Operating differential subsidies: problems and alternatives for the United States

In this paper a proposal for a Competitive Rate of Return (CRR) based operating-subsidy system is made as an alternative to the existing US foreign-cost parity ODS system. Such an alternative, if adopted, could be successful in meaningfully relating US government maritime subsidy programmes to the legitimate financial needs of the industry. From the operator's viewpoint, the risk of drastic revenue fluctuations is removed, yet adequate opportunities are provided for firms with above average performance to be rewarded for their efficiency in higher than average profits. similarly, poorly run firms have an opportunity to lose money, in spite of government subsidies.

From the government's viewpoint, the CRR programme guarantees the provision of essential shipping services at the lowest possible cost. Because of substantial incentives to the operator on both the revenue and cost side of his profit equation, it is more likely that long-run government operating subsidies can be reduced under CRR than under the present system.

Although the CRR system has been described for use in determining subsidies for both bulk and general cargo carriers, it has been recommended that this system be considered first for implementation in the case of bulk vessels, because of the newness of the bulk subsidy programme. In addition, the 1970 Act gives MarAd the flexibility to initiate such a programme for bulk vessels without the necessity of new legislation.     

Analyzing road safety in the United States

This paper reviews road safety performance in the United States. The paper develops a framework for assessing dimensions of road safety, and analyzes the importance of economic factors, travel patterns, demographics, road/traffic/vehicle technology, driver behavior, and public policy. Issues and challenges for future road safety research are discussed.     

Management of corals and coral ecosystems in the United States

Abstract

Corals and coral communities provide substantial societal benefits by virtue of their recreational and esthetic appeal, the habitat provided for commercially harvested fish and shellfish, the structural foundation provided for productive coastal ecosystems, and the market value of harvested coral specimens. Coral resources are subject to adverse effects from pollution, dredging, specimen collecting, anchor damage, commercial fishing, overharvesting, and activities related to offshore petroleum development. Management programs which protect coral resources in the United States comprise a patchwork of separate federal and state programs. They attempt to adapt broad regulatory authorities for parks, fisheries, offshore mineral resources, and other subjects for the purpose of coral conservation. These programs embody species‐specific, area‐specific, and generic approaches to coral management. This paper traces the evolution of U.S. coral management programs and comments on their respective strengths and weaknesses. Alternative approaches for strengthening management systems could include new coordinating committees, legislation, memoranda of agreement between involved agencies, and others.     

Dredging, environmental issues and port experience in the United States

This article discusses the regulatory and operational issues which have recently confronted a number of U.S. ports as a result of their dredging programmers. It describes the environmental concerns which have led community groups to raise legal objections to the traditional practice of ocean dumping of dredged material, the federal/state regulatory framework within which these objections have been considered and recent legislative changes to that framework. The paper describes in some detail the specific case of the Port of New York and New Jersey, which has experienced severe delays in its dredging programme since 1992 (and a resulting loss of business) as well mounting costs for dredged material disposal. The paper concludes that, complicated as the technical problems involving dredged material disposal may be, it is the political and economic issues involved which are likely to be decisive in the eventual outcomes for affected ports.     

走向波澜壮阔的太平洋航运时代——中美实现通航30年回眸与展望

时光飞逝30年,太平洋奔腾不息的波涛依旧传递着中美两国贸易往来的巨量物流,即使遭遇百年罕见的金融危机,并引发咄咄逼人的经济衰退,2008年,中美双边贸易总额仍然以10．5％的增长,达到了3337．4亿美元,美国由此连续成为中国第二大贸易伙伴。     

The national role in world port development: United States and Western Europe

This paper gives a review of port policies of Western European countries and of the USA, and contrasts the roles of the ports of individual countries. Following a discussion on the assessment of port performance, the paper concludes with remarks on principles of port policy and the implications of Western European policies on US port policy.     

Public transport policy in Canada and the United States: Developing political commitment from the federal government

The United States federal government has been involved in public transport funding for over 40 years, whereas in Canada the federal government has little history of urban public transport policy. In that context, over the past 10 years, Canada has made significant progress in developing new federal commitments for public transport. Critical as these developments have been, however, they do not represent a true National Transit Strategy, which needs to be permanent, predictable and comprehensive. This claim is supported by economic analysis which suggests that Canadian government investment in transit is significantly below the optimal level.     

Underwater Cultural Heritage Policies of the United States Coastal Zone

Domestic management of historic shipwrecks and other Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) resources located in the United States coastal zone is extensively fragmented and a portion of it has significant implications in terms of international law. In the United States coastal zone, UCH (largely historic shipwrecks) falls under one of three general regimes, depending on where the resource is located and subject to specific and individual requirements: the General Maritime Law, the Abandoned Shipwreck Act, and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, also known as the Marine Sanctuaries Act. After examining the development of and current status of these regimes, this article will suggest policies for a stronger, more coordinated federal management regime in United States coastal waters. It will specifically argue that a recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit provides a well-designed paradigm that could be linked with pertinent aspects of the three identified regimes to create a unified coastal governance mechanism for sunken historic shipwrecks.     

Inter-firm relationships and shipping services: the case of car carriers and automobile importers to the United States

This paper is an initial exploration of inter-industry relationships and linkages in the context of automobile imports to the United States. It is our contention that the nature and structure of the engagement between automobile importers and shipping lines is central to understanding the evolution of the car carrier trade. Building on the literature on transactions costs, and supply and value chains, we show that the regimes currently governing car carriage services range from markets to vertical integration via network forms of engagement. We illustrate this through a detailed discussion of Japanese inter-firm networks and an examination of automobile import data to the US from 1980 to 2000. The findings raise important questions for future research on the impact of inter-industry relationships in various strategic decisions of steamship lines, shippers and port authorities including port entry, port choice and routeing, technological and investment choices, and trajectories of supply chain development.     

Military contracts to water transportation services in the United States

Long excluded from academic analysis, military expenditures on water transportation are a significant aspect of the industry, especially given the rapid increases in the U.S. military budget in the 1980s. This paper begins with an overview of military relations with the water transporation industry; next, it proceeds to a survey of the spatial dimensions of prime contracts awarded to water transporation and dredging firms in the U.S. Thirdly, it explores their economic impacts on teh U.S. economy using input-output analysis.     

The political economy of ports in the United States and Great Britain

Abstract

This is an exploration of the political economy of ports in the United States and Great Britain. A number of technical, economic, and political issues concerning ports are examined. Particular attention is paid to the institutional evolution of ports from private to public ownership, and its consequences for port efficiency. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations designed to reverse the trend toward port nationalization in both countries.     

The Effectiveness of Coastal Zone Management in the United States

The Coastal Zone Management Effectiveness Study was undertaken between 1995 and 1997 to determine how well state coastal management programs in the United States were implementing five of the core objectives of the U.S. Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). The five core objectives studied were: (1) protection of estuaries and coastal wetlands; (2) protection of beaches, dunes, bluffs and rocky shores; (3) provision of public access to the shore; (4) revitalization of urban waterfronts; and (5) accommodation of seaport development (as an illustration of the policy to give priority to coastal-dependent uses). Separate articles in this issue of Coastal Management report the findings of the five studies, each dealing with one of the core objectives. Each of the articles assesses issue importance, processes and tools used, and the limited outcome data available for that objective. This article provides an overview of the purposes of the study, the methodology used, the summary findings of each study, and overall conclusions and recommendations of the study team. State coastal programs are found to be effective in addressing the five CZMA objectives examined, but this conclusion is based on very limited information about program outcomes. A more definitive conclusion will require better outcome information. Coastal managers in the United States have not agreed upon indicators of success, which severely inhibits systematic and sustained collection of outcome information. A national outcome monitoring and performance evaluation system is recommended to address these deficiencies and allow better determinations of program effectiveness in the future.     

Comment Some reflections on port competition in the United States and western Europe

'Port competition' is a rather puzzling expression. This paper approaches it literally, searching for precise meanings. In seaports that contain complex and changeable mixtures of public and private enterprise, who competes and why? The answers to these questions are not conclusive but suggestive indications are found in the US, UK and northwestern Europe. Finally, we discuss what seem to be the key influential factors which may impact on the competitiveness of a port.     

Comparing the fatality risks in United States transportation across modes and over time

This paper analyzes the transportation fatality risk in the United States. The analysis is in two parts. The first part compares the relative risks of the different modes based on data for the decade from 2000 to 2009. The second part is a time-series analysis for each mode using annual data from 1975 to 2010. By almost any measure, transportation is considerably safer now than it was in the mid 1970s. The improvement is especially noticeable for commercial modes such as aviation, railroads and maritime. Even the risks from private highway driving have halved during the past thirty-five years.     

Coastal energy impact mitigation in the Gulf: The past reviewed and alternatives for the future

Abstract

With the future of the Coastal Energy Impact Program (CEIP) in question and with oil and gas leasing and drilling activities in the Gulf of Mexico expected to increase, the question arises as to how energy impacts are to be mitigated. It is concluded that CEIP has helped to mitigate coastal energy impacts. If it is left unfunded, an alternative would be to provide Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) royalties to states to be used for impact prevention and mitigation.     

漏油致海洋污染的防范与治理对策——以美国环境执法为视角

船舶泄漏石油导致海洋环境遭受破坏必须受到法律的制裁。从经济学成本与收益理论的角度判断,对漏油致海污染事故而言事前防范比事后治理更能节省成本。美国的经验具有一定的借鉴意义。我国应当在相关立法中重点细化政府执法部门与公众参与海洋环境保护的法定方式与渠道,为构建"和谐海洋"创造法制基础。     

Comparison of trends in tributyltin concentrations among three monitoring programs in the United States

The results of three national monitoring programs in the United States (U.S.) that measure concentrations of tributyltin (TBT) are compared. Regional and site comparisons are made of changes in TBT concentrations since passage of the Organotin Antifouling Paint Control Act (OAPCA) in 1988. The monitoring programs compared are the U.S. LongTerm Monitoring Program conducted by a consortium of tributyltin manufacturers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Status and Trends Mussel Watch project, and the U.S. Navy's TBT monitoring program. All of the monitoring results demonstrate declining TBT concentrations over time. These declines have occurred rapidly (within a few years) and are considerable (56%–71% decrease in TBT concentrations in water, 47%–55% decrease in sediments, and 40%–82% decrease in bivalve tissues). Mean TBT concentrations in water are generally below the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency marine chronic water quality criterion of 10ng/L. These results indicate that the OAPCA has been effective in reducing TBT concentrations in the aquatic environment.     

美国的危险品运输安全监管模式值得借鉴

美国的海运、陆运及空运的基础设施是世界上最发达的,作为世界第一大经济体,其货物运输量,无论是国内的运输,还是进出口货物运输,都是世界上最繁忙的。大量的货物运输中,自然有相当数量属于危险货物。     

Response of coastal zone management programs to sea level rise in the United States

Abstract

State coastal zone management programs are responding to the potential impacts of accelerated sea level rise through a wide range of activities and policies. This article provides a brief overview of the Coastal Zone Management Act and other federal laws that provide the basis for coastal state regulatory activities. It surveys the level of response to sea level rise by state coastal management programs in 24 marines coastal states, from formal recognition to implementation of policies addressing the issue. Individual state CZMP responses and policies that have been implemented or proposed are categorized. The adaptation of sea level rise to ongoing institutional objectives is discussed and policy constraints and trends are summarized.     

Impact of container chassis management practices in the United States on terminal operational efficiency: An operations and mitigation policy analysis

Existing policies designed to mitigate the environmental and social impacts of truck queuing at maritime terminals often focus on congestion problems outside of the terminal gate, targeting a reduction in the waiting and turn time of trucks as the measure of success. This paper evaluates the impact that intra-terminal truck and equipment movements have on the terminal’s overall performance and the implications that these movements have on the effectiveness of current mitigation policies. Through a simulation of terminal processes occurring at Southern California ports it is shown that measures driving reductions in truck turn times impose greater operational loads on terminal equipment, essentially transferring savings in truck turn time rather than eliminating it in terms of the overall system. Consequently, the paper finds that total truck and cargo handling equipment movement and operational time constitutes a more accurate measure of the effectiveness of policies seeking to mitigate the impacts of truck operations at marine terminals.