Linking Terminal Ports to the Hinterland

The purpose of this article is to show a simplified but effective reading of Genoa’s and Rotterdam’s port performances and their potential hinterland economic power, depicting port catchment area size at the NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 levels. Developing a multi-criteria approach, a proper methodology is designed to produce a Port Performance Indicator (PPI) as a synthetic tool to assess port performance at each end of the CODE24 axis with reference to a panel of Mediterranean ports (La Spezia, Marseille and Barcelona) and a panel of North European ports (Antwerp, Bremen and Hamburg), where the two ports of Genoa and Rotterdam are placed, respectively. The analysis demonstrates how the combination of the rail and road transport mode may extend the hinterland’s potential and its competitiveness over both the short and the long haul. The strength of the hinterlands of Genoa and Rotterdam is the extent of their intensive industrial and commercial activity and their dense infrastructural network. Today, the greater flow along the corridor is southbound, while considerable northbound capacities are available. Further analyses were put in place to check for suitable conditions to render the setting up of a shuttle linking the Ligurian ports to the European intermodal network feasible. Due to their geographical location, transport chains via Ligurian ports can have time, flexibility and environmental advantages compared to other transport chains.