Fourth generation ports – a question of agility?

Since the Second World War, ports have been going through an evolution which the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) refers to as generations. The generation of a port reflects whether the approach adopted by port authorities/operators in developing their activities is likely to be reactive or proactive. These activities start with the traditional ones (cargo loading and discharging) and end up with the establishment of a wide range of logistics and value‐added activities, developed in conjunction with industrial and commercial businesses. This generation of ports, classified as third generation, would be sufficient if the world economic growth pattern could be forecast with any certainty. Unfortunately, this is not the case and the external environment today comprises constant changes that are reflected in the high levels of market uncertainty. To cope with this uncertainty it is suggested that ports should adopt a new logistics approach, agility, which has already been employed in other industries. This paper provides a definition of fourth generation ports and a methodology for implementing the concept of agile ports.