Since 1992, intra and inter port competition as well as the liberalisation of port services have been a priority for EU regulators. As mentioned by the European Court of Auditors in its recent report on maritime transport, be it in terms of pricing or investments, inter port competition is fierce in the EU.
The strongest evidence of this competition is that shipping companies, particularly in the liner sector, hold significant market power, which allows them to put a high amount of commercial pressure on many port operators and ports. A number of ports and terminals are in this respect facing challenging situations because of the current overcapacity in the shipping sector and its ongoing structural reorganisation/reconfiguration.
In the container sector, recent studies have established that in some areas of the world, container shipping overcapacity is mirrored by an overcapacity on the port side…
