Ports and innovation

Ports and innovation

Taneja, P.
Vellinga, T.
Van Schuylenburg, M.

Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Hydraulic Engineering

2012-05-21

A volatile environment, dynamic markets, and challenges created by new environmental and social consideration demand innovative solutions. Innovation is the implementation of ideas to create value. It promises ports resilience into the future. In this paper we trace some recent successful innovations in the Port of Rotterdam, and also investigate a few promising ideas that have remained on the shelf. After investigating the reasons behind the success or failure of these concepts, we can identify and address some of the barriers to technological innovation. This research corroborates that innovation process is shaped by the interplay of need, economic, and institutional factors. Once the need escalates and reaches a threshold, and initiative is taken to commonly address the barriers, the promising ideas will find implementation. It also establishes that the complex issues surrounding technological innovation require a unified contribution from many sources and disciplines. While the leadership role can be assumed by a Port Authority, a larger role can be set out for the terminal operators, who bear markets considerable risk and face the demands of an increasingly stricter environment regime. The paper concludes that despite everything, innovative endeavours must continue, so that we have a plethora of solutions to fall back upon as new challenges appear.

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1f24ffdb-9ba1-489c-b2b7-16ebf6974637

Proceedings of the World Conference on Transport Research Society, WCTRS, SIG-2 Special Interest Groups 2, Maritime Transport and Ports, Antwerp, Belgium, June 21-22, 2012

Institutional Repository

conference paper

(c) The authors