세계적으로 항만간 경쟁이 전방위로 전개되고 있는 가운데 우리나라를 비롯하여 아시아 각국은 자국 항만을 중심항만으로 육성하려고 대대적인 항만개발에 나서고 있다. 그럼에도 불구하고 아직까지 중심항 개발전략의 유효성에 대한 이론적 검토는 충분하지 못한 실정이다. 본 연구는 i) 대형항만에 물동량이 집중되는 항만집중화 현상이 일어나는가 ii) 과연 대형항만은 소형항만에 비해 물동량 증가속도가 빠른가를 검토함으로써 중심항만 개발전략에 대한 시사점을 도출해 보고자 한다. 이를 위해 먼저 허쉬만-허핀달지수를 적용하여 아시아 항만의 항만집중도를 분석하였고, 또한 글로벌 차원과 지역적 차원에서 컨테이너 항만규모와 성장간 실증분석을 시도하였다. 분석 결과, 항만집중도에 있어서 아시아 특히 동북아지역은 항만물동량의 분산화 경향이 강한 것으로 나타났다. 그리고 항만규모와 성장간 관계의 경우 글로벌 차원에서는 대형항만일수록 물동랑 증가율이 소형항만에 비해 높게 나타난 반면, 아시아지역은 소형항만일수록 물동량 증가율이 높게 나타났다.

This paper aims to suggest the strategies for Korea port, especially Busan to develope into a viable transhipment center and/or Hub port as the articulation points between mainline and feeder nets. To tackle this goal, the authors clarify the requirements for Korea port which will be critical in determining its position as Hub trough the careful analysis on competitiveness, environmental impact, port policy and capacity, transhipment traffic and inherent ability to generate traffic. The results are summerized as follows. (1) Coping with increasing container volumes, new investment is sustainedly necessary to increase the capacity and inherent ability of container port and create economies of scale. Moreover, increasing port capacity will increase the potential for the Korea port's inclusion into mainline rather than feeder networks. (2) Considering an increasing awareness of need for customer-oriented operations and service quality rather than simply a reliance on infrastructure-led efficiency, privatization of one sort or another and corporation of port have been key strategies in achieving greater efficiency in Korea containerport.

This paper aims to suggest the strategies for Korea port, especially Busan to develope into a viable transshipment center and/or Hub port as the articulation points between mainline and feeder nets. To tackle this goal, the authors clarify the requirements for Korea port which will be critical in determining its position as Hub through the careful analysis on competitiveness, environmental impact, port policy and capacity, transshipment traffic and inherent ability to generate traffic. The results are summerized as follows. (1) Coping with increasing container volumes, new investment is sustainedly necessary to increase the capacity and inherent ability of container port and create economies of scale. Moreover, increasing port capacity will increase the potential for the Korea port's inclusion into mainline rather than feeder networks. (2) Considering an increasing awareness of need for customer-oriented operations and service quality rather than simply a reliance on infrastructure-led efficiency, privatization of one sort or another and corporation of port have been key strategies in achieving greater efficiency in Korea containerport.