Abstract:
This presentation provides for a clear and definitive understanding of ports and their role in
any economy. It then reviews the different ownership models that exist under the World
Bank’s classification and includes critique to the port toolkit as developed. The paper then
review example ports and their ownership models by splitting administration, operations,
and regulatory functions. It considers impacts on port efficiency, stakeholders, supply
chain optimization and economic growth as review factors. Other areas that are
highlighted are impacts on infrastructure investment and trade volumes by the
implementation of a specific port ownership model. This is then brought to the South
African port system and competition is included from a supply-demand ruling perspective.
This is then applied to the ports under review as to determine how their port infrastructure
investments have impacted their adherence to supply-demand rules. The paper analyses
then the South African port ownership model, including providing areas of exploration into
the ratio of success/failure the country has experienced with adopting the current port
ownership model. It then brings in the element of possibly transitioning to a situation where
this model is to be reconsidered and propose a possible alternative by addressing the
current model in a way that allows for a transition into a newly proposed model. The paper
also indicates how that transition process may be crafted and what would be the key
elements to its success. To support the proposed transition process into an alternative port
ownership model, the paper reviews seven different ports from seven different
geographical locations, but all from developing countries, that have made that transition
into the proposed port ownership model successfully. Lastly, the paper makes some
conclusions and provides some recommendations for a way forward.
