Chapter 3

Post-Panamax ships have resulted in

Cranes being unable to reach across post-Panamax ships. (Post-Panamax ships do not mean that ports are being able to handle more ships. Post-Panamax ships can load up to eighteen containers across the width of the ship. This extra width has been a challenge for ports' cranes to reach across them.)

Most of the easily accessible oil and gas fields are in the early part of their production life expectancies.

False

Since the pipeline infrastructure is declining, more of the energy needs of the world must be transported by ships, trucks, and railroads.

False

The infrastructure that most obviously affects the movement of goods internationally is the communications infrastructure.

False

There is a direct rail link from Southern Europe to Asia where the Orient Express connects directly with the Baghdad Railway in Istanbul.

False

Unlike other industries, ports in the developed world have managed to avoid strong unions.

False

The warehouse infrastructure of a country may determine

How goods are packaged. (Warehouse infrastructure can vary by country so it is important to obtain information about the specific location so it can be determined how to correctly package the shipment.)

The idea that containerized ocean cargo needs to take a shortcut across a landmass by rail has resulted in the development of

Land bridges. (TGV and Shinkansen trains are respectively French and Japanese passenger trains. While port dredging may be necessary to dock ships, it is not a direct issue in land bridges, which were created to shortcut across a landmass, as opposed to long, expensive, and inconvenient waterway travels.)

Because some ports are becoming increasingly limited in their ability to handle ever-larger ships it is possible that

Large ships will go to "hub" ports where "feeder" ships will traverse to and from the smaller ports. (Given the cost advantages of economies of scale, ship sizes will probably not become smaller; while ocean shipping costs may or may not decline, it will not be directly due to the obsolescence of some ports, and economically some ports cannot be successfully upgraded to handle the big ships. It is likely there will be a need to create large port hubs for large ships, while smaller ports would service "feeder" ships.)

Because some countries have poor traditional telephone services, they resorted to ______________ to develop their communication infrastructure.

Leap frogging. (Companies and consumers have leap-frogged over old telephone technology to cellular telephone service. Express package services and fiber-optic telephones are not relevant and satellite telephones have not been successful.)

Regarding water availability in the infrastructure

Many cities have old leaky pipes. (Water is critical to economic development, indeed, to supporting life. Less than 80 percent of the world population even lives within one kilometer of clean water. However, many cities do have old leaky pipes.)

The busiest cargo airport in the United States is

Memphis. (The busiest cargo airport in the world is Hong Kong. The busiest in the United States is Memphis.)

Factors contributing to the rise of U. S. freight railroads since about 1980 are

Road congestion, concerns about pollution and noise, and development of the multi-modal container. (Freight train speeds have not increased noticeably; most major railroads are not good at custom service, especially for small shippers; terrorism has not caused a shift of freight to rail; trains do not do well with high-value goods like computers; air freight is reliable, and there has been little new railroad construction. Railroad freight has grown due to road congestion, concerns about pollution and noise, and development of the multi-modal container.)

The only water link between the Black Sea and the oceans is

The Bosporus Strait. (The only water link within the Black Sea is the Bosporus Strait. It splits the city of Istanbul in two parts, the European Side and the Asian Side.)

A common problem with the utilities part of the national infrastructure is the availability of electricity.

True

For security reasons, many companies are switching their mail deliveries to private services like DHL or FedEx.

True

In some countries, the population has, on average, more than two cell phones per person.

True

Many ports have had to dredge channels to allow ships with drafts of up to 40 feet.

True

The concern for the road infrastructure of a country is not one of density, but one of usability.

True

The TGV trains connecting London and Paris

compete with airline service. (The TGV trains connecting London and Paris provide high-speed passenger service that competes with airlines.)