Maritime Trade and Transport - HWWI

4.5 Determinants of port development
As a whole, the prospects for the growth of ports depend on how trade develops in general, the
ports’ export and import regions, and the general competitiveness of the ports. Ceteris paribus,
a port location has better perspectives for development if it concentrates more intensely on
trade with booming regions.
A port’s competitive position is influenced by numerous factors (see Fig. 30). Specific pa -
rameters at various port locations determine the advantages and disadvantages of these locations,
which have affected their development in the past and will also have an effect on their
future growth rates. A special characteristic of ports is that their functions and the related
business sectors for the most part cannot be transferred to any arbitrary location. Relocating
a port, as is to be accomplished in Helsinki through the Vuosaari Harbor project by 2008, is
actually a rarity. 50 At the same time, new competition in the vicinity can cause ports to lose
in significance, even making it necessary to relinquish the location.
The intensity of the competition which a port faces is related to the geographic distance
from other (potential) port locations and other geographical and biogeographic factors. For
example, the geographically determined conditions of Hamburg and Rotterdam differ clearly.
The port of Hamburg is approximately 110 km from the sea and is located inland on the
Elbe River, which has a positive effect on transport costs for goods destined for the hinterland
50 By 2008, the harbor is to be moved to the eastern part of the city (14 km from the center), to
facilitate more efficient land utilization in the center of the Finnish capital, to reduce traffic and
noise in the downtown area, and to make space for the expanding economy. See N.N. 2004.
Determinants of port development
Fig. 30
Geographic location: Substitute ports; distance from the open sea; tides and tidal
range; proximity to market; (natural) water depth
Infrastructure: Docks; depth of navigation channels and basins; surface area allocation;
hinterland links (water, road, rail, pipeline); capacities
Suprastructure: Computer and logistics systems and ICT; ground stabilization and
reinforcement (road surface, bollards, etc.); multi-story buildings (warehouses, etc.);
handling equipment (tractor units, container gantries, cranes, etc.); supply and
waste disposal lines
Costs: Port expansion and planning implementation; port charges and other port
dues; human resources capital; ISPS Code and other security measures; salaries; strike
frequency; public/private port operators; environmental requirements; free port
Berenberg Bank · HWWI: Strategy 2030 · No. 4
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