GLOBAL STRATEGIES OF MAIN PORT OPERATORS

During the last decade a few port operators have expanded over the globe. Globalisation and as a result the increase of international trade, as well as the trend of the privatisation of the port industry has driven the expansion in this business on. Nowadays, global port operators have developed with their global network a powerful importance in shipping transport. The research field is concentrated on the strategies of the five biggest global players and five other port operators as examples as they have also interest in more than one continent. The dissertation considers how these port operators have developed and how theoretical strategy models are fitting in the practice. The theoretical models range from management strategies via strategies to receive direct advantages against competitors on the market as well as to expansion strategies in the supply chain and in the geographical sense. The influence of factors and circumstances for the strategies are described: It ranges from the development and innovations in the shipping industry such as the sizes of the container vessels, the weight of transhipment and hinterland. Furthermore, the dissertation is focuses on the importance of the economics and the way legislative bodies influence the maturity of the global players. Certainly, the port operator's history, the present state of affairs and the plans for the future are illustrated. The analysis is concentrated on where the port operators have their strength and where they like to expand compared with forecasts of the general trade development of container throughput. Additionally, every single port operator, which is integrated in this dissertation, is analysed by the theoretical strategy models from the chosen literature. Further considerations discuss the question how port operators build up their strategies according to their aims. The power which port operators have received because of their global strategies will be increased by the growth of international trade and this and the importance of ports for nations could lead to a conflict between political and economic interests