Ranking of factors contributing to higher performance in the ocean transportation industry: a multi-attribute utility theory approach

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by Canada, the U.S.A. and Mexico and which came into effect on 1 January 1994, is a significant move towards further integration of the North American economies. This paper examines the likely impact of NAFTA on Canadian ports. Three channels of impact are identified. First, there are direct impacts on trade flows between Canada and its North American trading partners. In this regard we find that ports do not typically handle the types of products that are likely to be affected by NAFTA, and so the direct impacts may be minimal. Second, and more significantly, port catchment areas are likely to undergo substantial changes as they respond to a more competitive environment within the free trade area. Third, the transportation sector has itself been included in NAFTA, and Canadian ports will face increased competition from land based transportation modes. We conclude that ports in Canada must learn to work more consciously as agents of regional economic development.     

化学武器在海洋环境中的性能研究

化学武器一旦在海战场上使用,将会对水面舰艇构成巨大威胁,化学武器的杀伤特点与海洋环境密切相关,为减轻化学武器威胁,有必要了解化学武器在海洋环境中的性能特点。通过数学模型研究化学武器在海洋环境中的性能,研究结果表明,随着风速的增大,化学武器在短时间内的杀伤作用增强,杀伤作用持续时间缩短,舰船如能在化学武器袭击后,远离爆炸中心,可减轻化学武器造成的伤害。化学武器在海洋中的瞬时杀伤作用不及陆地,但其杀伤作用持续时间更长一些。     

Risk influencing factors analysis of Arctic maritime transportation systems: a Chinese perspective

Recently, the melting of Arctic sea ice and development of maritime technology are enabling the regular voyages in Arctic waters. However, the Arctic maritime transportation system (AMTS) is a complex and dynamic system with respect to human, technical, environmental and organizational issues. For example, ships operating in Arctic waters suffer severe weather conditions, fully and partially ice-covered waters, and are also difficult to search and rescue in ice-covered Arctic waters due to remoteness from lands. These risk factors will influence the safety and security of ships operating in Arctic waters. For this, this paper identifies potential risk influencing factors (RIFs) for the AMTS from human, technical (ship), environmental and organizational aspects. An analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method is used to analyze the hierarchical relationships and calculate the relative importance of the selected RIFs. Due to the complexity and uncertainty involved in the comprehensive analysis of RIFs for the AMTS, fuzzy sets are incorporated into AHP analysis to represent and treat the epistemic uncertainty. The identified critical RIFs in this study can be used to propose specific guidance for the operations of crews on board, ship owners, and ship managers.     

Risk factors and theory building: a study to improve passenger vessel safety

Given the inherent complexity of the maritime transportation system, developing effective policy can be challenging. Using risk factors identified by an elicitation and aggregation of expert judgment, a relative-risk rating scheme was developed in the theory-building tradition of the social sciences. The model was empirically evaluated using 18 months of data from the US small passenger vessel sector. The model identified that the top 10% of relatively highest risk vessels accounted for 50% of all marine casualties during the period of examination. A policy for deploying the model nationally is proposed.     

物流理论模型在集装箱船运输系统的应用

我国长江流域的内河航运从古至今都在我国经济与社会发展中占有重要地位,随着长江流域外贸进出口的增加,长江流域内大型集装箱船的流量越来越大,对长江航运物流管理提出更高要求。运输系统是物流系统的重要组成部分,本文主要基于物流理论模型原理,对长江流域的集装箱船运输系统进行研究,具体包括长江流域物流系统的结构分析、鲁棒性优化、运输需求预测等,有助于优化长江流域集装箱船的运输水平,提高物流运输的经济性。     

Core competence and competitive strategy of the Taiwan shipbuilding industry: a resource-based approach

The shipbuilding output for Taiwan had been 4th in the world until 1999; however, at that time, it dropped to the 9th. Currently, the world shipbuilding capacity greatly exceeds the demand and this disparity could grow to 40% by 2005. Facing this turning point, the main objective of this study is to re-examine the international competitive position of Taiwan's shipbuilding industry; furthermore, to realize the industries' core competences and attempt to recommend competitive strategies for the future development of Taiwan's shipbuilding industry. The results show that Taiwan's main core competence is production management, mainly through heterogeneous resource analysis. This paper also proposes that for general types of ships, Taiwan's development priority should be to utilize low-cost strategies to occupy the market continuously; as to high value added types of ships, Taiwan's priority should be to utilize differential and focus strategies. Finally, the direction of government policy is suggested.     

Effect of transportation infrastructure on economic growth in India: The VECM approach

This paper examines the effect of transportation (road and rail) infrastructure on economic growth in India over the period 1970–2010. Using Vector Error Correction Model (VECM), the paper finds bidirectional causality between road transportation and economic growth. It also finds bidirectional causality between road transportation and capital formation, bidirectional causality between gross domestic capital formation and economic growth, unidirectional causality from rail transportation to economic growth and unidirectional causality from rail transportation to gross capital formation. The paper suggests that expansion of transport infrastructure (both road and rail) along with gross capital formation will lead to substantial growth of the Indian economy. Therefore, within its stated scope, this study suggests that a suitable transport policy should be retained to boost transportation infrastructure and hence sustainable economic growth in India.     

Assessing cruise port of call performance: a passenger-based approach using PLS modelling

In the present context of booming cruise demand, the study aims to advance the knowledge on port of call performance from cruise passengers’ perspective. The aim of this investigation was twofold: (1) to examine the structural links among port of call perceived quality–satisfaction–future intentions (revisit and word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviour); and (2) to test the moderating effect of cruisers’ motivation (push versus pull factors) to visit the port of call on the proposed structural links. Partial least squares path modelling was used to test the proposed model with a sample of 492 cruise passengers at a Mediterranean port of call. The findings revealed that port of call quality has a positive impact on port of call satisfaction, which in turn, strongly affects revisit and WOM intention. Besides, the results of the multi-group analysis indicated that the links between port of call quality–satisfaction and port of call satisfaction–WOM are moderated by cruisers’ motivation. Implications for port authorities and cruise lines are discussed.     

推行卓越绩效评价准则提升造船企业竞争力

本文分析了我国造船企业目前普遍采用的“财务性绩效测评体系”所存在的局限性,较为详细地介绍了“卓越绩效评价准则”的含义、框架结构和特点,阐述了该评价准则所体现的11个核心价值观,并结合造船企业的实际情况,就如何引进卓越绩效评价准则提出了对策。     

构建修船企业成本控制模式的探讨

成本优势将决定修船企业的战略地位。动态成本信息系统的构建对修船企业乃至企业集团财务控制的管理实践具有一定的创新性应用价值。文章以修船企业为例,研究探讨了如何构建修船企业动态成本系统,即通过纵向成本系统和横向成本系统以实现修船成本的动态核算与管理问题。     

Public access to ocean beaches: If you find a parking space,how do you get to the beach

The public presently owns, or has the right to use, a substantial portion of the nation's ocean beaches. However, the public cannot, in fact, use many of these beaches because there is no legal access to them. As the coast develops, more and more areas become closed to the public. The states are now being encouraged to plan for access to the beaches; there are a number of tools and techniques at their disposal.     

基于区位熵理论的江苏船舶产业优势分析

造船业作为江苏省的优势产业,成为经济增长的一个新亮点。大力培育和提升造船优势,不但可以迅速抢占市场,而且能够进一步带动本地区及周边地区的制造业发展,使“长三角”地区成为新的国际制造业中心。面对国际金融危机,明确江苏船舶产业的优势,对加速江苏船舶产业的发展,提升竞争力具有重大意义。     

On the evaluation of a public transportation network quality: Criteria validation methodology

A public transportation network serves in adequate way a population if it evolves in time following the existent social reality. Changes made in order to improve service must be analyzed and evaluated. The introduction of modern technology to validate the fare card allowed a quick access to important, although incomplete, data. Databases with only the getting in validation information can be used to construct an origin–destination (OD) matrix, allowing a service quality analysis. Here it is presented a basic methodology to rigorously validate service quality criteria considering what might be interesting for the user. The quality analysis philosophy is the following. First, based on automatically gathered data, one reconstructs the origin–destination (OD) matrix, which contains information concerning the number of passengers traveling between zones of a certain region. The OD matrix is used to calculate some criteria characterizing the transportation network quality, such as traveling times, waiting times at a stop or transport occupation. The reconstructed OD matrix always contains errors, which cause errors in the criteria values. How significant are these errors? This question can be answered using our criteria validating methodology, which is based on statistical analysis. It has been implemented at the urban bus transport system of Porto, STCP, allowing the evaluation of the transportation network quality under a number of criteria and guaranteeing rigorous results.     

构建和谐社会,海洋和航运如何发展--政协委员纵论海洋和航运发展方略

3月初的北京,乍暖还寒。全国政协十届三次会议3月3日的开幕拉开了一年一度的中国“两会”序幕。早在“两会”前夕,构建和谐社会的强风就吹遍了大江南北。“和谐社会”成为了本届“两会”的亮点之一。经济社会协调发展,人与自然协调共处,最终实现经济、社会和人的全面发展,是我们建设和谐社会的目标,也是百姓所愿,人心所向,但“知易行难”,落到实处,定非易事,这关涉到诸多方面。　在构建和谐社会的过程中,海洋和航运的发展当如何落实科学发展观?“两会”期间,本刊记者走近全国海洋和海事界政协委员,倾听他们的建言。     

Strategic alliances in the container shipping industry: a global perspective

This paper examines developments in container shipping in light of the formation of strategic alliances by many of the leading companies. It focuses on three features: the transformation of services, the evolution of the fleet, and the adjustments made to the ports of call. These elements are analysed on a global basis for 3 years: 1989, 1994 and 1999. Some of the changes wrought by the alliances are identified, including the spread and intensification of services, and the deployment of the largest vessels on alliance routes. While the individual companies that have come together in alliances are serving many more ports than before, it is also demonstrated that the total number of ports served by the industry has remained constant. The results are interpreted in the context of globalization that is tending to impose greater standardization on the container shipping industry.     

Gaussian anamorphosis extension of the DEnKF for combined state parameter estimation: Application to a 1D ocean ecosystem model

We consider the problem of combined state-parameter estimations in biased nonlinear models with non-Gaussian extensions of the Deterministic Ensemble Kalman Filter (DEnKF). We focus on the particular framework of ocean ecosystem models. Such models present important obstacles to the use of data assimilation methods based on Kalman filtering due to the non-linearity of the models, the constraints of positiveness that apply to the variables and parameters, and the non-Gaussian distribution of the variables in which they result.We present extensions of the DEnKF dealing with these difficulties by introducing a nonlinear change of variables (anamorphosis function) in order to execute the analysis step with Gaussian transformed variables and parameters. Several strategies to build the anamorphosis functions are investigated and compared within the framework of twin experiments realized in a simple 1D ocean ecosystem model. A solution to the problem of the specification of the observation error for transformed observations is suggested. The study highlights the inability of the plain DEnKF with a simple post-processing of the negative values to properly estimate parameters when constraints of positiveness apply to the variables. It goes on to show that the introduction of the Gaussian anamorphosis can remedy these assimilation biases.     

Strategic alliances in the container shipping industry: a global perspective

This paper examines developments in container shipping in light of the formation of strategic alliances by many of the leading companies. It focuses on three features: the transformation of services, the evolution of the fleet, and the adjustments made to the ports of call. These elements are analysed on a global basis for 3 years: 1989, 1994 and 1999. Some of the changes wrought by the alliances are identified, including the spread and intensification of services, and the deployment of the largest vessels on alliance routes. While the individual companies that have come together in alliances are serving many more ports than before, it is also demonstrated that the total number of ports served by the industry has remained constant. The results are interpreted in the context of globalization that is tending to impose greater standardization on the container shipping industry.     

A human factors systems approach to examining oil spills in tankbarge operations: analysis and reappraisal of management policies

An important problem in the US maritime industry is the large number of oil spills that occur as a result of oil transfer operations involving tankbarges. Recently, the US Coast Guard initiated a new programme entitled Prevention Through People that represents a concerted effort towards preventing human errors leading to casualities and oil spills. The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to explore tankbarge oil transfer operations from the standpoint of regulatory, management, and operational perspectives in order to determine the likelihood that this new initiative will indeed result in a better understanding of the causal basis for human error in these operations and, more generally, in the maritime industry. The results of this novel study are discussed and summarized in terms of four broad classes of recommendations.     

Crew resource management training in the maritime industry: a literature review

The study is based on a literature review of recent empirical research on crew resource management (CRM) training in the maritime industry, organised around what non-technical skills to learn and how. The review indicates that existing work is dominated by individualistic theories of learning with less focus on learning as a social process. Five main categories of skills that need to be trained are identified: assertiveness, decision-making, communication, situation awareness and team coordination. We argue that it is necessary to operationalise these broad concepts further, emphasising the work context and crew-specific needs. The review also shows that a combination of classroom lectures and simulator-based exercises is commonly used in maritime education and training in these skills. The learning effect seems to be suffering from training programmes that are exported ‘as is’ from aviation and not adjusted to the maritime domain or to operation-specific needs. This paper examines maritime crew resource management training from a social learning perspective, involving the view that learning is a context bound, social process that might take place in communities of practice (CoP). A CoP is a group (e.g. a crew) wherein members share an activity and learn from each other. It is argued that CRM training programmes will benefit from including a social learning perspective. Factors that enable the assessment of teams are discussed, and it is argued that the training should be tailored to existing crews, emphasising a learning environment as close to reality as possible.