The changes and industry dynamics that are making the most impact at seaports are the reordering of the ocean carrier alliances and the reorganization of ocean carriers themselves. Combine that with the addition of larger mega-ships to carrier fleets, and you have a great deal of challenges for the seaport industry.
Seaports have always been on the forefront of encountering and coping with change of all kinds. Maximum adaptability and flexibility have always been the traits that best serve any successful seaport and all of its partners — terminal operators, ocean carriers, labor, truckers, railroads, importers and exporters.
That’s not to say that it’s an easy path for the ports and their partners, but it’s one that they know they must continually map out, to find their own way through to anticipating the needs of the supply chain. They must see the changes not as challenges, but as opportunities.
It’s a question of vision for the industry. Amid the changing landscape of needs and demands, the ports that succeed are those that keep focused on their vision — a solid rock in the seas of change that fuels the purpose. The goal, for example, to offer leading service and facilities may be unchanging, while the means for achieving that goal can seem to shift from year to year.
Companies and alliances restructure and reorganize, and at the same time, the vessels are pushing new boundaries in capacity. Countries are endeavoring to re-examine their own trade policies. And the port industry is coping as it always has, by cooperating, listening, and aiming to deliver the best customer service. It’s comparable to the mariner’s skill — preparing for the unpredictable, and making the right decisions when the time comes.