Title: Port charges in Spain: the roles of regulation and market forces

Authors: Xavier Fageda; Marta Gonzalez-Aregall

Addresses: Department of Economic Policy, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain ' Department of Economic Policy, University of Barcelona, Av. Diagonal 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: This article examines relationships that influence traffic volumes and the revenues per tonne generated by Spain's port authorities. The strong differences between regulations by port authorities provide some scope for price competition. We find a strong relationship between port charges and the amount of traffic that a port is able to generate. Furthermore, we find clear evidence of local price competition between port authorities. The effects of global competitive factors are mixed. Port revenues per tonne are higher in ports operating more international regular lines and with multinational terminal operators, while they are lower in ports with nearby competing facilities and where the market share of the dominant shipping firm is high.

Keywords: ports; port charges; regulation; market forces; port revenue; maritime traffic; port authorities; terminal operators; shipping firms; price competition; traffic volumes; Spain.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTL.2014.059568

International Journal of Shipping and Transport Logistics, 2014 Vol.6 No.2, pp.152 - 171

Published online: 24 May 2014 *

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