Today, a number of factors are forcing regional ports and feeder ports to make essential decisions about whether they should upgrade their facilities or not. The primary reason is the ‘cascade effect’ caused by the introduction of mega-ships at the top of the container vessel hierarchy. These new 7,000- to 12,500-TEU vessels are displacing 4,000- to 6,000-TEU vessels and pushing them down one level in the hierarchy; and they, in turn, are pushing 2,000- to 4,000-TEU vessels down one level.
Thus, to accommodate large ships cascading downward in the hierarchy, there’s an acute need for ports that can meet the new requirements of shipping lines. Regional and feeder ports must be prepared to configure themselves to accommodate larger vessels or risk being marginalised or dropped by shipping lines. Creating capacity in a short period of time is difficult. Expertise is needed to quickly and efficiently execute the plan with no costly delays, waste, or missteps…
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