United States....Pages 153-188 Canada: the Port of Vancouver....Pages 189-206 Japan: the Port of Kobe....Pages 207-227 The Port of Hong Kong....Pages 229-253 The Port of Singapore....Pages 255-275 South Africa: the Port of Durban....Pages 277-297 The Learning Capacity of Seaports....Pages 299-342 Back Matter....Pages 343-353 The transfer of tasks and powers from central government bodies to decentral bodies and (quasi-)market organisations implies the creation of different control relations.