Green port dues - The case of hinterland transport

As the economy becomes increasingly specialised and globalised, the importance of logistics also increases. For global transportation systems, seaports play a key role as transhipment hubs. As seaports incorporate and coordinate hinterland logistic activities within the activities of the port, the strategies they employ influence the decisions made by both local and global logistic service providers. From an environmental and social perspective, seaports are thus key actors in transportation systems, and many ports have also developed corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies. This paper examines one such strategy - green port dues - and shows how the integration of hinterland logistics and ports opens the possibility for differentiated port dues to be used as a tool to internalise external cost in the transportation systems and ensure the effectiveness of hinterland transport. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.