Introduction The advancement in technology has helped improve transportation and communication around the globe. The availability of high-speed water vessels has enhanced global trade while ensuring timely exchange of containers and important bulk liquids that are essential in supporting crucial sectors in national economies. The fact that sea transport has proved the ideal mode of transporting these materials has meant that sea harbors and ports have continually strived to improve on the quality of service delivery. In Australia, major ports have instituted far-reaching reforms in marketing, logistics, and overall management with the sole aim of improving productivity and efficiency. This essay will discuss the port internal and external competition, marketing strategies, logistic functions, appraisal of the environment and security, the scope of port performance, and an evaluation of the port’s strategies and operations. Analysis of the port competitiveness Many of the ports in Australia are managed by port corporations owing to the sensitivity of the transport sector to the state as well as the national economy (Maton 1997). The fact that they are monopolistic translates to a lack of equality in the bargaining power particularly in the negotiation of terms. In New South Wales, the government has instituted major reforms aimed at providing competitive neutrality in the state ports. Sydney ports handle the majority of all terminal and container operations in the state thereby making their management follow specific guidelines aimed at improving and sustaining efficiency in the port operations (Alderton 2005). Port Botany, the largest and most busy port in the corporation, has continually improved services through investing heavily in infrastructure within and without the port area. Port botany enjoys a strategic location and massive landing bay and harbor that make it an ideal port with the capacity to handle huge vessels carrying petroleum products and containers. Owing to the high reliance on imports, Port Botany will continue being the largest port in Sydney in terms of cargo held and infrastructure considering the projected expansion to accommodate additional terminals to handle the expected increases of containers and bulk liquids. Competition between the various ports in New South Wales is limited owing to the geographical factors and the close relationship in terms of management and operations shared by the ports. Inter-port competition in Australia is better discussed nationally rather than at the state level to enable understanding the influencing factors such as geographical factors and the utilized management strategies. More importantly, the Australian economy is viewed on a national basis with Port Botany handling substantial quantities of cargo in Australia owing to its strategic location. The monopolistic nature of the state ports has brought about clear-cut costs while improving the efficiency of the major ports in the area. Intra-port competition has gained momentum since the ports allowed private companies to run some of the operations (DP World 2007). Despite the fact that Port Botany does not operate at its capacity, competition among the various terminal operators and stevedoring companies is rife. With its substantial market share in terms of handling containers and bulk liquids, shipping and c