A methodological approach for environmental characterization of ports

This paper introduces a methodology for the characterization of ports, employing specifically defined eco-efficiency indicators and combining typically available data (handled cargo, containers and passengers) with ship exhaust pollutants values (mainly NO_x, SO_x and PM) and anticipated external costs (ECs) due to emitted air pollutants to provide a collective overview of all port-related economic and environmental activities. The results from an applied case study allow a comparative evaluation of 16 selected ports based on 17 different evaluation criteria and denote that the employment of such an overall approach can allow port authorities to improve managerial aspects, potentially lower operational costs and promote reduced environmental effects.     

港口装卸设备远程监控系统

港口装卸设备日益大型化、高速化、自动化.如何能高效快捷地监控港口装卸设备的运行装态,对提高装卸效率、提高码头吞吐量至关重要.文章介绍基于Web的B/S模式的港口设备远程监控系统,具有简单、高效、跨平台等优点;可进行实时监测和控制,实现由上而下的集中管理、分散控制;特别是能够通过互联网络实现远程的监测.对港口企业远程监控系统的建设具有一定的参考作用.     

Green port project scheduling with comprehensive efficiency consideration

ABSTRACT

Ports are an important driving force for world economic growth, but they consume considerable energy. The marine sector has proposed the development of green ports to achieve low-carbon sustainable development. This paper presents a green project scheduling model of port construction to optimize comprehensive economic and environmental efficiency. Various realistic constraints are considered, including investment scale, energy savings, emissions reduction, and project priority. Comprehensive efficiency involves cost reduction, energy savings, emissions reduction, and other efficiency goals. The problem is formulated as an integer program and is solved using CPLEX in a general algebraic modeling system (GAMS). We use a representative port in China as a case port in solving its green project scheduling. The results show that the port can save 6,527 tons of standard coal, reduce 40,875 tons of CO₂, and save 49 million yuan per year in the five-year implementation period. The payback in investing in these green projects is less than six years. From an economic and environmental perspective, the comprehensive efficiency achieved is significant.     

The size effect of a port on the container handling efficiency level and market share in internation transshipment flow

This study examines the relationship between the size of a port, its efficiency increase and the performance growth in the transshipment market. The hypothesis tested is that the bigger size of a port would increase the market share of the port in container transshipment; only when the size effect guarantees better ‘relative’ container handling efficiency in competing port system where the port belongs. To verify the hypothesis, this study carries out two analyses. First, the overall efficiency change of major Asian ports is examined through stochastic frontier analysis (SFA)—this produces the relative efficiency indices of the ports. Second, the relationship between efficiency indices and container transshipment volumes is studied through panel data analysis. From these analyses, it is observed that larger Asian ports show better cargo handling efficiency in relative terms; they also record bigger market share in container transshipment, while the size effect of the ports starts to play a factor when the annual container throughput reaches 5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU).     

长江南京以下沿江港口对12.5m深水航道的效益响应

将长江南京以下9个规模以上沿江港口作为12. 5 m深水航道的受益对象,利用2009—2017年港口吞吐量资料分析评价12. 5 m深水航道开通对长江南京以下沿线港口的影响及实际效益。结果表明,12. 5 m深水航道开通以来沿江港口货物总吞吐量整体呈平稳增长态势,2016年初通至南京后,货物总吞吐量年增长率达到8%; 2017年南京以下主要港口完成的货物总吞吐量(24. 25亿t)是2009年深水航道开通前的1. 8倍;深水航道开通后集装箱吞吐量涨幅最明显,散杂货吞吐量占比则较开通前略有下降; 12. 5 m深水航道开通8年来,南京以下沿江港口经济效益整体呈平稳增长态势,2017年产生的港口经济效益(13. 4亿元)比2010年增长近60%。未来随着航道、船舶以及沿江港口码头等条件的持续改善,12. 5 m深水航道的综合效益还将进一步凸显。     

Does ISO 9000 series certification matter for the financial performance of ports? Some preliminary findings from Europe

This article investigates the role of ISO 9000 certification on the financial performance of the port authorities. The financial and scale efficiency of 18 European port authorities, some certified and some not, have been reviewed and results derived using data envelopment analysis. The inputs and outputs used in the analysis were selected following the literature and after employing regression analysis on the whole data set and the results reveal that ISO certified ports are more efficient financially than their non-certified competitors. By further using the efficiency slacks from the frontier, an indicative estimation of the magnitude of this inefficiency has been also calculated. The method followed may provide the impetus for a research agenda aiming explicitly on the exact contribution of certification on the financial ‘below the line’ results of the companies.     

Impact of politics,economic events and port policies on the evolution of maritime traffic in Chinese ports

The Chinese government has been exploring various paths to find a direction that better suits China’s national conditions during the past 60 years. Meanwhile, a series of political and economic events and policy transformations have had different effects on the port industry. This article attempts to ascertain how these events and port policies have influenced Chinese port traffic through an empirical study on data covering 1952–2009. The findings suggest that foreign trade has been the prime driver of the throughput of Chinese ports. The increase in the ports’ throughput has enabled an increase in domestic demand and the urgent need for further port investment. Chinese port throughput has been subject to multiple shocks. The Great Leap Forward¹ is found to have had the largest, but only a short-term impact. China’s accession to the World Trade Organization, however, led to a longer and exclusive effect on ports, with little observed effect on the other variables. The reform of port governance is shown to have had a more lasting positive effect on port throughput than physical investment. However, these latter effects are minor, the economic and political factors remain the primary driving factors of port throughput.     

The relations between dry port characteristics and regional port-hinterland settings: findings for a global sample of dry ports

This paper aims at defining generic characteristics of dry ports by carrying out an analysis using a large sample of dry ports from around the world. The dataset includes details on 107 inland terminals worldwide. All dry ports in the database have been selected from studies in the extant literature before being shortlisted to fit our research scope. Data collected include terminologies used, actors driving the development, terminal throughput, total area, services provided and the relation with the corresponding seaport(s). Using statistical analysis, the paper examines how dry port parameters are influenced by (1) a different terminal set up, like sea-driven and land-driven development, developed and developing system, dry port functions; (2) specifications of the seaport with which the dry port is connected, i.e. seaport traffic, connectivity, utilization, etc. and (3) the transport leg linking dry ports and seaports. The findings could be applied to the planning and development of inland nodes from the perspectives of different stakeholders.     

全国沿海港口码头综合通过能力核查成果分析与探讨

介绍2010年全国沿海港口码头综合通过能力和“十一五”期间集装箱、煤炭、原油、矿石等专业化码头泊位建成投产情况,分析我国沿海港口发展和建设存在的主要问题。结合最新发展规划,预测未来年度港口货物吞吐量,并对港口发展和建设提出意见与建议。     

长三角港口经济运行情况及2010年形势分析

国际金融危机对长三角地区港口（简称长三角港口）和航运业发展的冲击相当严重,上海国际航运中心建设面临了严峻挑战和考验。两省一市相关港航管理部门和企业积极应对,危中求机,逐步扭转了港航生产持续下滑的态势,率先实现企稳回升,全年长三角港口经济运行总体上好于预期,     

Manoeuvring and hotelling external costs: enough for alternative energy sources?

Local air pollution is the most relevant externality of maritime transport, and its effects are more acute in urban areas as a result of manoeuvring, hotelling and load/unload activities at ports. This article is intended to assess ships’ local air pollution impact in generally densely populated harbour areas to decide whether alternative power supply measures are feasible. First, an optimized infrastructure investment model is developed to ease implementation and maximize the efficiency of alternative power supply projects. Once target harbours and traffic (ship types) within a national port network have been chosen, a vessel traffic analysis (ship type, tonnage, manoeuvring, and hotelling times) is carried out to quantify and evaluate annual polluting emissions (PM_2,5, SO₂, NOx, and VOCs) and their externalities. Finally, the assessment model is applied and results of the Spanish port network case study are discussed. The results obtained are significant and bring the possibility of further controlling the ship’s environmental performance at berth.     

Competitiveness between short sea shipping and road freight transport in mainland port connections; the case of two Greek ports

While road freight transport is essential to any modern economy, short sea shipping (SSS) offers a competitive alternative mode of freight transport in terms of private and social costs, when applied in the connection of mainland ports. This mainly stems from the fact that within the context of the latter costs, accidents and environmental impacts in many road links constitute undesirable externalities with which road freight transport is heavily burdened. This paper compares the aforementioned economics of road and sea transport with reference to the connection of the port of Patra (the main western freight gate of Greece) with West Attica (the biggest Greek industrial centre), aiming at providing a viable solution towards the promotion of SSS in the transport chain between mainland ports.     

基于位序-规模法则的区域港口群发展演化规律

为合理利用港口资源、减少恶意竞争,提出基于位序-规模法则的港口群发展演化规律研究方法。以吞吐量为衡量港口规模的指标,以变异系数、基尼系数等指数研究区域港口群规模差异,以首位度指数判断区域港口群是否服从位序-规模分布,进而基于位序-规模理论研究区域港口群规模分布,定量分析区域港口群发展演化规律。实例分析以欧盟港口群为研究对象,结果表明:欧盟港口群规模差异较大,不均衡程度会逐年增大;欧盟港口群符合位序-规模法则,随着港口位序由高到低,吞吐量增长率会随之减小。     

Environmental reform of West and Central Africa ports: the influence of colonial legacies

West and Central Africa ports have historically not paid much attention to environmental issues. In the past decade, however, environmental concerns are beginning to emerge with pockets of innovative responses to environmental risks as the ports undergo institutional and infrastructural reform – most notably, with concessions to multinational terminal operators. In this article, environmental management processes in the ports of Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Douala (Cameroon), Lagos (Nigeria) and Tema (Ghana) are compared. Three aspects of ecological modernization theory: changing role of the state, growing involvement of economic actors and economic incentives, and shifting roles for civil society organizations are focused on to analyse the dynamics of their environmental reform. Findings suggest that globalization processes are a common major trigger in enhancing a gradual but still fragmented and limited process of environmental reform in West and Central Africa ports, but paces and pathways of the reform are influenced by national politico-administrative arrangements rooted in colonial legacies. Consequently, understanding and advancing environmental reform processes of West and Central Africa ports requires following trends and significant developments but also taking into account national historical trajectories.     

港口货物吞吐量预测方法探讨

对常用的港口货物吞吐量预测方法进行了系统分析,并以重庆涪陵港为例,综合运用回归分析法、平均增长率法、弹性系数法、产销平衡法等定量预测方法和专家预测法等定性预测方法进行吞吐量预测,经与相关资料比较,表明其预测结果是合理的,同时本文采用的预测方法也可为其它港口的货物吞吐量预测提供参考。     

Which terminals should expand investment: a perspective of internal non-cooperative competition in a port?

ABSTRACT

With the increasing container cargo throughput and the arising of port congestion, container ports start to choose the investment expansion strategy to increase the port efficiency and then to figure out the problem of port congestion. To analyze this strategy, we formulate a non-cooperative game model for a two-terminals-one-port system, and derive the optimal equilibrium outcomes of the investment expansion strategy and investment constant strategy. In the game, we find that when the investment parameter of expansion strategy and impact of handling efficiency on demand changes, both pure-strategy Nash equilibrium and mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium exist, and two terminals are more likely to choose the investment expansion strategy in most cases. Numerical simulation is applied to explore the equilibrium strategy under different circumstance.     

Book reviews

We show in this paper that the throughput data for the top 300 container ports reported each year by the various authorities follows a simple truncated lognormal distribution. This surprising phenomenon repeats itself every year from 1982 to 2006, despite many tumultuous changes in the container shipping world. The empirical data suggests that Gibrat's Law of proportionate growth indeed holds for the world container throughput data. Unfortunately, the classical stochastic growth model and other variants often used to explain the origin of this law appears to be too simplistic for the container terminal industry. We use instead the perspective that the container terminal throughput data are essentially an aggregate measure of the number of visitations as each container circulates on the world shipping network, and use this to propose a Markov chain based container circulation model to explain the origin of this phenomenon. Simulation results show that our network-based model is able to replicate the behavior of the empirical data to a reasonable degree of accuracy, and does not contradict the law of proportionate growth. More importantly, this model is able to replicate the relationship between the degree of connectivity of a port (i.e. number of linkages with other ports) and its association with the container throughput data, an empirical regularity which could not be explained using classical approaches.     

Competition for transhipment containers by major ports in Southeast Asia: slot capacity analysis

Container ports in Southeast Asia accounted for an estimated 30.0% of the world's transhipment traffic in 2004. The share of the region's transhipment trade was forecasted to increase to 32.5% in 2015. The potential offered by this large and expanding market encouraged major container terminal operators located in Port Klang, Singapore and Tanjung Pelepas to compete intensively for this business by attracting major container shipping lines that operated along key east-west sailing routes to hub at their terminals.

This paper analyses the annual slot capacity connected to the three selected ports that was deployed by all the container shipping lines in 1999-2004. The data are computed and categorized based on shipping trade routes. The study aims to shed light on port competition in Southeast Asia for transhipment containers by an in-depth and quantitative analysis.

The analysis finds that competition from Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas had a negative impact on Singapore's transhipment performance. Although Singapore continued to enjoy a dominant position as the premier transhipment hub in the region in terms of market share by both transhipment throughput and annualized slot capacity, the evidence suggested that its hold on the market appeared to be slipping, albeit gradually. Overall, Tanjung Pelepas is expected to pose the strongest challenge to Singapore's transhipment hub ambitions. Managerial implications for the ports are drawn.     

基于聚类的港口吞吐量预测方法及其适用性分析

在统计分析历史数据的基础上,选取港口吞吐量、GDP值等指标,采用SPSS统计分析软件中的层次聚类分析法,将我国具有代表性的港口按照吞吐量增长规律分成平稳增长型、加速增长型和波动增长型3类。然后选择时间序列法、回归分析法、灰色模型理论和神经网络模型法,对不同类型的港口吞吐量预测的适用性进行了理论分析。最后以上海港和镇江港为实例进行计算,并对不同预测方法的适用性进行了验证。     

Book reviews

Innovation, organizational capabilities, and environmental values combine to determine institutional change for a major marine port. This conceptual framework is applied to the case of dredged material management for the Port of New York and New Jersey. During the century under review, the institutional setting has changed significantly with: (1) environmental considerations moving from nearly irrelevant to central: (2) the number of interests and organizations increasing; and (3) the decision processes becoming far more complex. Ultimately, the new institutional setting influences organizations and individual decisions. As a result of the changes, the practice of dredged material disposal in ocean waters has been limited based on the level of bioaccumulation of selected contaminants. In response to institutional changes, ports requiring deepened channels must rapidly innovate to meet new environmental obligations for material disposal in order to enhance organizational capabilities necessary to maintain competitive advantages in maritime commerce. Successful marine ports will anticipate and meet new societal expectations related to the environment as a condition for continued legitimacy. Collectively these changes imply that ports have moved beyond a carefully circumscribed mission of transportation and economic development to that of a prominent user of coastal space with broad obligations to the public.