Cruise shipping is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the maritime industry. This is due to the growing demand of the sector and the extension of capacity and cruise service coverage. This study uses network measures and random network models to analyse the structure, characteristics and connectivity of the cruise shipping network in Asia and Australasia. An analysis of 200 cruise voyages operated by 12 international cruise lines between 139 ports across 20 countries in the Asian and Australasian regions has found that the cruise shipping network is a scale-free network. This means the degree distribution follows a power law. A few ports play a central role in connecting ports in the network. However, their importance in the network varies depending on which measure of centrality is used, i.e. the degree, betweenness, closeness and eigenvector centrality. The establishment of a link between two ports is influenced by their connections with a third one or triangle relationship.

Despite many theories on port pricing have been discussed in literature, empirical research on this topic remains very limited. This paper seeks to empirically analyse port infrastructure charges using the simultaneous equation regression method and data of 159 seaports. The analysis result indicates that seaport infrastructure pricing is primarily cost-based but other factors are also relevant. These include demand, the governance model, legal structure and geographical region. Given the exploratory nature of its research, the paper also discusses the limitations and implications for port authorities, policy makers and future research

Although the port sector has been facing increasing competition, there is limited research on how ports compete using non-price competition strategies. There are a few studies on non-price competition in the port sector. However they mainly focus on the marketing aspect. This paper seeks to fill this gap in the literature, especially from a combined marketing-economic perspective. Especially the paper's main objective is to identify the determinants of non-price competition in the port sector and evaluate their effect on various aspects of non-price competition. We start with a general conceptual framework to explain how competition in the sector can be affected by various factors and then propose an analytical framework on non-price competition. The analytical model is then used to support the design of a survey questionnaire. Next, hypothesis tests are conducted using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) and data collected from a survey of Turkish ports. Based on the analysis results, the implications for port management and future research are also discussed.

The number of containers handled by Australian seaports has quadrupled over the past two decades. This has posed major difficulties for community and businesses. Knowing the projected demand, the need for disruption-free and reliable land corridors is of emerging importance. This paper first aims to establish a transparent image of the role of rail in the Australian port-based container flows and, second, to empirically identify the key impediments to the competitiveness of rail in this market. To achieve the second objective, a survey was distributed among Australian ports and key container stevedores. This paper identifies that despite the significant growth in the container volumes, rail’s share in the land-based movement of this traffic was small, principally due to lower service levels. The analysis indicated that inadequacy of intermodal infrastructure is a key impediment for the use of rail, followed by poor interoperability and shortage of below-rail infrastructure. This paper concludes with important recommendation for government and industry to make informed infrastructure planning and investment decision.