Artigo Cargo Junho 2010

Port Policy: Competitiveness, Export and Employment

The main objective of the ports must be encourage exports and foreign
trade, supporting the Portuguese companies to create more jobs. That is,
the purpose that should guide all work and organization of the ports is about
to make companies more competitive and regions, serving as centers of
development to create more value and employment.

Thus, the key words of the ports should Competitiveness, Export and
Employment.

Should be based on these keywords that all ports policy should take place. I
argue that to achieve these objectives we have a mix of liberal
interventionism and, in so far as a close and another will serve to maximize
the goals of competitiveness, exports and employment.

Having as basic principles liberalization and competition in port, which are

arguably more appropriate instruments for the regulation of economic
activities, they must be applied as necessary, ie where the intervention
more back injury that liberalization and competition, and should be
regulated seeking compatible, for example, with the need to achieve critical
mass and with the minimum need to have an adequate quality of service.
That is, the principles of liberalization and competition should take priority,
and minimum measured except when some intervention is necessary to
obtain greater value for competitiveness, exports and employment.
We must not forget that the ports should not be treated as cash cows for
government revenue, where the rate takes precedence over everything and
profitable financial investment is paramount, but as centers of economic
development very important for the creation of wealth and employment,
particularly in export, where the economic profitability may imply lower
rates and support the Port Authority, and key public investment in ports and
organize their governance and operation of public and semi-public in order
to maximize the economic impact in the business of the regions.

Based on these objectives, purposes and principles that one must consider
each component of the ports, labor-intensive port concessions, port
services, logistics connection, access, terminals, equipment, mounds,
valences, competitive factors and must know the detail to the niche markets
by product, customer and hinterland and foreland, before thinking of
interventionism and specializations that do not make practical sense.

For this, it seems very important role of public enterprise of Port Authorities,
which is already highly developed in the countries of northern Europe. In the
ports of northern Europe, the Port Authority (PA) has an important role as
unifying the interests of the port, which is a unit due to its geographical
proximity, as a body, and it works in the articulation of its various terminals
with channels of access and accessibility by land, connecting to the outside.

The AP has in these countries with ports concession, a key entrepreneurial

role in developing the port into several strands in which the private is not
involved:

a) In planning the creation of new terminals and piers, the extent and depth
of maritime access channels in communication with the entities responsible
for public funding and accessibility by land and intermodality;

b) The disclosure of the port as a whole, coalescing the interests of the

various operators as a unit and has implications for the general interest of
the port;

c) support to terminals in visits and business proposals to customers and

operational shippers and shipowners;

d) The assembly services and connectivity in intermodal rail, road and

informational terminals and inland logistics platforms for distribution and
collection;

e) The facilitation and installation of private investment and encouraging the

choice of port by land and maritime logistics chains;

f) the guarantee of quality, reliability and competitiveness of port services,

regulating, liberalizing and promoting competition;

g) in reducing costs and giving the example to make the port more
competitive and interacting with the forces of the region where it occurs and
with major customers and industries, to adapt the port to customer needs
and gain the institutional entities and population to their cause;
h) In advance of research studies in terms of innovative technologies and
solutions in logistics and promotion of internal competition and other ports;

i) Promoting large forum of stakeholders in the development of the port, on

specific topics or niche markets and related intermodal and inter-
institutional.

These aspects of theoretical and apparently minor, almost dispensable, are

proving essential in the differentiation of the northern ports of Europe and
their terminals, representing a strong asset to the terminals under
management or concession of private companies.

The AP usually enjoying a minimum staff of highly skilled technicians handle

security, engineering general, the management of concession contracts, but
the main role entrepreneurship public.

Moreover, the study of the European Parliament, 2009, "The Evolving U.S.
seaports ROLE OF LOGISTICS IN GLOBAL MARITIME," has this theme as a
theme of development of European ports and the AP, concluding on the
importance of the development of networks of ports and logistics terminals,
increasing the scope of the port and leaving the jurisdiction for the
hinterland and the foreland.
Source: Buck Consultants International (2008)

estudo do Parlamento Europeu de 2009, “THE EVOLVING ROLE OF EU

SEAPORTS IN GLOBAL MARITIME LOGISTICS” em:

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/studies/download.do?
language=en&file=28491#search=%20maritime