Port Management and Operations, 1st Edition

With 80 percent of the world’s commodities being transported by water, ports are the pillars of the global economy. Port Management and Operations offers readers the opportunity to enhance their strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, while developing market foresight. It examines global port management practices at the regulatory, commercial, technological, operational, financial, and sociopolitical levels.

This powerful sourcebook describes how seaports are being affected by the changes occurring nationally, regionally, and globally. Evaluating the new regulatory framework, it pinpoints the industry’s implementation readiness and identifies potential problem areas. The book classifies the spectrum of interrelated port management principles, strategies, and activities in a logical sequence and under four cornerstones—Port Strategy and Structure, Legal and Regulatory Framework, Input: Factors of Production, and Output and Economic Framework.

Detailing best practices and the latest industry developments, the book highlights emerging challenges for port managers and identifies opportunities to develop forward-thinking strategies. It examines the effectiveness of current strategies, tactics, tools, and resources of numerous global ports and highlights the necessity of adopting a proactive stance in harmonizing the laws, regulations, and policies pertaining to the maritime, oil, and gas industries.

The shipping industry has myriad complexities and this book provides maritime managers and professionals with the wide-ranging and up-to-date understanding required to thrive in today’s highly competitive and evolving environment.

“Professor Burns has meticulously authored a book with knowledge and enthusiasm. She efficiently takes the pulse of the supply chain, consisting of canals, ports, ship owners, and the global logistics networks, in an effort to identify the current and future trends. ... manages to bring together a plethora of disciplines, sciences, and concepts, and explain the reason for the industry's developments over different time periods. Under the principle that history repeats itself, her comprehensive examination of past trends can be used by the readers as a useful tool to speculate potential future developments. --Yira A. Flores Naylor, Communications and Historic Documentation Section, Panama Canal Authorities In such a hectic and complicated world of global trade, Professor Burns succeeds in doing the almost impossible--giving a powerful and up-to-date description and forecast on the subject, that no port manager at any level can afford to miss. --Mendi Zaltzman, CEO, Port of Haifa, Israel ... maps out the multidisciplinary practices of port management and operations, as well as the distinctive contribution of the shipping industry to the global economy, through trade and development. ... The outstanding contribution of this book is to reveal the role of seaports as a critical component of modern supply chains, enhanced with guidance into the significance of strategic and tactical port planning, modern maritime professions, working practices, and trends that are frequently only vaguely understood, if not completely overlooked. ... a well-written expository book of port management and shipping practices, which is truly accessible to everyone. --Nicky Pappadakis, President Emeritus, Intercargo The author extols the key role of the shipping industry and ports as a point of creation, investment, and as a tool of prosperity and job opportunity in general. An approach of this kind is innovative, informative, and of great value for maritime professionals--I highly recommend this book! -- Captain Sotiris Shinas, Marine Manager of EURONAV and Deputy Marine Division Director of CERES Hellenic Shipping”

"Port Management and Operations ... a manual filled with insights and strategies into the world of shipping ... (it) provides readers with a new set of skills and perspective." —#3 Ranked book among the "Seven Books to Better Understand the Shipping Industry," per The Maritime Executive (August 2017)

"This powerful sourcebook offers readers the opportunity to enhance their strategic thinking and problem solving skills, while developing market foresight." —Rated among the "Top 8 Maritime & Port Management Books" per Marine Insight

"Maria Burns has done it again! In this first class Port Management and Maritime resource book, she demonstrates once more her ability to blend practical and useful information into a compilation of real-world commercial scenarios. This innovative approach will make this book a scientific and commercial success!"
—Niels A. Aalund, Senior Vice President, West Gulf Maritime Association; and Chairman, Houston Maritime Museum

"Professor Burns has meticulously authored a book with knowledge and enthusiasm. She efficiently takes the pulse of the supply chain, consisting of canals, ports, ship owners, and the global logistics networks, in an effort to identify the current and future trends. ... manages to bring together a plethora of disciplines, sciences, and concepts, and explain the reason for the industry’s developments over different time periods. Under the principle that history repeats itself, her comprehensive examination of past trends can be used by the readers as a useful tool to speculate potential future developments."
—Yira A. Flores Naylor, Communications and Historic Documentation Section, Panama Canal Authorities

"In such a hectic and complicated world of global trade, Professor Burns succeeds in doing the almost impossible—giving a powerful and up-to-date description and forecast on the subject, that no port manager at any level can afford to miss."
—Mendi Zaltzman, CEO, Port of Haifa, Israel

"... maps out the multidisciplinary practices of port management and operations, as well as the distinctive contribution of the shipping industry to the global economy, through trade and development. ... The outstanding contribution of this book is to reveal the role of seaports as a critical component of modern supply chains, enhanced with guidance into the significance of strategic and tactical port planning, modern maritime professions, working practices, and trends that are frequently only vaguely understood, if not completely overlooked. ... a well-written expository book of port management and shipping practices, which is truly accessible to everyone."
—Nicky Pappadakis, President Emeritus, Intercargo

"The author extols the key role of the shipping industry and ports as a point of creation, investment, and as a tool of prosperity and job opportunity in general. An approach of this kind is innovative, informative, and of great value for maritime professionals—I highly recommend this book!"—Captain Sotiris Shinas, Marine Manager of EURONAV and Deputy Marine Division Director of CERES Hellenic Shipping

"Port Management and Operations ... a manual filled with insights and strategies into the world of shipping ... (it) provides readers with a new set of skills and perspective."

—#3 Ranked book among the "Seven Books to Better Understand the Shipping Industry," per The Maritime Executive (August 2017)

"This powerful sourcebook offers readers the opportunity to enhance their strategic thinking and problem solving skills, while developing market foresight."

—Rated among the "Top 8 Maritime & Port Management Books" per Marine Insight

"Maria Burns has done it again! In this first class Port Management and Maritime resource book, she demonstrates once more her ability to blend practical and useful information into a compilation of real-world commercial scenarios. This innovative approach will make this book a scientific and commercial success!"
—Niels A. Aalund, Senior Vice President, West Gulf Maritime Association; and Chairman, Houston Maritime Museum

"Professor Burns has meticulously authored a book with knowledge and enthusiasm. She efficiently takes the pulse of the supply chain, consisting of canals, ports, ship owners, and the global logistics networks, in an effort to identify the current and future trends. ... manages to bring together a plethora of disciplines, sciences, and concepts, and explain the reason for the industry’s developments over different time periods. Under the principle that history repeats itself, her comprehensive examination of past trends can be used by the readers as a useful tool to speculate potential future developments."
—Yira A. Flores Naylor, Communications and Historic Documentation Section, Panama Canal Authorities

"In such a hectic and complicated world of global trade, Professor Burns succeeds in doing the almost impossible—giving a powerful and up-to-date description and forecast on the subject, that no port manager at any level can afford to miss."
—Mendi Zaltzman, CEO, Port of Haifa, Israel

"... maps out the multidisciplinary practices of port management and operations, as well as the distinctive contribution of the shipping industry to the global economy, through trade and development. ... The outstanding contribution of this book is to reveal the role of seaports as a critical component of modern supply chains, enhanced with guidance into the significance of strategic and tactical port planning, modern maritime professions, working practices, and trends that are frequently only vaguely understood, if not completely overlooked. ... a well-written expository book of port management and shipping practices, which is truly accessible to everyone."
—Nicky Pappadakis, President Emeritus, Intercargo

"The author extols the key role of the shipping industry and ports as a point of creation, investment, and as a tool of prosperity and job opportunity in general. An approach of this kind is innovative, informative, and of great value for maritime professionals—I highly recommend this book!"—Captain Sotiris Shinas, Marine Manager of EURONAV and Deputy Marine Division Director of CERES Hellenic Shipping

Prof. Maria G. Burns serves as the Director for the Center for Logistics & Transportation Policy, University of Houston, and as Lead of Workforce Development and Researcher in the DHS Center of Excellence for Borders, Trade and Immigration Research, led by the University of Houston. She is the author of the books Port Management & Operations (2014); Logistics & Transportation Security (2015), and Energy Security & Critical Infrastructure (2016). She is an Honorary Member in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, and Member in the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), whose role is to advise the Governor of Texas in matters of security.

In 2016, Prof. Burns received the "Excellence in Emergency Management Award" by the Emergency Management Association of Texas (EMAT). She has developed a series of training manuals approved by the US Coast Guard NMC. She is a Certified Auditor for Security (ISPS), Safety (ISM), Quality (ISO9001), and the Environment (ISO14001). She serves as Chair in the Supply Chain Security Subcommittee of the National Academies, Washington DC, and Member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), and the International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME).

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