. In the past, port operations involved simple cranes and labor intensive transshipment activities. The situation has now become very capital intensive while labor requirements have been reduced. Modern containerized operations require a limited amount of labor, but the skill level of this labor is much higher. Each new generation of containerships, in addition to their draft, require larger and more efficient cranes. The level of capital investment becomes very demanding. This takes place in the context of growing hinterland competition where ports are less secure about the stability of their customer base.