Developing the port hinterland: Different perspectives and their application to Shenzhen Port, China

The management and expansion of the port hinterland is at the core of ensuring the competitiveness of modern ports. Considering the impact of the global supply chain and regional economy development, this study proposes different perspectives to analyse the development of the port hinterland, and applies these perspectives to Shenzhen Port in China. In accordance with the changing nature of a port's function, we view hinterland development from physical, logistics, and macroeconomic perspectives, and analyse the influencing factors from the shippers' viewpoint in terms of three driving forces: spatial, value, and organizational. We find that the influence of these driving forces and their relevant strategies differ from these three perspectives. For Shenzhen Port to develop its hinterland sustainably, its geographical boundaries should be extended in both directions (i.e. inland-bound and foreland-bound), and the structure of container throughput needs to be optimized. Some relevant strategies in this regard are proposed.