PierNext is a digital knowledge hub spearheaded by Port of Barcelona to report on the innovation that is transforming logistics and international trade, with a particular emphasis on ports and maritime trade. It has recently published “4 social trends, the key to ports in 2040“, as a result of a joint project of Port of Barcelona, BlueFocus and Ports & Logistics Advisory.
The article offers a deeper understanding of trends and developments and their long-term impact on ports. The project is an input for Barcelona’s upcoming vision for 2040. This article focuses on the main expected changes in the societal and consumption patterns.
The four societal trends are: the servitization of the economy, the increase of a local-for-local economy, the ongoing growth of tourism and the shift towards a ‘post-work society’.
The impact of all trends has been analysed in cooperation with academic experts from the knowledge dissemination platform PortEconomics. The assessment suggests, for instance, that the downward effect of local-for-local consumption on global (food) flows is relatively low. The trends impact value chains, often (i.e. automotive) in disruptive ways. This calls for resilient port operations and flexible port planning.
Overall, the impact of all the trends listed in table 1 suggests dry bulk volumes are likely to decline somewhat and liquid bulk volumes substantially. Container and Ro-Ro volumes may grow, but with growth levels substantially below those of the last decades. For ports, tourism and leisure related segments such as cruise, leisure facilities, yachts and marinas are among the clearest growth segments. Thus, many ports may benefit from freeing up space to accommodate tourism & leisure related activities.
PierNext was created in 2018 with the goal of generating an innovative ecosystem and stimulating the global debate on the future. The trends and challenges in mobility, logistics, the environment, the economy, people, governance and technology are the main focus of its contents.