On the afternoon of April 29, 2020, the press conference of the Global Port Development Report (2019) (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") and the port development keynote speech of the Shanghai International Shipping Research Center (SISI) Expert Lecture Series were held for the first time through live streaming via video conference.
The conference was chaired by Zhen Hong, Secretary General of Shanghai International Shipping Research Center and Professor of Shanghai Maritime University, who led the report preparation team as the keynote speaker. Zhao Nan, Assistant Secretary General of SISI and Director of Port Development Research Institute, presided over the conference and released the report.
When interpreting the report, Xie Wenqing, Assistant Director of SISI Port Development Research Institute, conducted a detailed analysis of the report from eight aspects: global port development environment in 2019, production status, global port operator development status, port investment and construction, the impact of Indian shipping policies on port development, port supply chain and cross-border e-commerce cooperation models, global port operator risk resistance and investment, and analysis of global cruise port development trends.
When talking about the development trend of global ports in 2020, Xie Wenqing believed that, affected by the global pandemic of COVID-19 and the soaring cost of shipping under low sulfur oil, the growth rate of global economy and trade will fall sharply in 2020, and the growth rate of global port throughput may fall. Specifically, Asian ports may face negative growth, ports in the Americas and Europe may continue to decline, and port growth in Australia may stagnate.
At the same time, the port investment market has been sluggish in the short term, which is reflected in the relatively stable construction of Asian ports, the new round of construction of US East ports will be put on hold, the pace of port construction in China will gradually slow down, and the demand for automated port construction may increase.
In terms of global terminal operators, the report believes that there will be a resurgence of consolidation, mainly due to terminal operators selling assets to promote integration. From the changes in production capacity and operations of important global terminal operators such as COSCO Shipping Port, China Merchants Port, Dubai Global Ports Group, Maersk Terminal, Singapore International Ports Group, and Hutchison Port, the overall growth rate of global terminal operators is improving.
When predicting the development trend of the port supply chain, Xie Wenqing stated that in the future, more attention will be paid to comprehensive customized services for customers. For customers, the greatest benefit brought by the integration of related services is a seamless logistics experience.
For service providers, the wider the coverage of services, the higher the service fees they can earn. And the extension of supply chain services upstream and downstream also means more customized service solutions and a wider customer base.
At the same time, the port supply chain is also showing a trend towards online development. This not only provides convenience for collaborative development, but also places high demands on the response speed of the logistics supply chain itself.
How can the port supply chain collaborate with cross-border e-commerce for development?
Xie Wenqing summarized that the essence of the coordinated development of port logistics supply chain and cross-border e-commerce is the deep integration of the port industry into the global logistics supply chain market.
Specifically, in the face of inevitable trends such as decentralization, fragmented orders, and flattened supply chains, port supply chains must seize the opportunity of the "Internet of Things" era. In the future, cross-border trade can provide end-to-end logistics integration services through third-party cross-border e-commerce platforms.
By leveraging the agglomeration effect of e-commerce platforms, port supply chain service providers need to extend their services to insurance, banking, and other service providers on the basis of collaborating with ports, shipping companies, docks, freight forwarders, warehousing, customs declaration, and fleets, and develop a supply chain ecosystem with cross-border as the core. At the meeting, Professor Zhenhong also had discussions and sharing with online guests on hot topics.
One is that the development of port enterprises is showing a trend of networked layout towards sea and land. Global terminal operators are strengthening their control over the network of sea oriented ports, as well as the layout of inland dry ports, extending port service functions inland.
The second is to build a "process to process" integration, build a logistics supply chain with ports as the core, and provide a "flexible service" type of port with stronger responsiveness to market demand changes.
The third is to enhance the development of port city linkage. For example, the current port area has become an important support for port development, and a development model combining "port area+logistics park+port industrial park" can be created.
The fourth is the sustainable development model of ports, which can develop towards the direction of "resource conservation+environmental friendliness".
The fifth is to have comprehensive information and data collection capabilities, and a smart port with advanced digital technology application capabilities will be the only way for future port development.
It is understood that this series of reports has won the second prize for scientific and technological progress from the China Ports Association. In the recently released 2019 Global Maritime Report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, relevant data from the 2018 Global Port Development Report was also cited.