Port Hinterland Divergence along the North American Eastern Seaboard

Abstract

Since the mid 1990s, a substantial growth of the containerized traffic along the Eastern Seaboard took place. Even if containerization in theory “levels the playing field ” by permitting a standard transport product, its spatial accumulation is far from being ubiquitous. While in prior stages deconcentration prevailed, the trend has reversed with a process of traffic concentration among the largest port gateways. This paper investigates port divergence taking place along the Eastern Seaboard. Hinterland access, the configuration of shipping line networks and supply chain management are the most significant factors driving the process.