Achieving an ASEAN single shipping market: shipping and logistics firms’ perspective

ABSTRACT

To establish an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Single Shipping Market (ASSM) is an important part of ASEAN governments’ overall plan to achieve an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015. It is expected that a single shipping market will improve the region’s logistics performance and international competitiveness. To achieve this vision, however, the ASEAN countries need to remove any remaining barriers to logistics performance. In this light, the objective of this paper is to identify these barriers and assess their effects on the logistics performance of shipping and logistics firms based in ASEAN countries. Using a questionnaire-based survey, the study revealed several barriers affecting their logistics performance with varying significance among these countries. Unless these barriers from the perspective of the industry are removed, the ability of the shipping and logistics industry to benefit from a liberalized market would be limited. These perceived barriers are examined in detail and strategies to address them are proposed. The ASEAN experience is applicable to similar countries in the process of integrating their international shipping sector as well as contributes to the understanding of the different barriers and how these barriers can affect the logistics performance of shipping and logistics companies.     

Exchange rate changes and the cost competitiveness of international airlines: The Aviation Trade Weighted Index

Discussions of how changes in exchange rates impact on international airlines tend to be ambivalent. In this paper, it is shown that the relative cost competitiveness of an international airline will decline when there is an exchange rate appreciation in its home country - as will be the case for other tradable goods and services. The extent to which this happens depends on which countries the prices of the inputs are set in and also on which countries' airlines it is closely competing with. The impact is greater if there is an appreciation relative to those countries whose airlines the home airlines are closely competing with. In the trade literature, this is recognised in the Trade Weighted Index of exchange rates, which weights exchanges rates according to their importance in a country's trade flows. In this paper, an Airline Trade Weighted Index is developed - the weights for this index depend on airline traffic and revenues on routes to and from a country. The ATWI is calculated for Australian international airlines, and it indicates that there has been a significant loss of competitiveness in recent years, due to the appreciation of the Australian dollar relative to currencies of key airline competitor countries.     

Impact of regulation on the performances of long-distance transport services: A comparison of the different approaches in Sweden and Norway

Despite the many socio-economic similarities between Sweden and Norway, differences in jurisdiction, organisation, cooperation, and financing of long-distance passenger train and coach services have led to the development of four distinctively different ways of serving the markets. This paper describes how the train and coach markets have developed in the two countries, with emphasis on regulatory and industrial structure and a couple of performance variables.Looking at passenger rail, both countries separated infrastructure from operation over a decade ago. However, while Norwegian rail is characterised by an almost monopoly supplier, rail services in Sweden are partly decentralised to the responsibility of county authorities and are widely subjected to competitive tendering. The rest of the network is about to be opened up for on-the-track competition. Swedish Rail (SJ) has spent the last decades consolidating its core business (passenger rail) and sold out its other businesses. In contrast, the Norwegian state rail (NSB) has expanded its business to become a major bus operator and property owner, with extensions also into the Swedish market.The coach industry was more recently deregulated in both countries. The Swedish coach market is dominated by privately owned companies operating services to and from Stockholm. In Norway, state-owned NSB is a major coach operator on medium distance routes, and is also the largest partner of Nor-Way Bussekspress which totally dominates long-distance coach services. Further, the Norwegian coach market is characterised by cross-ownership and cooperation which has enabled an extensive route network which covers most of Norway.We find distinct differences in achievements in the two modes and in the two countries. Swedish rail services have succeeded in winning market shares and in renewing and developing both infrastructure and service levels to a greater extent than the Norwegian model. On the other hand, the Norwegian coach market seems to be more developed and efficient compared to its Swedish counterpart.The paper concludes with a discussion on the possible links between the different approaches and the performance observed, with the aim to stimulate further and more detailed research on some important issues.     

Measuring the technology gap and logistics performance of individual countries by using a meta-DEA–AR model

This study presents an alternative approach to evaluate the efficiency of the logistics performance index (LPI) of individual countries. This study considers the differences among technology groups by classifying and comparing the countries as high-income Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), high-income non-OECD, upper-middle-income, lower-middle-income, and low-income countries. The meta-frontier data envelopment analysis with assurance regions (Meta-DEA–AR) model is proposed to evaluate LPI scores and differences accurately among groups. For conformity with the ranking of original World Bank LPI, the assurance region of each logistics indicator is obtained by a regression model. The results show that the LPI rankings obtained by the proposed model are very comparable to those of World Bank LPI. Without distorting the rankings, the results offer several managerial suggestions for those countries with inefficiency in their LPIs.     

Shipping and the competitive advantage of nations: the role of international ship registers

This paper argues that the creation of international ship registries by traditional maritime countries will not sufficient to halt the decline of their fleets. Over the last two decades shipping has undergone profound restructuring, characterized by a trend towards globalization and a search for a more efficient factor input combination. While shipowners from OECD countries have relied increasingly on flags of convenience, new maritime countries, particularly from Pacific Asia, have emerged, taking advantage of low-cost inputs and supportive national national environments. In the late 1980s the traditional maritime countries responded to the challenge by introducing international ship resistries. The Norwegian International Ship Registry is the most liberal and has the greatest success. Other new registries have limited impact. It appears that an international ship registry per seis not sufficient to reverse declining national fleets.     

The growth and patterns of international trade

Over the last 40 years, there has been an unprecedented growth in trade amongst countries, and the growth in trade shows no sign of slowing down. The increases in trade have put tremendous pressure on the maritime and port industries, and these industries have responded with innovations, investment, and greater productivity. International trade and maritime trade are synonyms, and an understanding of the determinants of international trade is central to understanding maritime trade. In this paper, we provide a review of the international trade literature with a focus on the determinants of trade and the evolution of trade modeling. We then present a broad overview of the extent and growth of trade in the context of primary determinants. The basic results are: (1) Trade is growing at a phenomenal rate; (2) Trade is dominated by relatively few countries who tend to remain dominant; (3) While trade of all products is growing, there are large differences in the growth rates, but yet, there is stability in the relative sizes of product markets; and (4) Over the last 40 years, trade has changed from major flows between the US and Europe to major flows between Asia and the US.     

A transaction cost analysis of Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian shipping

The purpose of the article is to analyse the operation of shipping companies in Finland, Sweden and Norway cross-sectionwise in 1989-1991. These represent three different types of shipping operations in three neighbouring countries in Northern Europe. In the analysis, an apllication of the transaction cosr approach (TCA) is employed. It is shown that finnish shipping is usually very concentrated both in terms of geographical coverage, cargo composition and ownership. In cargo shipping, Finnish shipping firms mainly operate on the 'domestic' routes connecting Finland to the main European markets. Few Finnish firms are operating in highly competitive operations such as cruise shipping and liquid and dry bulk trades. Ownership in shipping is also often institutionalized rather than being in private, independent hands. In Sweden, the hierarchial governance of shipping is less than it is Finland. In certain worldwide trades, such as reefer and car carrier trades, the governance structure could be defined as hierarchial due to high asset specificity and high degree of specialization. In Norway, the shipping industry seems to be strongly market-oriented. The industry is composed of shipping companies, whose existence depends on their cost competitiveness on the shipping market, and is usually not backed up by exclusive hierarchial arrangements. Notable exceptions are the LNG/LPG and car carrier trades. The classification presented principle can easily be extended to other shipping countries, or companywise comparisions, as well.     

Eastern/Western European shipping companies and multimodal transport operations

The purpose of this article is to discuss the current developments in multimodal cargo flows in North European freight transports from Eastern and Western European shipping companies' point of view. Four types of options were identified for shipping companies in multimodal transport operations, namely: (i) the full service operator option, (ii) the feeder operator option in container trades, (iii) the ro-ro operator option, and (iv) the ferry operator option. Option (i) requires a global transport network together with efficient information handling capabilities. This option can be reached by a limited number of mega-carriers. The scope of investment and know-how in this option is such that Eastern European operators are unlikely to achieve this level. In (ii), fleets from (or registered in) the former socialist countries have an advantage as low cost operators, provided that the quality of the operation conforms to principals' requirements. However, the supply side in the intra-European container feeder trades seems to be quite saturated, and new market shares will be very difficult to acquire in the 1990s. In ro-ro shortsea trades the major freight transport operators are well integrated into either freight forwarder driven arrangements (Sweden, Germany), or into major shippers (Finland). As providers of port-to-port transports for road-based cargoes, ferry operators continue to play an important part in international transports. However, the major incentive (and revenue) for passenger/car ferry operations is usually derived from consumers' vacational or travelling needs. Along with the ongoing transition process and a higher level of economic stability that is hopefully achieved in these countries, mergers and acquisitions by Western partners are likely to follow.     

[What is the cost of increasing taxation?] (Oslo: Statistics Norway: Oekonomiske analyser no 8). [In Nowegian].

Zero taxation is today the rule in the international shipping industry. The absent income tax on profits is translated into an equivalent reduction in freight rates. Countries and companies which are net purchasers of shipping services gain, while the treasuries of countries providing the equity lose. Equity investors in shipping obtain no more than the internationally required after-tax profit level. The private income distribution effect, therefore, should not give rise to political concern. By eroding the tax base, zero taxation gives rise to an economic cost by shifting taxation to other sources. The effect on resource allocation through too high volumes shipped is shown to be insignificant. In countries where profit taxation is still levied, shipowning cannot remain competitive. Forcing inherently competitive operators to close down or move to a zero tax location is likely to cause a significant economic loss. Short of ordinary taxation of shipping internationally, the second best solution may be a more consistent lifting of tax obligations.     

加强专属经济区内海事执法工作的探讨

随着世界各国越来越重视海洋资源的占有、开发和利用,国家间,尤其是沿海国之间在专属经济区的管辖和权力方面的争端也接连发生。各沿海国为了维护自身利益,试图通过《国际海洋法公约》的相关划界条款来争取更大的专属经济区面积。文中对专属经济区制度和中国专属经济区的管理现状作了简要介绍,并在分析专属经济区开展海事执法的必要性和法律依据的基础上,为海事部门加强专属经济区内执法工作提出了相关建议。     

管道对口器技术及方案研究

水下油气管道维修是人类开发海洋资源的重要保障,文中对西方发达国家正在研究或使用于铺设、维修管道的对口器进行了综述,并针对海底油气输送管道维修目标提出了一种对口器的总体方案.对于追踪国外先进科技,设计适合维修作业环境的对口器,提高我国水下作业技术有重要的意义.     

Port privatization under Cournot vs. Bertrand competition: a third-market approach

By incorporating port competition into a third-market model consisting of two exporting firms and one importing country, we demonstrate the endogenous choice of port structures (i.e. privatization or public ownership) under either Bertrand or Cournot competition. In contrast to previous studies on port competition, we analyze the port strategy in view of all trading countries (i.e. importing country and exporting countries). We find that regardless of transport cost, the port ownership strategy alters according to exporting firm’s competition mode. Under Bertrand competition, the choice of port ownership structure depends on the degree of imperfect substitutability. However, under Cournot competition, all trading countries choose same ownership structures of each port. By comparing equilibrium of each competition mode, we show that welfare of exporting country under Cournot competition is higher than under Bertrand competition if goods are sufficiently substitutes. In contrast, importing country prefers Bertrand competition to Cournot competition when the competitive pressure is sufficiently high.     

船舶绿色电源PEMFC及其性能影响因素分析

能源与环境制约了各国经济的持续发展,绿色船舶成为当前船舶行业的发展趋势,燃料电池作为绿色电源在船舶行业具有广阔的应用前景。燃料电池是一种多输入的电化学反应装置,影响因素较多。该文在验证了质子交换膜燃料电池(Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells,PEMFC)稳态建模正确性的基础上,通过稳态建模,利用MATLAB对影响PEMFC性能的各因素进行了分析讨论,并给出了各影响因素的影响大小。最后,在PEMFC的控制和设计上提出了一些指导性的建议。     

Ballast water management in the Baltic Sea

The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), comprising of nine Baltic Sea countries and the European Union, is working to protect the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution, including biological pollution from alien species. HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, singed by Contracting States’ environmentministers and EU, includes a Road Map for harmonized implementation and ratification of the International Convention for Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, with an overall aim of all Baltic Sea countries ratifying the Convention latest in 2013.     

Capacity Development for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Egypt

Since 1990 there has been a considerable increase in the number of developing countries undertaking Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) schemes at both the local and national levels. Unfortunately many of these ICZM schemes have failed to be implementated due to difficulties such as information and communication gaps and restricted technical and financial capacity. Common problems experienced across all developing countries. As a case in point, it is argued that developing countries suffer from capabilities at the local institutional level. Similarly, it is advocated that Mediterranean developing countries have not fully implemented ICZM as a result of lack of stakeholder capacity. Egypt provides a case study of this argument. Since the mid-1990s several attempts have been made to promote ICZM in Egypt, however none have achieved their goal of having an ICZM plan become operational. This paper reviews ICZM processes in Egypt focussing on the capacity of all instituions and key stakeholders to plan and implement ICZM based on interviews with key ICZM key stakeholders as well as documentary analysis and participant observation in ICZM meetings. It seeks through a critical evaluation to provide practical recommendations that serve to enhance the implementation of ICZM in Egypt and other developing countries.     

(Law for the Promotion of Competition and Consumer Protection) was passed in early 1995. The impact this law will eventually have, however, is uncertain because rules for its implementation have not yet been established.

Governments in their port reform efforts have experimented with liberalization and commercialization to improve port operations. Because of their failure to meet expectations or because of changing competitive environments, these options have generally been discarded in favour of privatization. In mature large-volume port systems, privatization was a relatively obvious solution, because interport or interterminal competition would be achieved to the extent that the monopolistic tendencies characteristic of their predecessor organizations would cease to exist. In countries with a limited number of ports having relatively small cargo volumes, however, the case is quite different. These countries would have to pursue strategies that would still induce competition in spite of their limited cargo volumes if they hoped to achieve the same privatization benefits and market disciplines enjoyed in other countries. This article examines the port reform approaches used in three distinct competitive settings;the experiences in these countries offer some guidance on how to assure that ports will feel competitive pressures even under conditions of limited cargo volumes.     

American Samoa: Establishing a coastal area management model for developing countries

Abstract

Debate over the appropriateness of U.S. approaches to coastal management procedures for developing countries has increased over the past few years. The coastal management program which was developed for American Samoa offers the opportunity to test the utility of the U.S. approach to CZM for developing nations.

American Samoa represents a blend of traditional and new cultures and thus may be a microcosm of developing countries. American Samoa's development of a CZM plan is examined with emphasis on similarities and differences with U.S. experience. A culture‐oriented framework is presented which can shape programs appropriate to developing countries. Finally, a process and a set of guidelines provide an outline for those attempting the difficult task of applying U.S. environmental planning and management to other countries.     

An analysis and comparison of multinational officers of the watch in the global maritime labor market

ABSTRACT

Officer of the watch (OOW) is an important part of the maritime labor market. For many years, countries have been improving their development of OOWs for the maritime market, in terms of both quantity and quality. As the supply of qualified OOWs for maritime transportation is such an important issue, shipping companies recruit multinational OOWs for both economic and socio-cultural reasons. This study aims to identify the qualifications of an ideal officer that holds office on commercial ships, and to make a comparison among Filipino, Chinese, Indian, Eastern European and Turkish OOWs. The research takes into account expert opinions of a number of shipping companies that employ multinational seafarers. A Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) technique is applied in this study to assist in the comparison of officers. A number of main and sub-criteria are outlined to determine both positive and negative aspects of OOWs from the selected countries for decision making purposes. This study allows maritime countries to evaluate their maritime education and training policies for selection and assessment of OOWs.     

船用柴油——电力推进器的发展与应用

柴油-电力推进装置在钻井平台供应船（PSV）和首尾同型渡船等对操纵灵活性要求严格的小型船舶市场上占有一席之地。     

舰船水下爆炸数值计算方法综述

舰船水下爆炸的数值模拟可有效降低试验成本,为舰船的设计提供更为快捷和准确的指导,近年来逐步得到各国海军的重视.从远场和近场水下爆炸两个方面,对当前常用的数值计算方法进行了综述,在比较各种方法的优缺点及适用范围的基础上,对今后的发展作了展望.