No port stands alone: PortMiami and the resilience of its Caribbean and Mesoamerican maritime network

Richard Grant, Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos, Shouraseni Sen Roy (), Lucas Britton, Chang Li, Aidan Rowe, Austin Becker, Becky Hope and Michael Bello
Additional contact information
Richard Grant: University of Miami
Landolf Rhode-Barbarigos: University of Miami
Shouraseni Sen Roy: University of Miami
Lucas Britton: University of Miami
Chang Li: University of Miami
Aidan Rowe: University of Miami
Austin Becker: University of Rhode Island
Becky Hope: Directorate of Planning, Environment & Resiliency, PortMiami
Michael Bello: Planning and Grants Management, PortMiami

Maritime Economics & Logistics, 2024, vol. 26, issue 2, No 7, 342-365

Abstract: Abstract PortMiami has evolved into a leading port in Florida (USA), providing cargo and cruise services that include the broader region of the Caribbean and Mesoamerica. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and on the frontlines of climate change and rising sea levels, PortMiami is building resilient infrastructure to expand its operations on higher-value cargo. However, these drivers also underscore the need for a resilient maritime supply chain that extends beyond the boundaries of any one port. Given its reliance on trade with other national and international ports, such as the Caribbean and Mesoamerica ones, the resilience of its major partners also impacts the port’s strength. To place the port’s resilience into the context of its partner ports, this study explores PortMiami’s regional maritime network, using network analysis. We analyze port connectivity to other ports in the region based on Tobler’s first law of geography. The paper relies on multiple years of publicly available data on marine traffic, cargo, connectivity, and performance indices from 2015 to 2021. Our analysis identifies PortMiami’s top ten maritime partners and their potential impact on the port’s long-term resilience and growth potential. Several of its critical network members in the region, e.g., Puerto Cortez, Veracruz, Puerto Plata, and St. Thomas, exhibit low resilience with high vulnerability, which needs to be considered for the long-term resilience of PortMiami in the future. This indicates that the medium and long-term resilience of the network in its current form is weaker than most realize when assessing growth trends in cruise passengers and cargo. Finally, the results from recent experiences reveal overall positive gains from pandemic-related disruptions through the development of pharmaceutical trade and an increase in food and perishable trade activity.

Keywords: PortMiami; Port networks; Cruise industry; Maritime connectivity; Port performance; Hazards resilience; Spatial networks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1057/s41278-024-00283-3

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