TBFM - Contemporary Issues in Port management and Logistics

The maritime industry is experiencing a transformation with the introduction of automation in container terminals. Automation improves operational efficiency and safety but raises concerns about job displacement, wage polarization and -economic disparities. This paper synthesizes academic and industry literature to examine how automation affects port workers across job level, demographic attributes and socio-economic background. The results show low skilled workers are most at risk of losing their jobs with automation cutting employment in some jobs. Demographic characteristics such as age, education and access to retraining impact workers' ability to move into new jobs. Despite these concerns, measures such as semi-automated systems, targeted up-skilling programs and policy interventions can be implemented to mitigate the negative effects. The paper calls for labour protection policies, strengthening of social safety nets and cooperation between industry stakeholders and labour unions. By taking a human centric approach this paper provides practical recommendations to harmonize technological innovation with workforce sustainability. The findings are useful for policymakers, port authorities and researchers looking for equitable solutions that benefit industry innovation and employment resilience in the maritime sector.

The contemporary port industry faces intense competition, compelling port authorities and operators to enhance efficiency and effectiveness as proxies for competitiveness. Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) schemes have recently emerged as a means for ports to create value beyond core activities, engaging broader stakeholder groups. ESG encompasses environmental, social, and governance factors influencing a company's value creation and competitiveness. This paper examines the role of ESG reporting in enhancing corporate communication and sustainable strategic management in the port industry, focusing on case studies of the Piraeus Port Authority and Thessaloniki Port Authority. Utilizing an innovative quantitative content analysis model, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), the study analyzes sustainability reports from 2019 and 2023. The findings reveal a shift towards more integrated and proactive sustainability strategies, with increased stakeholder engagement and digital communication. This study underscores the critical role of ESG reporting in shaping corporate communication and sustainable strategic management, highlighting the need for ongoing research to address evolving challenges and opportunities. As ports navigate the complexities of the modern business environment, embracing robust ESG practices will be essential for fostering long-term value creation and maintaining competitive advantage.

Port performance plays an important role in determining the cost in ports which is an important component of the maritime transport costs both directly through various port dues and charges and indirectly through performance Moreover, port performance and port cost are widely considered the most important determinants of port choice by users such as shippers, forwarders, shipping lines and port service provides. However, there is a lack of investigations into all the direct and indirect costs in ports and their hinterland. To fill this gap, this paper adopts the users' perspective and performs the following examinations. First, it calculates the total logistics cost (TLC) in ports and their hinterland by formulating the TLC function according to the total cost approach from business logistics using the best available data for 39 sample ports-hinterlands. Secondly, different influential determinants of TLC are examined through a regression analysis and the most important determinants of TLC are identified. Finally, a case port-hinterland is used to examine how the identified most important determinants influence the TLC through some simulation-based scenarios. The findings not only help the users better understand the actual total cost of using ports and their hinterland but also facilitate the users to identify the areas where improvements are needed to reduce the TLC.