Since the introduction of the container ship, there has been an impressive increase in its use to take advantage of economies of scale. In the last two decades, the capacity of vessels has trebled. Currently, vessels of 23,000 TEU (20-ft equivalent unit) sail the seas. With the exponential growth experienced in this sector, the question arises if it is possible to reach a peak capacity, as has occurred with bulk cargo vessels and, recently, aircraft. This paper aims to predict the possible size and dimensions of a new generation of mega container ships. Based on economies of scale, port infrastructure, demand, environmental trends, and naval design criteria, the limit to ship size has been estimated. The results suggest that additional increases in ship size are still possible. The aim of this study is to help port authorities to understand the needs of the shipping container industry and to calculate the expansion and investment necessary.
Trends in logistics and more broadly across technology and energy are resulting in changes to the traditional business models and functions of ports. Because the port ecosystem is going to be considerably different in the following two decades, decision-makers need to have a “port vision” for the year 2040 to prioritize investments and build a strategic plan. This paper seeks to analyze the current trends that have an impact on ports and the subsequent changes in their roles. The impacts are identified by means of Delphi methodology, which is applied to the Port Community of Barcelona. The results of this paper will contribute to the vision of ports of the future by identifying the main trends that will have an impact on ports in the long term (2040). The research has been able to identify the key drivers that will transform ports: green measures to decarbonize maritime transport and supply chains; 3D printing hubs for production or customization on site and available on demand in or next to port areas; new physical and digital infrastructures for automated and connected vehicles and port terminals; and finally, full digitalization to offer new services (track and trace, call optimization, etc.) as well as an optimized supply chain oriented to e-commerce’s exigent and flexible final clients.
Since the container ship was born, we have seen an impressive increase in order to get advantage of the economies of scale. In the last two decades, the capacity of vessels has been trebled. Currently, vessels of 23,000 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) sail the seas.Despite the exponential growth experienced in this sector, individuals question if it is possible to reach a peak capacity, as has occurred with bulk cargo vessels and, recently, aircraft. This paper aims to predict the possible size and dimensions of a new generation of mega container ships. Based on economy of scale, port infrastructure, demand and environmental trends and naval design criteria the limit ship size has been estimated. The results suggest that it is still possible additional increases of the ship size. This paper allow Port Authorities to understand the needs of shipping container industry and to figure out the expansion and investment necessary.
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