An economic assessment of the impacts of the MOSE barriers on Venice port activities

To protect Venice from flooding, a number of protective measures have been adopted, including a system of mobile barriers known as MOSE. These separate the lagoon from the surges in the Adriatic Sea but interfere with shipping and on port activities. We estimate direct costs on ship traffic resulting from the use of MOSE, i.e., the additional costs of longer waiting time when passing through the Venice Lagoon. Our estimate uses inputs from a hydrodynamic model applied to the ship traffic between 2000 and 2002 and indicate that these costs range from €347,943 to €1.3 million a year, depending on the hypotheses adopted.     

Smaller ports’ evolution towards catalysing sustainable hinterland development

ABSTRACT

From simple organizations as gateways for goods and passengers, ports have evolved and transformed into complex organizational systems with multiple functions. Besides providing cargo, logistics, and other kinds of services to its customers, modern ports engage in the development of their hinterlands. Sustainability, evolving from environmental actions over the years, has become the core of many modern ports’ approach towards hinterland development and port competitiveness. While the literature is concerned with and presents examples of large ports implementing sustainability initiatives, the literature is scarce on smaller ports. This article addresses this gap by exploring qualitatively the case of the Port of Aalborg, a medium-sized port in Denmark, and its evolution towards using sustainability for port and hinterland development. The research focuses on the actions behind environmental development at the port. Its evolution is mapped and explored using the analytical framework developed based on the (larger) ports’ development and their roles. The findings from the Port of Aalborg case exemplify how smaller ports can evolve to drive the sustainable development of their hinterlands and contribute to a better understanding of this kind of port.     

Numerical calculations of propeller shaft loads on azimuth propulsors in oblique inflow

This paper evaluates various computational methods used to compute propeller performance, hydrodynamic side force and bending moment applied to an azimuth propulsor propeller shaft in oblique inflow. The two non-viscous models used are the BEM method and the blade element momentum theory (BEMT). RANS calculations are used to compute the loads on the propeller and the nominal wake velocity from the thruster body to be used in the BEMT model. The effect of the ship hull is also considered in the calculation by implementing the measured nominal wake of a ship hull at different propeller azimuthal positions. All the models are compared and validated against the experimental results, and the discussions are presented.     

The urban road pricing scheme to curb pollution in Milan,Italy: Description,impacts and preliminary cost–benefit analysis assessment

Starting from January 2008 Milan implemented a charging scheme to enter an 8 km² area of the city centre. The term used to denote the scheme is Ecopass, conveying the stated political objective of the scheme: a pass to improve the quality of the urban environment (ECO). The charge depends on the Euro emission standard of the vehicle. The paper illustrates the main features and impacts of the Milan Ecopass scheme, and presents a preliminary cost–benefit analysis. The scheme has been effective in curbing not only pollution emissions, but also congestion, and the result has been achieved with low implementation costs and without major political opposition. The cost–benefits analysis presents an overall net benefit. The identification of the winners and losers of the policy is conditioned by penalty payments. Without including the penalties, the surface public transport users and the society at large are the main winners, whereas car and especially freight vehicle users are net losers.