Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book starts with presenting the development of ports over the last decades, where we see that ports grew, together with the emerging global economy, into global hubs for large-scale efficient trade and shipping. From this perspective, ports play an important role in modern societies and make a substantial contribution to the GDP of cities and hinterland regions. The book deals with the dynamics in supply chains that are strongly experienced in the port business. Understanding the functioning and priorities in supply chains offers a first perspective in the operations of ports. It explains the different institutional arrangements and illustrates what the dynamics mean for the functioning of port management and port authorities. The book presents a broad overview of port performance indicators for a wide range of port activities.