Market structures in coastal shipping: what to expect in Canada following the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement with the European Union?

After several years of negotiation between Canada and the European Union, the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) was ratified in early 2017. The regime set out by the Canadian Coasting Trade Act that reserves shipments of cargo between Canadian ports to Canadian vessels remains mostly untouched under CETA. Minor, yet potentially significant, changes to the regime are introduced by the trade agreement. Provisions are made to liberalize the repositioning of empty containers within Canada. The liberalization of public markets now allows European firms to compete in the Canadian dredging market. Finally, EU vessels can undertake some transshipment activity in Canada but this is limited to international cargo on the specific Montreal-Halifax route. The paper attempts to highlight some possible CETA’s consequences for domestic Canadian shipping markets. It uses industrial economics analytical tools drawn from a Structure-Conduct-Performance (SCP) paradigm. From a literature review, it reconstructs different cases of deregulation that occurred internationally. The observed transformations are then characterized in terms of the SCP model. The paper identifies some common impacts which occurred in different transportation industries after a deregulation process. Using these findings, it concludes by discussing potential impacts for domestic shipping markets in Canada.     

Assessing a maritime service website prototype in a ship bridge simulator: navigators’ experiences and perceptions of novel e-Navigation solutions

The aim of this study was to assess proof of concept and usability of a maritime service website prototype in a full-mission ship bridge simulator through Swedish mariners’ experiences and perceptions. This test was part of the European Commission’s EfficienSea2 project for e-navigation. The prototype was intended as an aid to existing standard systems and methodologies for planning, executing and monitoring voyages. The study began with 5 days of simulator trials focused on today’s standard practices. This served as a baseline to compare to subsequent 4 days of simulator trials testing the prototype. For data collection, observations, video footage, interviews, and eye tracking were used. Data analysis included breaking apart the qualitative data to capture the perceptions of the participants, and a preliminary analysis of eye-tracking data as a complement. The results suggested that the prototype could be more suitable for a route planning stage, that the participants were familiar with similar existing solutions from other manufacturers, and that the contents of the tool would be most beneficial if integrated within the Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS). There is a pressing need for the novel solutions to be user needs-driven, integrated with the existing technologies, and standardized across the domain, and these processes must go hand-in-hand with accounting for all involved stakeholders, procedures, regulations, and training, as this will alter the course of shipping.     

Seafarers’ perceptions of competency in risk assessment and management: an empirical study

Past analysis of accident investigations suggest an absence of or inadequate practices of risk assessment and management on board vessels. Although the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) requires that the risk management process must not only be correctly formulated and implemented but also be periodically evaluated in order to verify that these objectives are attained, the correct and effective implementation and application of the process cannot be achieved without active involvement of competent seafarers on board. Due to the limited investigation of seafarers’ competencies in risk management, the reasons for the inadequacies in the process that are leading to accidents were not evident. Hence, using a survey, this paper conducted a pilot study investigating seafarers’ perceptions of competency in the various components of the risk management process conducted on board vessels. The findings of this paper suggest an overall satisfaction with the risk assessment process. However, there is certainly room for improvement as far as seafarers’ performance is concerned. The findings of this paper provided valuable insights into the current training regimes in the area of risk assessment and management paving the way towards enhanced safety procedures on board vessels.     

基于合作教学法的过程性评价实践与反思

基于合作教学法在课堂教学改革中取得实效的背景下,结合教学实践,以英语精读课程为例,探讨过程性评价的实践做法,即明确过程性评价标准并尝试提供一套切实可行的过程性评价考核方式,最终实现课程考核对教学的正反拨作用,并对过程性评价在实践中的局限进行反思。     

西非铝矾土进口海运供应链风险评估

在分析从西非到我国终端客户的铝钒土进口海运供应链(Bauxit Import Maritime Supply Chain,BIMSC)内部和外部影响因素的基础上,采用故障模式与影响分析(Failure Mode and Effects Analysis,FMEA)和模糊贝叶斯网络(Fuzzy Bayesian Network,FBN)相结合的方法,建立BIMSC风险评估方法的概念框架。采用FMEA辨识潜在的失效模式,并剖析失效原因和后果;根据失效模式潜在的因果关系建立贝叶斯网络;利用三角模糊数处理表征风险参数的不确定性,评估BIMSC风险水平,并进行敏感性分析,确定风险因子排序。研究结果表明,港口操作中的违规操作、违规指挥、货物易流态化和安全管理问题是主要的风险因素。     

某空压机共振故障的诊断与处理

船用设备共振状态的判断对故障诊断与处理十分重要。某空压机横向振动剧烈,为判断其是否处于共振状态,文章首先通过敲击法获得强噪声背景下的冲击响应信号,采取分时段频谱分析的方法粗略估计固有频率。然后,分别采用带通滤波和小波降噪的方法处理含噪信号,确定了系统横向一阶和二阶固有频率。其中,二阶固有频率与转频接近,从而导致共振故障。最后,采取更换隔振器的处理措施,系统横向固有频率增大70%,振动降低54.6%。     

考虑高铁客运产品间交叉弹性的动态票价策略

将由特定高铁列车所提供的起讫点间的旅客运输服务定义为单个高铁客运产品。随着高速铁路越来越公交化,同一起讫点间客运产品间的可替代性越来越强,票价的调整有了更精细化的要求。用经济学中的交叉弹性理论描述客运产品间的可替代程度,用指数需求函数描述客运产品的需求与票价的关系,构建并求解高铁动态票价优化模型,对客运产品间不同可替代程度下的最优动态票价策略进行研究。结果显示:高铁客运产品间的可替代性会影响票价策略的选择,且客运产品间可替代程度的增加是否有利于客票收益的提高与可行折扣票价集合的选取有关。     

燃气调压器声发射信号特征与流量关系分析

文中提取燃气调压器声发射信号的标准差、峭度这两个时域特征及重心频率、均方根频率这两个频域特征,分析特征与流量的对应关系,使用相关系数进行评价。基于北京某调压站采集的声发射信号及流量数据,实验结果表明,流量与标准差、峭度、重心频率、均方根频率的相关系数分别为0.8192、0.2889、0.7745、0.641。可见标准差、重心频率及均方根频率与流量相关性较强,峭度与流量相关性较弱。     

考虑洪水漫延过程的地铁车站人员疏散研究

提出一种基于元胞自动机同时分析洪水漫延和人员疏散的新方法,以此研究洪水漫延对行人疏散过程的动态影响.基于元胞自动机原理,利用元胞及其周围相邻元胞上一个时间步长的相关状态变量进行水量转移计算,结合洪水漫延对行人的移动速度和运动方向的影响,建立洪水漫延下人员疏散的分析模型,通过数值仿真研究洪水漫延和人员疏散的动力过程.详细分析不同进水口位置和进水流量对地铁车站应急疏散效率的影响.研究结果表明:有洪水时人员疏散的效率显著低于无洪水的情况;进水流量的增加会导致人员疏散效率降低;进水口位置的不同也会对人员疏散的效率造成很大的影响.