Coal logistics competency analysis for ports in the Tianjin and Hebei regions around the Bohai bay in China

With the formation of the tripartite-confronting coal logistics competitive situation among the ports around the Bohai bay in China, each port is confronted with intensive challenges. According to the system synthesis and evaluation principles, this paper firstly identifies a group of factors and some considerations that are required for evaluating the port coal logistics competency. The coal logistics competency of the main ports in the Tianjin and Hebei regions around the Bohai Bay in China are then investigated in detail using the qualitative method by analyzing their comparative advantages and disadvantages in this competitive environment. Competitive strategies are thus proposed for these ports respectively, which may be useful for relative practitioners.