ABSTRACT
Governance principles are most important in the case of ports. Ports are critical infrastructure for an economy, contributing to the realization of trade and movement. The trends in (global) trade and in transport are vital for port governance, as they define the environment within which ports operate. In the absence of a perfect port governance prototype, the features of the applied port governance models differ. Optimizing economic development prospects is the objective most frequently chosen by major ports, as well as by small ones with ambitions to grow. The management of port operations is subject to a number of functions that are commonly undertaken by public authorities. Once in place, a port governance model can be reevaluated and subject to realignments. Successive waves of port governance reforms, management, and organization have taken place worldwide since the 1990s. The broader macroeconomic circumstances informed these reforms. Institutional and cultural differences across nations might result in the different treatment of ports.
