From break-bulk to containers: the transformation of general cargo handling and trade

The era of containerisation has brought about considerable changes in maritime transport. This paper describes how general cargo handling and port operationss have been transformed in the wake of unitisation. It stresses that the changes have had far-reaching effects on port labour and upon the social and physical character of port cities. From places of intense labour activity, docks and their adjacent communities have been fundamentally re-structured. The bonds that produced vibrant communities characterised by strong social and political activism have been destroyed. The modern port city is shaped by technological developments that take place on sites far removed from the former docklands. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Containerisation in the ports of Northern and Western Europe

This paper examines some of the contemporary features of containerisation at the ports of Northern and Western Europe. Ports are having to adjust to a wide range of forces, both local and global. Enhanced competition between ports is shaping developments. Ports have to keep pace with technological developments and thus there are great pressures to expand their facilities. In addition, links with hinterland markets have to be improved and extended. The paper demonstrates that these pressures are being felt throughout the port system, and through a series of individual and regional examples the dynamism of the European port system is exposed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

From St. John's to Miami: Containerisation at Eastern Seaboard Ports

The North American Eastern Seaboard is one of the major container handling regions of the world. However, since 1975 it has declined relative to the world development of containerisation. Whereas in 1975, 20.4% of the world's containers passed through Eastern Seaboard ports, in 1995 the figure was 7.2%. In the period 1975 to 1995, ports in Canada and the Mid Atlantic range have held their own relatively in the proportion of containers handled in the Eastern Seaboard. Ports in the North East, primarily New York, have lost ground; ports in the South have gained. Rank size analysis and the Gini coefficient show a deconcentration of container handling away from New York to middle ranked ports, especially Hampton Roads, Charleston, SC and Montreal. Global factors – universal adoption of containerisation, changing trade routes brought about by post-Panamax ships and intermodality, and cargo sharing among alliances – explain the relative decline of the Eastern Seaboard ports as a group. Individual port development is largely accounted for by how well ports respond to the global factors. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.