The Production and Distribution of Oil Products

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Ports can be considered clusters of economic activity (Tongzon, 2002). One of the facilities that is often found in ports is the production and distribution of oil products. The oil products that I will be taking into consideration in this assessment are: gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, and fuel oils. This list represents refined oil products, not crude oil. The factors that are going to be presented in the methodology of this assessment are: quality innovation system, hinterland infrastructure, services to to hinterland markets, safety and security in port, intra-competition in port and efficiency. I have selected these factors because I think that they represent the selection points that an oil company would consider when considering a port. After the description of the factors in the methodology, the results will present the evaluation of the port of Rotterdam with regard to these factors.

Methodology

The first port selection criteria that I will be discussing is related to the quality innovation system of ports. Innovation represents a gateway for a competitive edge in many industries, including ports. In the paper entitled Governance in Seaport Clusters of de Langen (2004), it states that leader firms can influence the performance of the cluster of firms they belong to. Innovation in the field of oil products has rewarded the ones that have participated in the process more than the ones that have not (Enos, 1962). A way in which ports can help companies innovate is by attracting the resources that the refineries need. These might be: human resources, certain substances or manufacturers that have the possibility to invest in innovation. In my opinion ports could increase throughput...

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...Safety Science, 39(1), 19-29.

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