Modern approach in Sea Port Operations and Management.

One of most important challenge seaports face is the growing threat of economic obsolescence, defined as "the loss in value resulting from influences external to the property itself, which may be international, national, industry-based, or local in origin". With reference to seaports, the external factors affecting potential economic returns and having a direct impact on the "market value" of an asset, could be its development into high-density residential, commercial, retail and other urban community uses. Port may be a major transport node in a nationally supply and logistics chain to inland hinterlands; it is of national strategic importance at its current location from an economic and social standpoint. There are no ecologically acceptable alternative sites to duplicate the role and capacity of the current port (and this will probably be one of if not the most important reasons for the long term survival of city-ports). The "real socio-economic impact" that the port produces throughout its sphere of influence is far greater than a city might envisage. The paper investigates the so called 4th Generation Seaports. These are "network seaports" as they are characterized by telematic networks (communication networks based on new technologies) that connect different port areas and allow the collaboration with other ports, with the objective to internationalize and diversify their activity. These seaports are integrated into the international transport logistics chains, door to door services with other logistics operators working in several geographically nearby ports. Some best practices are provided.