The Port of Halifax is an integral part of the Atlantica concept. It is the doorstep for the world to the International North East – and in turn it is Atlantica’s portal to opportunity.
The structure of shipping networks is evolving and becoming more complex. Understanding the nature of these changes is crucial for analysing the competitive position and growth prospects of container ports, such as Halifax.
This paper develops a typology of ports based on three broad categories of criteria: the logic of the port’s location in global maritime networks, cargo movements in relation to the port’s hinterland, and the characteristics of the port’s services.
The four major port types defined are: global pivots – which are located on major shipping routes and feature high degrees of cargo transhipment; load centres – which are peripheral to major east-west shipping routes and feature a significant amount of intermodal transload traffic to distant inland markets; regional ports – which deliver most of their cargo to and from a relatively large nearby hinterland; and minor ports where local traffic generates enough volume to make the presence of a small container facility economically viable.
Halifax currently displays characteristics of both a load centre and a regional port.
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