Book excerpt: Introducing a new methodology for measuring competitiveness in shipping ports, this analysis provides policy makers, industry practitioners, and academics with a pragmatic approach to the peculiarities of large ports around the world. Using quantitative measures as well as holistic and cultural considerations, the manual describes the general workings of the container port and shipping industry and provides in-depth case studies of ports in Southeast Asia, the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and Northwest Europe.