ABSTRACT
Although there is widespread recognition of the importance of the logistics and supply chain dimension to ports, few theoretical frameworks or practical applications exist on how to conceptualise and manage ports from a logistics and supply chain management (SCM) approach. Much of the literature advocating the future of ports as logistics centres highlights their nodal role in the changing patterns of maritime and intermodal transport (eg hub and spoke systems), but overlooks logistics integration of the various activities performed within the port organisation itself. For instance, the question of the total cost incurred on a cargo through the various stages of port operations up to the final customer or user does not appear to have been discussed thoroughly in the academic literature. Most published articles on the subject address different aspects of port management (cost-analysis, marketing, strategic planning, etc) separately without incorporating them into an integrated logistics framework of total cost reduction and customer satisfaction. In a similar vein, the subject of competitive benchmarking between logistics management of seaports and that of other entities with similar operational features, such as airports and regional distribution centres, have received scant research attention. For many, this failure is mainly due to the complex organisational structure of ports although recent schemes of port privatisation have made it easier to apply an integrative logistics approach to port operations and management.
