Title: Seaport strategies for pre-emptive defence of market share under changing hinterland transport system performance

Authors: Arne Jensen; Rickard Bergqvist

Addresses: Logistics and Transport Research Group, Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law, Gothenburg University, P.O. Box 610, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden ' Logistics and Transport Research Group, Department of Business Administration, School of Business, Economics and Law, Gothenburg University, P.O. Box 610, SE 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden

Abstract: Main deep sea ports that are market leaders in their regions will continuously defend their market shares. The most constructive way of defending market shares is to predict changes of important competitive factors in the markets and to react to factors representing threats by developing preemptive defence strategies. Two main competitive factors in the hinterland of main deep sea ports have been identified: the improving performance of road-rail intermodal transport systems and the development of new dedicated port hinterland transport systems, e.g., systems based on dry ports and direct rail shuttles. This paper analyses whether these two competitive factors in the focal port's hinterland will represent future threats to the port's market share of intercontinental container flows and derives effective pre-emptive strategies for the focal port's defence of its market share in competition with other main deep sea ports.

Keywords: significant sustainable competitive advantage; market entry ability; hinterland transport; hinterland strategies; seaport strategies; marine ports; market share; road-rail intermodal transport; dry ports; direct rail shuttles; intercontinental container flows; container ports; deep sea ports.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2013.055274

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, 2013 Vol.5 No.4/5, pp.432 - 448

Received: 31 Aug 2012
Accepted: 03 Feb 2013
Published online: 28 Feb 2014 *

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