Search

China's Jiaozhou Bay is an important example of integrated coastal zone management because it has received scientific and management attention and becomes useful to other coastal managers and researchers experiencing similar challenges. Water research shows that the condition of the environment is dominated by overwhelming nutrient flows and land reclamation that has reduced the ecosystem's ability to sustain itself. Interventions have included a raft of legal measures, restocking and mariculture of all commercial species, phasing out of commercial fisheries, increasing treatment of waste water, and recently, establishing total discharge controls. Past investigations into the use of market-based solutions and further integration using management models are included in this paper. Suggested improvements are based on consensus of multiple authors with different backgrounds that the situation is serious and the trends are alarming. The suggestions include careful reexamination of the business as usual approach, new research and management approaches that exploit the advantages of multiple perspectives and collaboration. This integration demands new ways of using plans, standards, indicators, monitoring and knowledge more generally. At the foundation is the information about the environment and management actions to ensure that new management approaches, including eco-compensation, are carefully planned and monitored. Integrated water research planned by various agencies will develop these ideas into actionable knowledge on one of the world's most rapidly developing coastlines. The experience of water research and management in this rapidly developing coastline is, and will be, globally significant. This paper provides an important insight into knowing the research challenges for estuary harbours in rapidly developing areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passenger Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) shipping plays an essential role in short–distance waterway transport. An increasing number of RoRo passenger terminals adopt the layout of jetty berths in the restricted harbor basin surrounded by breakwater for the purpose of saving sea area, but ships cannot meet in the harbor basin due to inadequate water area. For the benefits of port authority, shipping company and maritime safety administration, it is an urgent problem to make a safe and efficient ship scheduling scheme in the busy RoRo passenger terminal with the restricted harbor basin. This paper formulates a multi-objective mathematical model for the integrated scheduling optimization of fairway and turning basin, with the minimum total scheduling time and total waiting time as the objective functions. Meanwhile, an adaptive ant colony optimization algorithm (AACO) is provided aimed at the proposed model, where minimizing the total waiting time is the fitness function. And the other one goal is reflected in heuristic information values, and then the selection process is affected. Numerical experiments on Xuwen terminal, the largest passenger RoRo terminal all around the world, indicate that the model has shorter total scheduling time and total waiting time compared with actual operation data. Effective solutions obtained by the proposed model and algorithm not only fundamentally increase safety and efficiency, but also improve the availability of turning basin and fairway. This study hence comes up with management insights to help port authority, shipping company and maritime safety administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A port–city interface can be characterized as an area of conflicts between port development and city land-uses. Unfortunately, most research is limited to a technical and managerial perspective on port development and focuses less on the impacts on the communities in the area. This paper offers a new direction to acknowledge the impacts of port development on the community by borrowing from literature on rural–urban fringes, as there are similarities between the port–city interface and the rural–urban fringe as areas with conflicting interests. The port community is divided into the community of interest and the community of place. Based on this, a set of implications arising from how the community might experience the impacts of port development is presented. These implications are operationalized in a case study of the expansion of Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia. The findings are differentiated for the four most prominent communities that are vulnerable to the impacts, namely fishermen, port workers, seafood processors, and industrial and other types of workers. They are likely to experience two indirect effects of the port development, namely resettlement and loss of livelihoods. This shows how vulnerable the communities living on the edge of the new development are, mainly due to their livelihoods' dependency on the blurry boundaries between port and city. Highlights • The literature on port-city interface has so far barely looked at the interests of local communities. • The communities on the vicinity area of new port development are vulnerable and at high risk of social disruption. • It is mainly due to their livelihoods' dependency on the blurry boundaries between port and city. • Focusing on these communities will enable policymakers to map the actual impacts of new port development on society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The environmental impacts generated by shipping operations have increasingly become an important research topic, where its pollutants often pose negative externalities to natural habitats and economic losses to coastal areas. While the environmental impact costs generated by shipping disasters, notably large scale accidental oil spills, have been widely studied, hitherto, works dedicated to the assessment of environmental impact costs of pollutants generated by routine shipping operations remain scarce due to their relatively implicit nature and thus delays of consequential risks. Hence, by proposing an economic model and calibrating it to Port of Rotterdam, this paper assesses the environmental impact costs generated by routine shipping operations on ports. By shedding light on this important, but under-researched, issue critical to the well-being of the global shipping industry, this paper provides a decent framework for further research in sustainable shipping and port management for future generations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

With the continuous advancement of the global economy and international trade, the competition among ports becomes increasingly fierce. Numerous studies show that evaluation methods of port dominance can effectively quantify the appropriate dominance index and find the weak links to enhance ports' comprehensive competitiveness. This paper summarizes the port dominance evaluation methods in the existing literature and expounds their importance based on the development of information technology in shipping activities. Moreover, the application scope, the advantages, and disadvantages of current evaluation methods are explained using qualitative, quantitative, deductive, and retrospective methods. It was found that, with the development of information technology, evaluation methods are becoming more comprehensive, targeted, specialized, refined, digitalized, and intelligentized. It was also found that since existing studies often adopt single-faceted evaluation methods and select a single factor for evaluation, they cannot effectively analyze and evaluate the real advantages of the port. In addition, the present paper discusses the prospects of ports and potential research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports play a pivotal role in driving regional development, particularly in the context of the economy and trade. Seaports, in particular, function as gateways for export trade and contribute significantly to economic growth. This research utilizes the coastal China pilot free trade zones (PFTZs) as a case study to investigate the impact of seaport capacity on export trade. Using panel data covering 114 cities (including 51 seaport cities) within PFTZs in coastal China during 2008–2019, this paper employs statistical and spatial econometric methods to investigate whether seaport capacity has direct influence on export trade in PFTZs, as well as the spatial spillover effect of seaport capacity on nearby cities. Our findings reveal a statistically significant and positive relationship between seaport capacity and export trade in port cities located within China pilot Free Trade Zones, as well as a spatial spillover effect affecting the surrounding cities. The findings of this study considerable value for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to boost the competitiveness of seaports and promote export-oriented economies in the coastal regions of China PFTZs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For decades, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has been a global threat to ocean sustainability, livelihoods and national security of coastal States, as well as the safety and human rights of fishing communities. It is a significant point of contention for the United Nations (UN), as it undermines many aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals. Being driven by profit maximisation, vessel owners involved in IUU fishing not only cut costs by flouting fisheries regulations, but also by compromising decent working conditions, crewing requirements, and safety of the vessel. Three UN Specialised Agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – have developed instruments relating to sustainable harvesting, working conditions, and vessel safety on board fishing vessels. Common to these instruments is that they contain port state measures for enforcement. Given the links between illegal vessels and poor safety and labour conditions, this allows for potential synergies in combatting IUU fishing and related problems through harmonisation of port inspections and interagency collaboration at national and regional level. In the year 2000, the Specialised Agencies established a Joint Working Group (JWG) with a specific focus on tackling IUU fishing and related issues. The JWG seeks to finds ways to co-develop strategies and utilise their respective international instruments to address the IUU problem. This paper reviews these instruments and evaluates how the UN Specialised Agencies work together to address IUU fishing and related matters through the JWG. The JWG has to date been somewhat unstructured, but recently updated and clearer terms of reference lay a stronger foundation for collaboration between the core partners, as well as extended collaboration with other actors, such as environmental NGOs. Understanding the interplay between social, economic, and ecological components of fisheries is crucial to eradicating IUU fishing and to a sustainable future. This leads us to conclude that there is a specific need for improved programmes and procedures within the JWG, as well as the creation of knowledge and capacity building programs for countries hardest hit by IUU fishing. • IUU fishing undermines many aspects of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. • An effective international response to IUU fishing must be collaborative. • The UN Specialised Agencies have adopted instruments that can together deter IUU fishing and related matters. • The FAO/IMO/ILO Joint Working Group (JWG) is a cooperative body set up to tackle IUU fishing and related matters. • Clearer work programmes and increased capacity-building would improve the JWG's response to IUU fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports, as the main components of global maritime transportation, have attracted attention from both industry and academia in relation to their safety management. Identifying the important ports of a maritime shipping network is necessary and significant for the recovery of ports when encountering severe disasters, especially with limited emergency resources. This paper proposes a new method to evaluate the importance of ports by incorporating centrality measures of networks into the TOPSIS framework. Three types of centrality measures were used in an integrated manner to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of the port importance. Some economic factors such as the throughput of ports and GDP of the cities are also considered in combination with the entropy weight method to determine the weight of each criterion in the proposed model. Furthermore, a case study of the ports along the (MSR) shipping network is conducted to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method in identifying essential ports. [Display omitted] • This paper proposes a new method to evaluate the importance of ports by incorporating centrality measures and economic indicators (such as GDP and port throughput) into the TOPSIS framework. • This research provides a theoretical basis for identifying influential ports in complex maritime transportation networks. •The evaluation results revealed that among the top ten important ports of the MSR shipping network, six are from China. The top three most important ports are the Port of Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the node of traffic and the center of regional social and economic development, port cities have the dual attributes of ports and cities. To analyze the sustainable development condition of port cities, this paper selected eight representative ports located in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Bohai Rim in China, considered the geographical distance, measured the accessibility between ports and hinterland cities through an improved gravity model. Using the In-VEST model, the ecological service levels of port cities were evaluated based on four indicators: water supply, climate regulation, biodiversity, and soil conservation, then conducted a comprehensive study on the interrelationship between port-hinterland accessibility and ecological service level. The results showed that the port-hinterland accessibility index was consistent with port influence and urban economic strength. The ecological service levels of the eight port hinterland cities were significantly different, and the four ecological functions showed a synergistic relationship. However, most hinterland cities had relatively poor soil conservation functions and low coordination of ecological service indicators. Among the eight regions, only Ningbo, Zhoushan and Shenzhen had a highly sustainable development capacity, while the remaining six regions failed to achieve the synergistic development of economic construction and ecological environment. Port production level, city economic strength and ecological service level jointly influence the development of the port city system. While improving the accessibility of port cities, it is necessary to focus on the protection of the ecological environment in order to enhance sustainable development. • Port-hinterland accessibility index was consistent with port influence and urban economic strength. • The ecological service functions showed a synergistic relationship. • Most hinterland cities had poor soil conservation functions. • Port city economic construction and ecological protection need to be coordinated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The economies of scale produced by port integration have been demonstrated globally, as port managers and governments have gradually increased the degree of port integration in multi-port regions (MPRs) to promote economic efficiency. In the process of such integration, however, problems such as resource mismatch and a lack of coordination between ports frequently occur. In order to encourage voluntary integration and the transformation of competition among neighboring ports into an overall synergy that produces greater efficiency, it is necessary to explore the cooperative relationship between ports and the role of the government in the process of port integration. This paper adopts dynamic simulation methods to analyze the game relationship between relevant stakeholders, including both governments and port enterprises. The analysis follows the classical hypotheses of game theory, in which the players are rational and possess common knowledge. The results indicate that a reasonable profit allocation coefficient and compensation fee can promote advantageous development within a tripartite game system. In addition, this study suggests several government incentives for port integration, including the adjustment of the benefit allocation coefficient and the strengthening of policy rewards for port enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has vowed to peak its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. The emissions generated by the shipping industry cannot be ignored. Shore power or cold ironing is one of the commonly-used technologies to reduce emissions from berthing vessels for port cities. The port is the executor of power capacity investment. The over-investment of the power capacity causes lower utilization and capital waste, while the under-investment results in service congestion and reduces the enthusiasm of vessels to use shore power berths (SPBs). This paper investigates the optimal capacity of SPBs by considering the choice behaviors of vessels with power receiving facilities (VWs) on SPBs and traditional berths (TBs). Furthermore, we consider that the government adopts two mechanisms of the environmental incentive (EI) and infrastructure subsidy (IS) to develop a bi-level mathematical programming problem to realize that government subsidies promote the capacity investment of port authorities on SPBs. The government rewards the port authority according to the environmental improvement under the EI policy and subsidizes the port authority based on the infrastructure capital cost under IS policy. The subsidy and reward rates can affect the port authority to change the capacity decision of SPBs and then affect the total emission reduction. Both IS and EI mechanisms can promote the installation of shore power in ports, and IS can achieve the best emission reduction effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports are both the start and end points of shipping, they are connected by shipping routes, thereby forming a port shipping network that connects global industries and supply chains. Each port node has specific functions within the network, while its capacity to resist interference differs from that of other ports; consequently, when encountering external shocks, ports are not affected equally. Therefore, this paper proposes the concept of port node resilience from the perspective of the shipping network. This is achieved by analyzing the literature on regional, urban, and network resilience. Thereafter, by fully considering the complexity of port nodes' linkages, as well as their attributes vis-à-vis the shipping network, a three-dimensional (structure, function, and location) econometric model of port-node resilience is constructed. By examining data from China's container ports for the years 2008 and 2018, this study analyzes port nodes' resilience characteristics and the differences in space. The results indicate that the studied port nodes' resilience index presents the characteristic of clustering. Further, the average resilience index increased from 0.25 (low) to 0.43 (medium). The differences in port nodes' regional resilience narrowed, while their absorption and transformation capacity improved when facing external interference. • This study presents a three-dimensional model of port node resilience. • It comprises the dimensions of structure, function, and location. • Data from China's ports for the years 2008 and 2018 are analyzed. • The average resilience index increased from low to medium. • This study advances research on resilience within the context of shipping networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to deal with disruptions in liner shipping service is a common operation problem faced by shipping companies. In particular, the spread of COVID-19 brings more uncertainty, and frequent disruptions have a great impact on global maritime trade. In this paper, a new mixed integer programming mathematical model is proposed to solve the Vessel Schedule Recovery Problem (VSRP) in liner shipping service, and a variety of recovery strategies are considered, including adjusting sailing speed, adjusting port productivity, port skipping and port swapping. In order to cope with the different scenarios in reality, we studied the disruption events that can obtain information in advance. A series of numerical studies were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model. The results show that adjusting sailing speed and port productivity are always adopted, regardless of the scenario. In addition, port skipping is more used for disruption recovery, and port swapping is more used for expected disruption. A comparative analysis shows obtaining disruption information in advance can help vessel save up to 17.33%. The research results not only expand the theoretical research of the VSRP, but also provide scientific decision support for the operation of shipping companies. • The port skipping will only be adopted when delay caused by disruption is large. • Disruption information can help shipping company avoid disruption and reduce costs. • Adjusting sailing speed and port productivity are always used in any scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is the world's workshop and one of the most rapidly growing economic regions in the world. In the GBA multi-port system, Hong Kong, which is one of the world's largest shipping centres and once the leading port in the GBA, has experienced a continuous decline in recent years and has been successively overtaken by two other GBA ports (i.e. Shenzhen and Guangzhou). This paper explores the concentration, inequality, and competition of the GBA multi-port system during the 1972 – 2020 period from multi-faced perspectives. Results indicate that: 1) Hong Kong has witnessed an entire K-wave evolution, and 2) the evolution of the GBA multi-port system is a result of the asynchronous development stages of different GBA ports; 3) Missing the opportunity period of 2000 – 2008, the transfer of capital from Hong Kong and the Chinese "opening up" policy are the direct, the underlying and the root causes behind this evolution; 4) A tri-hub multi-port system has gradually taken shape in the GBA finally, in which Hong Kong is the second runner-up after Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The prospect of the Hong Kong Port would not be optimistic, and a negative impact of Guangzhou on Hong Kong could be expected in the near future. We recommend Hong Kong to carry out differentiation development with Shenzhen Port and Guangzhou Port and focus on international transhipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the post COVID-19 pandemic era, collusion strategy has been attempted to confront fierce market competition in container shipping supply chains. Three typical collusion scenarios are constructed as follows: i) none of the two pairs of shipping chains colludes; ii) both pairs collude; and iii) only one pair colludes. This paper developed a two-stage game model to study the optimal strategies of the container terminals and corresponding liner companies. The container ports set terminal handling charge (THC) to pursue optimal profits at the first stage, and then liner companies choose freight rate to obtain corresponding optimal profits at the second stage. Further, we analyzed the collusive incentives of the THC difference between heterogeneous terminals and the impact of the freight rate difference between heterogeneous container liners. In particular, the possibility of deviation from collusion and the decision of capacity expansion of container terminal are discussed through theoretical analysis. The results show that the optimal THC of a container terminal and freight rate of a container liner are both highly related to the capacity of the container terminal, which is profoundly influenced by the different structures of its collusion. Finally, the empirical study proves the theoretical result and the implications of port governance are subsequently discussed. • A two-stage game model is developed to explore the heterogeneous service and collusive incentive. • Terminal handling charges of container terminal are particularly affected by different collusion structure. • Port governance implications are subsequently provided by a case study. • Port governance is facing new challenges in the post COVID-19 pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional quay crane of the container terminal is gradually transitioning to automation, which significantly changes the loading and unloading operation mode of the quay crane. In this paper, we study the sequence scheduling of automated quay crane (AQC) with time window constraints. First, the process of AQC handling operation is decomposed, and the mechanism model for AQC operation is established. Then, a mixed integer linear programming model is formulated to optimize the scheduling of AQC considering the time window constraints. Finally, the effectiveness of the optimization model is verified by arithmetic examples, and the management insights of energy efficiency optimization of the quay crane scheduling are given through scenario analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UK Government was recently criticised for failing to fulfil its obligations under the Habitats Directive in respect of designating protected areas for Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena . At the centre of the discussion lay the stringent nature of the qualifying criteria for site selection. Concurrently, there is a growing support for marine renewable energy technologies; however the planning process is often hampered by inadequate marine data to enable appropriate siting or mitigation against potential ecological impacts. The Bristol Channel region's physical environment is a suitable source for the generation of marine renewable energy, and the world's first tidal lagoon will be sited in Swansea Bay. A 10 year dataset was collected, analysed and compared against the qualifying criteria for a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Results revealed that a resident population of porpoise existed and density values of 0.58 hp km 2 were comparable with other UK regions. While an insignificant calf adult ratio of 1:13 was recorded, breeding and nursery areas were identified. Analysis highlighted a number of hotspots of porpoise activity, suggesting that these areas are critical habitats, particularly for feeding and foraging. Such information will enable future marine renewable energy developers to select the most appropriate sites. It is argued that existing SAC qualifying criteria prevents recognition of critical habitats for the harbour porpoise and a case is made for an eastward extension of a proposed harbour SAC to include Swansea Bay and the south Gower coast. This paper demonstrates that cetacean data is sparse and even though this study has filled important knowledge gaps, there is still a need for further research. This research would enable both developers and planners to adequately and appropriately consider future marine renewable energy projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak leads to a significant downturn in the global economy and supply chain. In the maritime sector, trade volume slumped by 3.8% in 2020 compared with 2019. To explore the impacts of COVID-19 on ship visiting behaviors, a framework is proposed to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on port traffic using Automatic Identification System (AIS) data. Firstly, a ship travel behavior-based model is proposed to identify the vessel anchoring and berthing. Then, the diversity in vessel anchoring and berthing time are analyzed, reflecting the impact of COVID-19. The port congestion caused by COVID-19 is quantified by accounting for the number of visiting ships and their residence time. Finally, a case study is carried out on vessels in the Beibu Gulf, China, operating from 2019 to 2020. The results show that the average anchoring time and berthing time increase by 62% and 11% for cargo ships and by 112% and 63% for oil tankers after the outbreak of COVID-19 compared with that before COVID-19. And the density of ships increases in the port area in 2020. Accordingly, the relevant improvements and countermeasures are proposed to reduce the adverse impact of the epidemic on the port navigation system. The paper has the potential to provide a reference for port management and improving port navigation efficiency in the post-pandemic era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Port congestion has become a key factor restricting the international trade and economic development, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic. It is essential for the port to implement the effective alleviation strategies for handling the uncertain congestion. This paper aims to investigate the performance of the epidemic prevention alliance strategy (EPAS), shared berths strategy (SBS) around adjacent ports and their hybrid strategy in alleviating the port congestion. To simulate the effect of these three strategies, a system dynamics model of dual-port operation is developed considering the factors of the integrated service level of liner routes, empty container allocation, port congestion and regional economics, and so forth. The results indicate that the key issue of port congestion stems from the implementation of epidemic preventive measures. Among these three strategies, the hybrid strategy performs the best in alleviating the port congestion, improving integrated service levels, and curbing the fluctuation of container price. Moreover, the measures of investing more human resources and fixed assets are always taken in many current ports to alleviate the issue of port congestion. Therefore, the impacts of various investment in human resources and fixed assets on alleviating the port congestion are discussed. Finally, some suggestions are provided for the government to strengthen the cooperation between ports and promote the construction of port facility resources. • System dynamics method is applied to handle the port operation and congestion. • The EPAS, SBS and their hybrid strategy to alleviate port congestion are studied. • Port congestion alleviation effects under various strategy scenarios are compared. • Varied strategies have different incentive objectives and characteristics. • Useful policy suggestions and managerial insights for ports and government are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shore Side Electricity (SSE) can help reduce emissions in ports effectively. However, the adoption of SSE is hindered by a financial dilemma. This paper aims to propose a Stackelberg game theory model for optimizing the government subsidy scheme considering the interactions among the government, port and ships, in order to maximize the subsidy efficiency calculated by environmental benefit per unit monetary subsidy. The port of Shanghai is selected as the sample. Results show that within the optimized government subsidy structure, the subsidy on ships should be prioritized more than that on the port. Besides, the decision of the government's subsidy on ships is usually consistent with the trend of social welfare evolution. It also indicates that a busier port and ships with longer service time and higher berthing power are more worthwhile to subsidize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation of a seaport is highly dependent on the ocean climate, where a necessary consideration of the later is essential to govern the normal running of the seaborne transportation. To estimate the port risks associated with the climate factors is a challenging task. Not only because of the complexity in the weather, but also the variations in the daily trade volume. This paper develops an approach of estimating the economic losses of port disruptions induced by extreme wind events, and conducts a study for two selected ports, Ningbo and Shanghai. The loss considers both the variation in the daily cargo throughput and the climate. The throughput is analyzed in a regression analysis which accounts for both the long term trend and yearly cyclic components. The likelihood of port disruptions is estimated from a climate analysis based on the historic record at both ports. The calculation of the total economic loss is split into four parts, namely, reputational loss, loss to the shippers, loss to the carriers and loss to the ports. The results are illustrated in a comparison between Shanghai and Ningbo to provide the information of associated risks within different months. The study is also extended to investigate the influence of extreme wind events on the port of Shenzhen which is located in a different geographical region for comparison. The impact of the extreme wind events on the ports and the economy is then discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determination of the value of sea area used for port transportation involves the distribution of economic interests between the Chinese government and the users of sea areas. This paper builds an evaluation index system for the value of port transport sea areas. It is the first of its type to introduce the multiple regression weighting TOPSIS method (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution) to study the value of a port transport sea area. This method was applied in the determination and calculation of the value of port transport sea areas in coastal counties (cities, districts) in Zhejiang province. The results show that various influencing and impact factors significantly affect the value of the sea area. These factors differ in their level of effect; the value and grade of the sea area for port transportation are closely linked with the order of quality relating to the sea area. The multiple regression weighting TOPSIS method has superior advantages with regard to the adaptability of its evaluation method and the accuracy of evaluation results, with calculated results showing growth at different levels compared with the criteria for the sea area use fee. This research will play a very important role in these three fields: valuation system construction for government marine resources, ocean development and ocean management by the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies ships' operational proactive strategies during the entire process of port disruptions due to environmental factors such as hurricanes. For the first time, the incompleteness and uncertainty of information, and the characteristics of port disruptions are considered. The problem is modeled as a nonhomogeneous Markov decision process (MDP), where different operational actions, such as sailing speed adjustment, handling rate adjustment, and port sequence adjustment are considered. The rolling horizon decision-making approach and a PSO-GA-based hybrid evolutionary algorithm are combined to solve the model. The results show that compared to the strategy without planned schedule adjustments, cost-saving up to 78.34% can be achieved by simultaneously adjusting the sailing speed, cargo handling rate, and port sequence. Counter-intuitively, we find that observing more complete hurricane information or having accurate forecasts does not always conducive to better decision-making. We also find the integration of multiple response strategies yields synergistic benefits. These findings will deepen our understanding of the impact of port disruptions and provide theoretical support for the decision-making of ship's response strategies. • The characteristics of port disruptions, and the incompleteness and uncertainty of information are considered. • A nonhomogeneous Markov decision process (MDP) is developed to model a ship's real-time state-based response strategies. • A rolling horizon approach combined with a PSO-GA based hybrid evolutionary algorithm is proposed to solve the model. • Observing more complete information or having accurate forecasts does not always conducive to better decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, ship exhaust gases have become an essential source of air pollution. A detailed study of ship exhaust emissions can accurately reflect air pollution intensity in ports with high waterborne traffic. In this paper, ship exhaust emissions in 2018 in the west area of Shenzhen port are estimated based on ship AIS data and fitting results between ship characteristics, including ship length, engines' power, gross tonnage, and maximum speed. This research reveals the emission distributions according to different ship types, months, and operation conditions. The results showed that the contribution rate of exhaust emissions of cargo ships and container ships is at the forefront, In contrast, ship emissions in hotelling and normal cruising are more significant than those in maneuvering and slow steaming conditions. The results presented in this research provide a basis for developing emission reduction measures in port area management and provide relevant experience to other world port areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technology resolves the bottleneck of traditional centralized data storage technology. It can better facilitate the seamless operation and supervision of port cold chain logistics and can meet the massive business demand for cold chain imports and the surging demand for pandemic prevention and control. However, it is a challenging task to incentivize cold chain enterprises in the maritime industry to adopt blockchain technology and actively participate in information sharing platform. Using evolutionary game theory, through an analysis of evolutionary stability strategies, this paper explores the evolutionary path of port cold chain logistics enterprises that participate in information sharing. An incentive mechanism based on blockchain smart contract is designed to encourage cold chain logistics enterprises to actively participate in information sharing within chains. Smart contracts can continuously encourage enterprises to participate in information sharing by timely adjusting the incentive participation costs of participating enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 epidemic, has caused a large-scale congestion in many ports around the world. This increases the cost of port docking, as well as delays the loading and unloading of goods, which affects the price and timely supply of many products. Although scholars have carried out in-depth discussion and analysis on the port congestion problem from different perspectives, there is still no appropriate model and algorithm for the large-scale comprehensive port docking problem. This paper presents a new mixed integer programming model for optimal docking of ships in ports that is comprehensive enough to include four essential objectives. It discusses the generalization and application of the model from the perspectives of the shortest overall waiting time of ships, the balance of tasks at each berth, completion of all docking tasks as soon as possible and meeting the expected berthing time of ships. We demonstrate the results of our models using relevant examples and show that our model can obtain the optimal docking scheme based on different perspectives and relevant objectives. We also show that the scale of the exact solution can reach tens of thousands of decision variables and more than a million constraints. This fully reflects the possibility that the model can be put into use in any real life scenario. This model can not only effectively improve the docking efficiency of the port, but is also suitable for the complex queuing problem of multi window and the same type of service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern port structure is configured as territorial system of productive aggregation (hub) of a complex nature, strongly linked to the productive fabric of a larger territory and in close relationship with the context in which the port is physically located. In the development of processes of innovation and improvement of the sustainability of the activities connected to the port, a strong connection is necessary between all the local stakeholders who, each for the functions of their own competence, can activate improvement processes with common objectives. This paper describes a framework for the activation and coordination of a Locally Integrated Partnership (LIP) towards the development of a multi-term Smart Port Management Strategy (SPMS) to support innovation processes in the sustainable and safe management of the port. The methodology was applied to the case study of the port of Ravenna (Italy) where the state-owned areas managed by Port Authority (public authority managing the port area) are limited to 50 mt-width harbour quay, while the remaining areas are owned by private companies. The result was the development and the implementation of the roadmap for the development of the SPMS of Ravenna Port with a multi-stakeholder participatory approach. This process favoured the activation of many public funds to modernize port infrastructure, as well as private investments for the development and dissemination of innovations and for the sustainable use of port area. This has shown how the development and coordination of a local LIP makes it possible to make synergies between stakeholders more effective in accessing financing funds and sharing development strategies aimed at innovation and sustainability. The framework developed and tested to the case study demonstrated the benefits of a participatory and inclusive process in decision-making processes, with a benefit for all the key aspects of sustainability. This process can be used, following step-by-step, as a guideline for other port areas. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the global container market. Many liner companies have adopted a blank sailing for some voyages to adjust capacity, and vessel schedule reliability continues to be sluggish. From the perspective of the container liner company, this paper studies the integrated recovery of liner schedule and container flow under the background of suspension of shipping service. With the goal of minimizing the total cost of the liner company, the hard time window constraints of the container flow on the suspended routes are set to construct the integrated recovery problem.The increased carbon emission cost during the restoration of the container flow is taken into account.A mixed integer nonlinear programming model is established, and the adaptive mutation particle swarm optimization (AMPSO) is used to solve the model. The results show that the total cost of the model is reduced by 10.66% compared with the total cost of the shipping schedule recovery model that did not consider the recovery of container flow. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of transport sector is taking precedence over other sectors especially after globalisation. The performance of minor port has outpaced the major port in recent past. With the pursuit of higher growth of international trade, government lays emphasis on the maritime mode of transport as it entails quite significant share in global trade in India. In the process, there is regulatory captures which sideline the existing rules and regulations and ignore the externalities stemming from the development project. There is flouting of laws and regulation in the development of Dhamra port, a minor port located in Bhadrak district of Odisha. This paper attempts to analyse the lacunae in the regulatory framework and advantage which paved the path for development of minor Dhamra port. It also discusses how those regulations have been manipulated to keep the interest of the private port proponents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The main purpose of this paper was to develop an Oil Spill Hazard Index (OSHI) concerning hydrocarbon maritime traffic. The subsequent aim is to evaluate this hazard index along the whole Italian coastline and waters. The OSHI processing derives from the aggregation of two hazard subindices: R 1 (concerning hydrocarbons handled at ports) and R 2 (related to hydrocarbons in transit). In order to assess the OSHI along the Italian coastline (8660 km), it has been divided into 335 coastal stretches and for each of them an OSHI value was calculated, considering the amount of crude oil and petroleum products moved in the Italian ports or just passed through continental shelf waters, as well as the major Mediterranean oil routes affecting the Italian seas. All the results (national oil traffic database and hazard indices) were recorded in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database that contains a comparative spatial analysis of these records in order to achieve a critical scale of the oil spill hazard along the Italian waters and coasts. The obtained results include computerized cartography and operational maps representing useful tools for decision-makers as well as practical guidelines for the elaboration of a national oil spill contingency plan, and the application of the principles of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) by public administrations and local stakeholders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The container port industry has experienced phenomenal growth over the past decades since the era of containerisation. The continuous population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation will continue to propel seaborne commodity trades which are largely handled via ports. Given that the four busiest container ports of Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen handle significantly high throughputs, this research aims to examine their likely growth paths, sustainability issues in port and coastal development and related policy implications. The paper uses a longitudinal approach to analyse growth patterns that are exhibited by the selected ports in 1990–2010. The results of which will be used to derive scenarios for throughput growth and additional quay length required up to 2025. Container ports could expect to face immense pressure for their traffic-handling systems given that container throughput is projected to increase by several times within the next 15 years. The research contributes to both policy and research by addressing the need for a balanced approach in sustainability for port and coastal development. Increasing capacity does not mean that ports must resort to new terminal/berth construction extensively. If the decision is made to accommodate this growth in throughput, innovative solutions and flexibility in capacity expansion will also be required to accommodate the addition to traffic given the scale involved so as to alleviate pressures on spatial demand and the environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Iran has close to 5000km of shoreline bordering the Oman Sea and the Persian Gulf and more than 800km of shoreline bordering the Caspian Sea. Iranian shorelines have been exposed to rapid development over the past three decades, resulting in an urgent need for a shoreline management program to optimize the use of coastal resources and prevent or minimize the impact of various projects. The present paper describes a national Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) recently developed for the Ports and Maritime Organization of Iran to address existing coastal problems and set policies for sustainable development. The proposed SMP consists of two main components: Hazard Management, and Ecosystem-based Development Management. In this context, coastal hazard maps were prepared showing prone-to-hazard areas and required management strategies to address those hazards. Opportunities and threats along the entire Iranian coastlines were also identified so that they may be considered by managers in planning future developments within an ecosystem-based framework provided by the Environmental Management Plan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Seaports are very critical in international trade, as they provide linkages between international and domestic production and distribution networks. Rapid economic growth in India demanding quality logistical services, implying that seaports, often characterized by inefficiency, would play pivotal roles. The National Maritime Development Program executed between 2005 and 2010 has significant impact on the growth of commercial seaport in India. In order to make the system more vibrant, ministry of shipping, Government of India has formulated the Maritime Agenda: 2010–2020. The changes proposed in the perspective plan will attract investments for creation and up-gradation of infrastructure in the ports. These reform process mostly likely to create a new scenario forcing the growth in the port sector. New commercial seaports are in the growing trend, while the old ones are facing the loss of their traffic and the situation appears to be developing new strategies. The present paper is a reflection on the findings generated in recent years in the area of competitive policies. The main focus is on the strategic issues, policy framework and its consequences for the future Indian scenario. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents the current Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system for Thailand. The steps of the EIA approval and procedures are summarized. More particularly, the study focuses on port developments. Guidelines, prepared by the national authority, are presented that help EIA practitioners to prepare EIA reports for port projects. The EIA for the Ranong port in Thailand was selected as a case study because of its recent approval as well as its reflection on political intervention. Special attention was given to marine physical aspects in order to demonstrate types of marine physical concerns, assessment methods used, and corresponding environmental measures established. Changes in water current and elevation, sedimentation, large waves and bank erosion, maritime accidents and related oil spill were included. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of Thailand’s EIA system were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines resource uses on the coast of Jiangsu Province, China. It focuses on mudflat development and describes and evaluates the diverse resource uses, such as agriculture, fisheries, tourism and nature reserves, harbors and industrial development, and the salt and the chemical industry, that are found there. Continuous population growth and economic demands have resulted in conflicts between the multiple uses and mudflat protection. It is suggested that more attention should be paid to utilization efficiency and high value-added mudflat products. A conceptual framework is presented to guide mudflat development and suitable uses for each county are suggested to support local livelihoods and maintain healthy ecological processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The increase in maritime traffic means that ports have to continuously improve their efficiency. This involves reducing the inactivity caused by adverse climatic conditions. Adverse conditions that inconvenience port users include short and long waves. In this paper, the effect of long waves on port operations in Gijón harbor (Spain) is analyzed by means of a numerical model. Short wave propagation inside the harbor was compared with two different combinations of short and long waves. Taking into account the wave heights that limit operations, the periods of inactivity due to waves were computed for every dock. The results show that the harbor offers very good protection against wind (short) waves. Nevertheless, the port''s inefficiency is significantly increased if long waves are present in the wave trains affecting the harbor. This illustrates the importance of taking into account long waves in port management. Finally, other limited effects of long waves in harbor environmental management issues are pointed out. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rapid development of maritime transportation networks meets international trade demands while rendering them in high risk and disruption concerns particularly at ports being the bottlenecks of the whole flows. Port operations calls for an effective approach to assess ports vulnerability and to ensure the resilience of their associated maritime supply chains (MSC). However, traditional quantitative risk analysis reveals challenges due to data incompleteness and ambiguity, and operational and environmental uncertainty when being applied in ports vulnerability analysis. This paper aims to develop a novel port vulnerability assessment (PVA) framework, which can guide and realise a standardised vulnerability analysis process for the ports from different geographies involving in the same MSC and hence the resources can be better managed from a global network level for optimal resilience of the chain. It is especially important for the shipping and port industries which are in nature international and desires strong international uniform standardization. The fuzzy theory, evidential reasoning (ER) approach, and expected utility theory are combined in a holistic way to form the proposed PVA framework. The new framework is validated and demonstrated by using a case study in which five key ports along an established MSC in China are investigated. The findings can be used as a stand along method to compare the vulnerability levels of the ports in an MSC and/or integrated with decision optimisation methods for rational safety resource distribution from a supply chain perspective. • Use of a hybrid of the fuzzy theory and ER methods for port vulnerability assessment from a supply chain perspective. • Provide a standardised process and a novel PVA framework incorporating a centrality estimate for the first time. • Define different types of vulnerability measures considering the internal risk and external safety impact in the framework. • Investigate five key ports to analyse the vulnerability and prioritise their vulnerable levels for resource rationalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical system to reduce costs and improve efficiency, the liner shipping system has an important role in economic globalization. In recent years, with the government's strengthening of carbon emission control and the popularity of liner alliances, the decision-making problems faced by liner companies have become more complicated. Motivated by this setting, this paper investigates a liner shipping network - transaction mechanism joint design problem (LSTD). The government's levy of carbon taxes on liner companies and liner alliance cooperation strategies are considered. To solve the abovementioned problem, a biobjective optimization model is established. The model takes the total profit of the alliance and the fairness of the distribution of alliance profit as two objectives and optimizes the alliance liner shipping network design scheme (i.e., composition of the fleet, calling sequence of the ports on the routes, and sailing speed of ships) and the alliance transaction mechanism (i.e., slot transaction price among members). To solve the model, the biobjectives are set with different priorities to transform the model into a two-stage model. A genetic algorithm is designed and embedded into the inverse optimization model. Numerical experiments are performed based on China's actual import/export transportation data. Two sensitivity analyses for different freight rates and carbon tax rates are conducted. The experimental results show that the proposed model and algorithm can effectively solve the LSTD and provide necessary decision support for the operation of the liner alliance. [Display omitted] • A liner shipping network design problem is investigated. • Carbon tax and liner alliance factors are considered. • The slot transaction mechanism is constructed to distribute the alliance profit. • A genetic algorithm embedded in an inverse optimization model is designed. • The conclusion provides support for liner alliance daily operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports are an essential impetus for the development of cities, and cities provide important resources and infrastructure for ports. As a significant factor to enhance the competitiveness of port cities, the sustainable ability affects the development characteristics of cities. How to evaluate the sustainability has become the priority of port cities development. However, existing researches mainly focus on ports or cities separately, instead of combining the two. Therefore, we first establish a two-stage interaction model to associate port and city. Then we propose a new index system, covering the economic, environmental, and social indicators. Based on the evaluation framework, we adopt the directional distance function based on the slack-based measure model (SBM-DDF) and the coupling coordination degree (CCD) to measure the sustainability of port cities from the perspective of external influence and internal interaction. We select nine port cities in China as research objects. The results display their relative differences in sustainability. Hong Kong performs the best, while Xiamen performs the worst. According to the experience of Hong Kong, this paper puts forward corresponding improvement measures aiming at the disadvantage of port cities in order to achieve better sustainable development. Evaluation framework of sustainable development of port cities. [Display omitted] • Two-stage interactive process of port city based on TBL is proposed. • A novel evaluating framework of sustainable development for port cities is proposed. • The concept of internal and external sustainability is introduced. • Sustainability Suggestions for port city from different perspectives are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous world population growth, followed by current globalization levels, raises concerns towards sustainable development, including the sustainability of organizations. In recent decades, organizations have been increasing their commitment to sustainability. In particular, port organizations are aware of their most critical economic, environmental and social impacts, due to the continuous growth of the sector. Performance indicators are an important tool to assess the environmental performance of a port. In this paper, we aim to recognize the role of these indicators on the sustainability assessment of port organizations. For that purpose, we apply the benchmarking technique to compare the performance of distinct European seaports using environmental performance indicators from the Global Reporting Initiative consolidated guidelines. The indicators most representative of port activities are established and quantified considering the available data for the period between 2008 and 2017. The difficulties associated with the application of the benchmarking technique paves the way for guidelines towards the establishment of a common framework for reporting environmental indicators for the specific case of port organizations. Based on the benchmarking outcomes, we apply the environmental performance indicators to the Port of Aveiro to assess their effectiveness while suggesting adjustments to the existing indicators which are better suited for port activities. The outcomes of this study will provide port organizations with a common framework to report environmental sustainability, thus allowing for a better comparison of their environmental performance. • EPI provide a method to assess the environmental performance of seaports. • GRI guidelines may be upgraded including new sectoral indicators for seaports. • Comparison of distinct seaports' point out the need to report indicators using a common framework. • Quantification of indicators may contribute to effectively improve the performance of seaports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization of the coast, growing global trade, stakeholder emancipation and ongoing depletion of natural resources mean that ports can no longer operate and develop without acknowledging and incorporating societal and environmental considerations. Drawing primarily on first-hand experiences in South African ports, supplemented with learning taken from international literature, this paper proposes a conceptual change in the position of the natural environment in port development from that of a 'green handbrake' to 'equal partner'. The argument for this conceptual change is developed in three stages. First, we merge two concepts emerging from the literature, namely natural capital (or natural infrastructure) and infrastructure systems, to embed the natural environment as an integral component or 'equal partner' in port development. We then identify practical avenues through which the profile (or value) of the natural environment can be enhanced in port development, drawing on concepts such as Building with Nature (BwN) and multi-use of natural capital. Finally, we build a framework for Integrated Port Management (IPM) by conceptually positioning and aligning environmental processes within the traditional port development cycle, as well as identifying the need for coordination across and continuity between individual environmental assessment processes. In essence, bridging the disconnect between natural environmental issues and port development requires early consideration of the natural environment in port development, and an acknowledgement of multi-use benefits from natural capital. Further, in the operations and maintenance phases, environmental management systems in ports should not only focus on environmental performance, but also embrace multi-use valuation of the natural environment (ecosystem services) to give purpose to the need for environmental protection. However, crucial to effective implementation of an Integrated Port Management (IPM) framework will be its integration in organisational processes, supported by collaborative institutional structures. Only then will the environment take its place as equal partner in port development. Image 1 • Raising the profile of the natural environment in port development. • Positioning the natural environment (natural infrastructure) in the port infrastructure system. • Practical framework for Integrated Port Management, aligning environmental aspects within the port development cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]