Port City-Region In Global Maritime Logistics Networks

Efficient transportation and logistics, and the logistics networks are the necessities of current global economy. Port cities and those coastal regions with favorable maritime logistics networks are the frontline soldiers of globalization. However, changing maritime logistics system and the dynamic market environment, in which it operates, have been challenging the sustainable development of port cities and its regions. There is complex mechanism for the interaction between global maritime logistics networks and port city-region.Port geography studies may, on the basis of traditional trajectory of spatial study, epistemologically shift to the evolution and the mechanism of maritime logistics system and the formation and features of global maritime logistics networks, with a focus on the activities of the companies, and combined view of seaward and landward. This can goes further to the study of how maritime logistics activities act as a sustainable mechanism for city and region development, the emergence of a territorial maritime logistics complex of port city-region, and the spatial governance for maritime logistics region.The product integrity of maritime logistics service means the service integration of all the member companies of supply chain for the maritime logistics. The specialization of maritime transportation, higher speed and ship enlargement are the technological support for the space and time utilities of transportation.Outsourcing of logistics functions and purchasing integral logistics service are observed to be an important strategy for companies seeking for global operation. This continuous process provides chances for transportation operator to become global logistics service providers. The seamless character of material flow means the logistics space construction depends on the dynamic position of all the logistics actors. The features of "fluid space" of maritime logistics raise much challenge to regional management. The epistemic community based on culture cognition of the actors and shareholders of the maritime logistics field could be used to meet the disordered global competition, so as to reduce the uncertainty and risk.In the context of globalization, a new paradigm would be adopted to ground the maritime practice and study with a theme of maritime logistics. Four terms need to be conceptualized for the better understanding of global maritime logistics——firstly, maritime logistics, the final service product to the customers and the shippers; secondly, supply chain of maritime logistics service, including all the actors of maritime logistics; thirdly, global maritime logistics networks, connecting all the logistics activities with marine concern from the departure place to the destination; and fourthly, the insertion of local or regional maritime logistics system into global networks, which focusing on the insertion modes and mechanism.Integration is an important principal for producing integral logistics service products to final customers. The organization transform would be a strategic option for spatial and functional integration, and a solution to the function, property and operation fragmentation of maritime logistics chain. Containerization, inter-modal transportation, technological development in transportation and information provide the technological and institutional support for the maritime logistics integration in the global territory.Shipping lines and mobile vehicles constitutes the seawards logistics networks, of which the sea channels depends on the input ship capacity. The quick and mass circulation of dry and liquid bulk cargoes and containers are the most impressive sea view of the global economy. The terminals and land corridors, with different logistics performance features, are the basic facilities for distribution of maritime cargoes.For ensuring the integrity and quality of service products, maritime logistics companies seek to the control of the logistics chains, and adopt the integration strategy of sea and land channels of the maritime logistics networks. International carriers and terminal operators take the advantage to be the channel captains in this process of the function and organization integration. Embedded in the maritime logistics, ports are the intersection arena of various maritime functions, meaning its development shall be grounded in global maritime logistics.The insertion of maritime logistics system of a region could be expressed with its large amount of port throughput. The embedding of Chinese coastal regions in the global maritime logistics networks is realized in three modes, which are market insertion, networks insertion and supply chain insertion. The mechanism is the opening up of Chinese markets in port investment and operation, shipping, and other auxiliary maritime service market.The maritime logistics system develops in two dimensions. Temporally, it breeds, growths and improves. Spatially, its activities concentrate or decentralise. In a long history, the supply chain of maritime logistics was imperfect and often with short chains, and the activities concentrated in a limited territory, which usually bred port-urban interface, a seminal space of a port city. The technical dramatic change of maritime logistics system pulls the migration of the concentrated territory of its activities. The Ningbo case shows the fundamental mechanism of maritime logistics activities for the breeding and growth of a port city, and in the process of its evolution period it fostered several port-urban interface and port cities with various morphology.The dispersing of activities of maritime logistics systems is driven by three factors, including the land and environment pressure on the port-urban interface from the activity concentration, the pulling force from the regional central urban to the organizing and managing activities of shipping and other auxiliary service industries, and also the pulling force from the inland to the logistics distribution activities and manufacturing customers. The modern technology of information and transportation provide the non-physical department the opportunity to move freely, and change their location choice determinant, and hence reconstruct the territorial structure of maritime logistics in port, port city, regional central city and the inland region. In this free moving environment, land market became an most important determinant for the activities dispersing.Port city-region is the spatial projection of regional maritime logistics system, and new territory for its global strategy. In the case of Ningbo, enterprises show their active roles in logistics channel organization and the insertion into global systems. In Ningbo area, the port city-region is a new space scale for maritime logistics analysis, with the modern port city as an operation platform, the inland region as the distribution system, and regional central city as the location for its managing and non-physical service industry. In the evolution process of maritime logistics system in Ningbo, port city and the region have active reaction to its spatial governance.The governance of maritime logistics system needs innovation in institution and mechanism, which will goes beyond the traditional political and jurisdictional tools. The partnership of port logistics community based on epistemic community can be an innovative approach to the spatial governance for the modern maritime logistics system. Channel marketing and cultural tactics are the useful tools for identity and community construction in the port city-region.