Sheila Farrell

ABSTRACT This paper examines seaport subsidies not on the basis of those which already exist and the arguments put forward in their support, but from a more theoretical point of view which looks at why one might wish to have subsidies and the types of subsidy which might result. It reviews three situations in which it might be desirable to subsidize a seaport: (i) when the port accounting system leads to investment and output decisions which differ from the social optimum, (ii) when the port is unable to adopt certain pricing alternatives because they are administratively inconvenient, or (iii) when subsidization will increase the flow of resources into the national economy so that there are important macro-economic considerations The subsidies themselves can also be classified into three main groups – sporadic, persistent, and predatory – each being appropriate only in specific and well defined circumstances.

The book aims at assessing the overall potential of the Ocean Economy (OE) to contribute to Mauritius' development, at identifying key sectoral and cross-cutting challenges to be overcome in order to seize that potential; and at evaluating ways to ensure the OE's longer-term sustainability, addressing in particular environmental and climate change concerns. While the book discusses specific projects in selected sectors, this is intended only to illustrate opportunities and challenges (including in terms of resource mobilization); an appraisal of the technicaland financial feasibility of individual projects would go beyond the scope of this work and would have to be conducted as part of separate follow-on activities. This book reflects data and information available as of March 31, 2017.

Throughout Western Europe investment in transport infrastructure has been failing to keep up with demand. The result has been congestion, environmental damage and the slowing down of economic growth. Some countries have consistently invested more than others in transport, and some forms of transport have found it easier than others to attract finance, leading to patterns of investment which are not always consistent with policy objectives. This book looks at how each mode of transport, road, rail, sea, air, urban and inland waterways, is organised and funded in Continental Western Europe. It analyses differences in economic geography, culture, and business history, but also highlights common trends such as the decentralisation of responsibility to regional authorities, the expanding role of the European Commission, the requirement for more infrastructure to be self-financing, and the increasing involvement of the private sector.

In 1990, Richard O. Goss wrote four seminal articles about the economic principles underlying port policies, which were published in Maritime Policy and Management under the title Economic Policies and Seaports. These explored the economic functions of seaports, the diversity of port institutions, the need for port authorities, and the strategies that ports might adopt to promote port efficiencies. Economic principles included the existence of seaports for the benefit of traders, the use of competition to maximise public welfare, the customisation of port institutions to meet local circumstances, and the need to involve all levels of government in seaport governance. This paper looks at the relevance of these principles today, and asks what further research is needed to fully understand that relevance.

The paper examines similarities and differences in public–private partnership (PPP) structures between airports and seaports in low- and middle-income countries using data from the World Bank's Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPIAF) database, and puts forward some hypotheses about the reasons for the differences. Qualification of the results is also made with available literature on airport and seaport PPPs. It uses eight granules — the eight “Ws” — as the basis for the analysis, comparing PPPs in terms of “What”, “When”, “Where”, “Why”, “Whole”, “Who”, “Whom”, and “Which way”. Although the similarities between port and airport PPPs generally outweigh their differences, there are several areas in which they diverge. These are the characteristics of the private-sector partner, the PPP models used, the use made of competitive tendering, and the bundling of facilities. Airport investors tend to attract a wider array of investor types than seaports, where the focus is more ...

... We are grateful to our Argentinian contemporary, the journal Consultor, for permission to publish the following article, consisting of extracts prepared and translated by Mrs SheilaFarrell from a recent series of papers? by Dr Aurelio Gonzalez Climent. ...

ABSTRACT This paper examines seaport subsidies not on the basis of those which already exist and the arguments put forward in their support, but from a more theoretical point of view which looks at why one might wish to have subsidies and the types of subsidy which might result. It reviews three situations in which it might be desirable to subsidize a seaport: (i) when the port accounting system leads to investment and output decisions which differ from the social optimum, (ii) when the port is unable to adopt certain pricing alternatives because they are administratively inconvenient, or (iii) when subsidization will increase the flow of resources into the national economy so that there are important macro-economic considerations The subsidies themselves can also be classified into three main groups – sporadic, persistent, and predatory – each being appropriate only in specific and well defined circumstances.

ABSTRACT It is now over 25 years since the widespread concessioning of container terminals began. This article examines the impact of concessioning on the balance between public and private sector control, the use of competitive tendering to assign concessions, the structure of the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to which concessions were originally awarded, and the way in which the ownership of these SPVs has changed over time through merger and acquisition activity. The research covers maritime container terminals worldwide and is largely based on published information about container terminal concessions. Although the data are not comprehensive and contain some inaccuracies, the large number of terminals allows several clear trends in concession ownership to be identified. The paper examines geographical differences in concessioning processes, the growth of competitive tendering, the reasons for multi-company ownership of many terminal concessions, the dominant role of shipping lines and global terminal operators, and the sale and purchase of stakes in terminal concessions after they have been awarded.

This scholarly collection of essays documents the development of boat-building in the Indian Ocean from the 7 century to the present day, with supporting information on the way the boats were used and early navigation techniques indigenous to the area. It looks at similarities and differences in techniques and materials in Arabia, East Africa, India, Indonesia and China, tracing the extent to which the human interaction and trade gave rise to the gradual transfer of technology between widely separated boat building centres. The first part of the book concentrates on the period up to the 15 century, before European influences became important. Because skills were passed on orally from one generation of boat-builders to the next, there are few detailed descriptions of the vessels of this period, forcing maritime historians to rely on archaeology, literature and paintings, coins, similarities in the ship-building vocabulary of different languages and ethnographic studies. The tales of great mediaeval travellers such as Ibn Battuta also throw some light on the subject. The second part of the book looks at boat building in the region today and in the recent past, documenting both the technology and the social conventions surrounding the boat builders’ trade. Examples are also given of the rise and fall of particular shipping communities, such as the early importance of Sri Lankan and Omani traders and the 19 century predominance of the Hadhrami (Arab) shipping families in SE Asian shipping. Although the book does not explore in detail the impact of European shipping on the region, it does point out the comparative advantages which Indian shipyards had over their European counterparts in the period before the arrival of iron steamships, causing European companies as well as local traders to commission vessels from Indian yards. The authors are all leading specialists in their fields. Whilst many of the detailed points they raise will be of interest primarily to other maritime historians, the scope of the book is sufficiently broad to be of interest to the general reader. The Indian Ocean has provided channels of communication between strong and contrasting cultures for much longer than the Atlantic and the Pacific, and yet its indigenous maritime traditions are still poorly understood. This book makes available in one place a great deal of information from the academic domain which was previously scattered between many different countries and languages. Readers who wish to pursue further any of the individual topics covered by the book are provided with an excellent bibliography. Because the book is a collection of essays, reflecting each author’s own interests, there are inevitably gaps and overlaps in its coverage of the subject. Particularly frustrating is the book’s failure to address the question raised in its opening chapter: are the similarities in boat building techniques found throughout the region evidence of communities with similar resources and needs independently choosing the same solution to similar problems or do they allow us to develop a structure and a time-scale for the transfer of technology within the region? A ‘conclusions’ chapter at the end of the book, providing the lay reader with a more systematic framework for considering changes in boat-building techniques over time and space, would have been useful, but may be premature given current gaps in our knowledge. As a result, the history of maritime technology in this part of the world remains a perplexing and challenging jigsaw, with many opportunities for further research and analysis.

It is now over 25 years since the widespread concessioning of container terminals began. This article examines the impact of concessioning on the balance between public and private sector control, the use of competitive tendering to assign concessions, the structure of the Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) to which concessions were originally awarded, and the way in which the ownership of these SPVs has changed over time through merger and acquisition activity. The research covers maritime container terminals worldwide and is largely based on published information about container terminal concessions. Although the data are not comprehensive and contain some inaccuracies, the large number of terminals allows several clear trends in concession ownership to be identified. The paper examines geographical differences in concessioning processes, the growth of competitive tendering, the reasons for multi-company ownership of many terminal concessions, the dominant role of shipping lines and ...

... and business history, but also highlights common trends such as the decentralisation of responsibility to regional authorities, the expanding role of the European Commission, the requirement for more infrastructure to be self-financing, and the increasing involvement of the ...