Ports viewed from aboard. When logistical imperatives redefine the contours of a closed maritime space – Claire Flécher

Many studies have examined the transformations of port spaces since the 1970s, but few have focused on the subsequent impact on the work of those who use these infrastructures: sailors and shippers. This article aims to highlight how these developments have modified the work of sailors, as well as their relationship to ports and port workers. Stopovers are increasingly reduced to commercial time governed by just-in-time logistics practices, where the intensification of work has made shore leave almost non-existent. However, a port call is still a space and a time for exchanges and negotiations between the various professionals who work in ports. These activities are now carried out in a closed maritime space that excludes outsiders, but includes all the interactions that these commercial operations give rise to.