By Luis Maldonado – Olefins Logistics Technician.
For a long time, the discussion on port competitiveness seemed relatively straightforward. People spoke of channel depth, number of cranes, terminal productivity or the increasing size of ships. The logic appeared evident. The greater the capacity and the more efficient the infrastructure, the more competitive the port would be.
This view continues to make sense, but it no longer explains everything.
Today, some of the greatest challenges facing ports are not at sea or in terminal technology. They are on land, in the cities that surround them and with which they must coexist on a daily basis. The relationship between port and city has become one of the central themes of contemporary logistics.
Ports are global infrastructures installed in local territories. They function as nodes in supply chains that cross continents, but they operate within cities with very concrete concerns. Urban mobility, air quality, land use, tourism and real estate development are today factors that directly influence port activity.
As maritime commerce grows and cities become denser, this relationship inevitably becomes more complex.
Academic research has been drawing attention to this reality. In a recent study published in the Maritime Policy & Management journal, Notteboom and Yang (2024) analyze the evolution of what is called the port-city interface and conclude that this space of interaction has become a determining factor for the functioning of global logistics chains. According to the authors, port competitiveness increasingly depends on the capacity to integrate port operations and urban territory.
The issue may seem abstract, but it manifests itself very concretely in the daily functioning of logistics. A port may have the best terminals in the world. If cargo cannot leave the city, it ceases to be a competitive port.
Port efficiency does not end at the quay. It depends on how cargo circulates out of the port and connects to the hinterland. Congested roads, restrictions on heavy vehicle circulation, land-use conflicts or environmental limitations can quickly transform a highly efficient terminal into a logistics bottleneck.
The international maritime sector itself has been recognizing this reality. The Review of Maritime Transport 2024 report, published by UNCTAD, emphasizes that port performance increasingly depends on the quality of terrestrial connections and integration with regional logistics networks. The document highlights that urban congestion and accessibility limitations are becoming relevant factors of inefficiency in supply chains.
This phenomenon is particularly visible in port cities, where economic activity, urban mobility and intense logistics flows are simultaneously concentrated. The coexistence of these dimensions creates significant pressure on infrastructure and on urban space itself.
Governing this relationship has become a political and institutional challenge. A report published in 2024 by the International Transport Forum, an OECD body dedicated to transport policy, identifies precisely port-city relations as one of the critical issues for the future of port regions. The study coordinated by Olaf Merk concludes that port expansion frequently generates tensions with urban interests related to mobility, the environment and territorial development.
For years we discussed increasingly larger ships. Hardly anyone discussed cities increasingly unwilling to coexist with ports.
``` ```htmlThis paradox helps explain many current conflicts. The maritime industry has evolved rapidly toward economies of scale, larger vessels and increasingly specialized terminals. At the same time, many port cities have become denser, more regulated and more sensitive to the environmental and social impacts of port activity.
Port expansion projects frequently face local opposition related to heavy traffic, air emissions, noise or land occupation. Port logistics inevitably depends on intense flows of trucks and transport infrastructures that cross urban areas, which makes these conflicts practically unavoidable.
Some of Europe's major ports have begun to respond to this challenge through more integrated strategies between port development and spatial planning. The development strategy presented in 2025 by the Port of Rotterdam Authority, in the document Port Vision and Spatial Development, explicitly recognizes that port competitiveness depends on the articulation between the port, regional mobility and spatial planning. In recent years, Rotterdam port has invested heavily in rail links, logistics corridors and sustainable mobility solutions with the aim of reducing pressure on the city.
This approach reflects an important paradigm shift. The competitiveness of a modern port no longer depends solely on operational efficiency within the port perimeter. It depends on how it integrates into a broader logistics system that involves rail networks, inland logistics platforms and road infrastructures capable of absorbing large volumes of traffic.
In Portugal, this reality is also beginning to become evident. Ports such as the Port of Lisbon or the Port of Leixões operate in densely populated urban areas, where cargo traffic coexists daily with urban mobility, tourism and diverse economic activities. Even in ports with less direct urban pressure, such as the Port of Sines, integration with the hinterland and with terrestrial logistics networks remains a decisive factor for international competitiveness.
The future of ports depends increasingly less on the size of ships and increasingly more on how they can coexist with the cities surrounding them.
Port competitiveness is no longer merely a maritime issue. It has also become an urban issue.
The greatest constraint on port growth is no longer the channel draft. It is the tolerance of the city surrounding them.
This publication was generated from information from the original feed. Credits and reference to the source were included at the end of the text.
Source: https://portaldomar.org/2026/03/05/o-verdadeiro-problema-dos-portos-nao-sao-os-navios-sao-as-cidades/ ```
