Decommissioning forecast in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, 2013–2033

One hundred and ten fixed, tensioned, and moored structures have been installed in the Gulf of Mexico in water depth greater than 400 ft, and through 2012, 15 structures have been decommissioned. Decommissioning is the final stage of an assets life cycle, where all wells are plugged and abandoned, the structure and associated production facilities are removed, and the seafloor cleared of all debris created by the operations. The purpose of this paper is to describe a decommissioning forecast for deepwater structures in the Gulf of Mexico. Three approaches (“simple models”) based on lease status, gross revenue, and production forecasting are applied to infer a short, medium, and long-term decommissioning forecast. Model assumptions are outlined along with a discussion of the limitations and uncertainty of analysis. About two dozen deepwater fixed platforms are expected to be removed over the next decade, but only 5 floaters are expected to be decommissioned through 2032.     

Impact of coastal construction on coral reefs in the U.S.‐affiliated pacific Islands

Abstract

During the past century, traditional ownership, control, and use of coral reef habitats in the U.S.‐affiliated islands in the Pacific have declined, exposing them to increased construction for plantation, transportation, military, urban, aquaculture, fisheries, mineral, and resort development. Dredging, filling, and other construction in coral reef and related ecosystems are expected to continue at high levels. Collectively, these activities have resulted in major adverse ecological impacts, many of which can be avoided or reduced to minor levels. Improvements in the design, siting, and construction of coastal projects can be accomplished by early integration of environmental objectives. Ecological baseline surveys; environmental impact assessments; regulatory conditions; guidelines and standards during construction; monitoring of construction; post‐construction evaluation; and long‐range research, planning, and management are among the most useful of the environmental tools to describe reefs and to identify measures to reduce or avoid adverse impacts on coral reefs.     

A strategic model of public–private partnerships in transportation: Effect of taxes and cost structure on investment viability

We formulate a game-theoretic model of a concession agreement between a government and a private party, a concessionaire, who has to engage a set of service providers as part of the operating responsibilities. We use the model to examine the importance of a government's tax policy to induce private investments in transportation infrastructure. Our analysis brings to fore insights that are useful in the design of partnership agreements, such as the importance of early and binding government commitments to ensure stable partnerships, and thus, successful projects. Our analysis shows that these strong commitments are even more critical in situations where the success of the partnership requires participation of additional, self-interested parties, such as specialized service providers. Finally, we consider variations of the model where government preferences are explicitly captured, and where the returns from the fixed cost portion of the concessionaire's investment are exempt from taxes. We show that both variations can lead to outcomes where the concessionaire's tax burden is shifted to the service providers. This flexibility can be critical in the design of partnership agreements for (high-risk or highly specialized transportation) projects where additional incentives may be needed to induce private party participation.     

Missing the tide? Workplace cultural differences as a barrier to seafarer mobility in the U.S. workboat and sail training sectors

ABSTRACT

While previous research details the psychological and social benefits of sail training programs for amateur ‘trainees,’ much less is known about the value and transferability of sail training work experience in terms of professional development for seafaring careers. This article reviews the current state of scientific knowledge on sail training and presents the findings of a qualitative study of maritime recruiter perceptions at 10 U.S. flag workboat companies. Results suggest that the maritime industry may benefit from an improved understanding of the role that sail training programs and the sail training community can play in training and inspiring the next generation of motivated and professional seafarers. Workboat recruiters see positive and negative aspects of sail training experience and perceive cultural divides within the maritime industry that may affect a seafarers’ job mobility, whether or not such divides actually exist.     

Intermodal land transportation systems and port choice,an analysis of stated choices among shippers in the Rhine–Scheldt delta

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the research concentrates on the intermodal land transportation systems which link Antwerp and Rotterdam with a shared hinterland in the long and medium distance range. It uses a choice-based experiment which has been calibrated on the basis of real case studies to understand shipper’s choices between end-to-end chains. The stated choices reveal shippers’ preferences when needing to choose between two logistic pathways, which employ a similar multimodal composition of transport modes to bring the container from door-to-door, but which route the container differently through alternative maritime gateways. The study therefore touches upon the topic of port competition applying a value-driven supply chain approach. Despite narrow differences on the main performance criteria of the door-to-door chains, the empirical analysis proves that shippers are not loyal to one of the ports, but give preference to the lowest cost solution. Enhancing the frequency levels of the inland transportation solution is only at the benefit of the more costly chain. The findings reiterate the importance of intermodal land transport systems in the competition between load centres.     

Strengthening Cooperation Between Hong Kong and the Inland Areas in Communications,Mobilizing Hong Kong′s Functions as an International Shipping Center ——Press Interview With Mr.Huang Zhendong,Minister of Communications

<正>Now is a moment of nationwide joy and jubilanceas the date of Hong Kong’s returning to Chinesesovereignty draws nearer and nearer.On the afternoonof June 12,Mr.Huang Zhendong,Minister of Com-munications,in an interview with reporters,talked onseveral issues that are of great interest to the readingpublic,namely,how the inland areas and Hong Kongcan further strengthen their cooperation in the commu-nications sector and how the functions of Hong Kong asan international shipping center can be fully mobilizedafter Hong Kong comes back to her motherland.