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.
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Data used in this study are available on request.
Notes
Izaguirre et al. (2021, Supplemental Material Table 10 p. 12).
The tunnel was built through a public–private partnership to provide a direct connection for traffic from the port to the highways via Watson Island, aiming to reduce congestion in downtown Miami (Williams 2014).
PortMiami temporarily lost its “Cruise Capital of the World” position to Cape Canaveral in 2022, but Miami regained the number one ranking in 2023 (Scheckner 2023)
E.g., US$40 million in Federal Funding, obtained under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with the Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program in 2023; US$5 million from this funding is being allocated for its Net Zero Program (Environmental Coastal & Offshore 2023, p. 1).
A scenario of comparatively high greenhouse gas emissions.
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Acknowledgements
Funding was provided through the University of Miami Laboratory for Integrative Knowledge (U-LINK), University of Miami, 2022. We acknowledge Hydi Webb, Director and CEO, and Gerard Philippeaux, Strategic Initiatives Manager, PortMiami, for making data available and giving us an in-person tour of PortMiami. We are also grateful for the meticulous review process conducted by the peer reviewers and editor, that has played a crucial role in strengthening the methodology, refining the arguments, and improving the overall clarity and coherence of our manuscript.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: List of top ten perishable and non-perishable items to and from the PortMiami during FY 2021. Source: PortMiami
TEU | ||
|---|---|---|
Non-perishables—imports | ||
1 | Apparel articles and accessories, knit or crochet | 23,565 |
2 | Apparel articles and accessories, not knit, etc | 18,568 |
3 | Plastics and articles thereof | 10,774 |
4 | Electric machinery, etc.; sound equipment; tv equipment; parts | 9449 |
5 | Textile art nesoi; needlecraft sets; worn text art | 7135 |
6 | Furniture; bedding, etc.; lamps nesoi, etc.; prefabricated bed | 6055 |
7 | Aluminum and articles thereof | 5420 |
8 | Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal | 4969 |
9 | Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, etc.; parts | 4908 |
10 | Optic, photo etc., medic or surgical instruments, etc | 3881 |
Non-perishables—exports | ||
1 | Vehicles, except railway or tramway, and parts, etc | 40,964 |
2 | Furniture; bedding etc.; lamps nesoi, etc.; prefabricated bed | 22,937 |
3 | Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery, etc.; parts | 19,167 |
4 | Cotton, including yarn and woven fabric thereof | 18,181 |
5 | Plastics and articles thereof | 9169 |
6 | Textile art nesoi; needlecraft sets; worn text art | 8820 |
7 | Electric machinery, etc.; sound equip; tv equip; pts | 6536 |
8 | Inorganic chemical; precious & rare-earth materials & radioactive compounds | 5725 |
9 | Paper & paperboard & articles (including paper pulp) | 5042 |
10 | Soap etc.; waxes, polish, etc.; candles; dental preps | 4733 |
Perishables—imports | ||
1 | Asparagus, fresh or chilled | 10,650 |
2 | Vegetables and mixtures of vegetables prepared or | 6033 |
3 | Vegetables nesoi, fresh or chilled | 5452 |
4 | Melons other than watermelons, fresh | 3665 |
5 | Watermelons, fresh | 3329 |
6 | Other plantains | 3178 |
7 | Plantains, fresh or dried | 3171 |
8 | Guavas, mangoes, and mangosteens, fresh or dried | 3162 |
9 | Other shrimps and prawns, including in shell, frozen | 2640 |
10 | Avocados, fresh or dried | 1602 |
Perishables—exports | ||
1 | Cranberry juice, nesoi, not fortified with vitamin | 3654 |
2 | Cheese and curd | 3583 |
3 | Frozen chicken paws | 2247 |
4 | Meat & ed offal of poultry, fresh, chill, or frozen | 1834 |
5 | Milk and cream, concentrated, not sweetened, nesoi | 1161 |
6 | Food preparations nesoi | 1118 |
7 | Birds' eggs, in the shell, fresh, preserved, or cooked | 856 |
8 | Meat of bovine animals, fresh or chilled | 751 |
9 | Vegetables and mixtures of vegetables prepared or | 705 |
10 | Meat of swine, nesoi, frozen | 700 |
Appendix 2: PortMiami’s most frequent sources and destinations of imports and exports in FY 2021. Source: PortMiami
Non-perishables | Perishables |
|---|---|
ORIGINS | ORIGINS |
Caribbean | Caribbean |
Dominican Republic | Bahamas |
Haiti | Cayman Islands |
Jamaica | Dominican Republic |
Central America | Haiti |
Honduras | Jamaica |
Guatemala | Central America |
El Salvador | Belize |
Nicaragua | Costa Rica |
Mexico | El Salvador |
Costa Rica | Guatemala |
Panama | Honduras |
East Coast South America | Mexico |
Brazil | East Coast South America |
West Central South America | Brazil |
Colombia | Guyana |
Ecuador | West Coast South America |
Peru | Chile |
DESTINATIONS | Colombia |
Caribbean | Ecuador |
Dominican Republic | Peru |
Jamaica | DESTINATIONS |
Haiti | Caribbean |
Trinidad And Tobago | Bahamas |
Central America | Barbados |
Honduras | Cayman Islands |
El Salvador | Dominican Republic |
Guatemala | Leeward And Windward Islands |
Panama | Netherlands Antilles |
Nicaragua | Central America |
Costa Rica | Costa Rica |
East Coast South America | El Salvador |
Brazil | Guatemala |
Guyana | Honduras |
Surinam | East Coast South America |
West Coast South America | Brazil |
Colombia | French Guiana |
Ecuador | West Coast South America |
Peru | Chile |
Colombia | |
Ecuador | |
Peru |
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Grant, R., Rhode-Barbarigos, L., Roy, S.S. et al. No port stands alone: PortMiami and the resilience of its Caribbean and Mesoamerican maritime network. Marit Econ Logist 26, 342–365 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-024-00283-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41278-024-00283-3