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Corridors and the maritime / land interface: North America and the Pacific
Prof. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, Hofstra University, USA
Abstract
After more than 50 years of containerization global freight distribution have profoundly changed, both from a structural and operational standpoint. Particularly, the last decade has experienced a surge in transpacific trade which has placed intense pressures on the maritime / land interface to handle the corresponding growth of containerized traffic. This interface includes not only maritime shipping companies, port terminals and inland transportation, but also the wide array of activities linked with logistics and freight distribution. It is an important intermediary in the setting and operation of global commodity chains, which functional integration have placed demands on gateways and corridors on both sides of the Pacific Ocean.
The integration of transport functions provided by logistics and the reorientation of maritime networks have redefined the functional role of ports in value chains and have generated new patterns of freight distribution. These patterns increasingly involve imbalances in trade, container flows and the balance of payments. Further, the development of better hinterland connections, particularly through corridors, has become as important as the port facilities themselves to secure additional traffic and improve the reliability of freight distribution. Yet, substantial time improvements are still needed as only 63% of transpacific container vessels arrived on time – on the same day or the day after – at their scheduled port calls. The major factor behind delays is port congestion and the difficulties of moving large quantities of containerized freight inland. This challenge to the maritime / land interface, notably in the North American context, will require improvements in existing long distance rail corridors as well as the setting of new ones.
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