Quantitative characteristics for port generations: the italian case study

Several classifications of ports were proposed in the literature, but there is no single established or accepted framework or taxonomy due to the complexity and diversity of the port entities. in 1990s, unCtaD introduced a new classification based on the definition of port-generation, according to which some prevalent ports' characteristics could be associated to discrete time periods, the so-called generations. unCtaD fully defined the characteristics of three generations of ports, while the fourth-generation port was less specified. Later, several researchers criticized the definition of portgeneration and proposed new elements of classification, mainly of qualitative nature.