Do mergers and alliances influence European shipping and port competition?

In Europe, ports are confronted with a closer integration in the maritime and shipping industries. The co-operation agreements can take several forms such as alliances and mergers among shipping lines, conferences, involvement of shipping companies in terminal management, and extending interests in inland transport of shipping companies. In this paper we give a brief overview of these different types of agreement and we examine the consequences of this evolution of the market structures in which ports and shipping companies have to operate. More specifically, attention goes to the competitive position of the port in this new environment. It is clear that the role of the port and the port authorities has to be redefined to guarantee that it remains a fully fledged player in this fast evolving integrated market.     

迎接STCW‘95公约的挑战

介绍了英国喀里多尼亚ＭａｃＢｒａｙｎｅ公司驾驶员与轮机员的培训模式,并对其进行了分析。     

Effect of a drag-reducing polymer solution ejection on tip vortex cavitation

Experiments regarding the modification of the foil geometry and/or active or passive mass injection in the vortex core have been performed to investigate the possibility of inhibiting tip vortex cavitation. The ejection at very low flow rates of drag-reducing polymer solutions at the tip of hydrofoils and propeller blades has demonstrated effectiveness as a tip vortex cavitation inhibitor. This paper reports the results obtained with an elliptical hydrofoil, of 8cm maximum chord and 12cm haif-span, operating at Reynolds numbers, of =10⁶, much larger than those previously reported in the literature. Lift coefficients and critical cavitation numbers were determined for a variety of flow and polymer solution ejection conditions. Tangential and axial components of the mean velocity as well as velocity fluctuations along the vortex path were also measured. At 12.5 m/s free stream velocity and a variety of angles of attack, the ejection of a 500 ppm aqueous solution of a drag-reducing polymer at a flow rate of about 5 cm³/s leads to a decrease of up to 30% in the cavitation number. This occurs without modification of the lift coefficient and, hence, of the midspan bound circulation of the foil. Moreover, water injection does not cause any appreciable change in the cavitation numbers. The tangential velocity profiles along the vortex path during polymer ejection indicate that the potential region remains the same, while the viscous core dimension increases, and the maximum tangential velocity decreases substantially as compared to the no ejection or water ejection experiments. Thus, the pressure coefficients at the vortex axis are smaller than for the no ejection or water ejection cases and cause the reduction of the critical cavitation numbers. It is speculated that this inhibition effect is due only to swelling of the polymer solution when exiting the ejection orifice.List of symbols a core radius (distance to the vortex axis for maximum tangential velocity) - C ₁ lift coefficient - c _max maximum chord - Cp pressure coefficient at the vortex axis - Cp _min minimum pressure coefficient at the vortex axis - d _e diameter of the ejection port - m ejection flow rate - P reference pressure - P _v vapor pressure - V free stream velocity - V _a axial velocity - V _t tangential velocity - v _r radial component of the velocity resulting from jet swelling - x downstream distance from the tip of the foil - y, r distance to the vortex axis - angle of attack - r difference between the swollen jet and the ejection port radii - boundary layer thickness - tip vortex intensity - _d ( _de ) desinent cavitation number (with ejection) - _i ( _ie ) inception cavitation number (with ejection) - _ii normal stresses - viscosity - v kinematic viscosity - p specific mass     

About the seasonal variability of the Alboran Sea circulation

Data from a mooring line deployed midway between the Alboran Island and Cape Tres Forcas are used to study the time variability of the Alboran Sea from May 1997 to May 1998. The upper layer salinity and zonal velocity present annual and semiannual cycles characterised by a minimum in spring and autumn and a maximum in summer and winter. Temperature has the opposite behaviour to that of salinity indicating changes in the presence of the Atlantic water within the Alboran Passage. A large set of SST images is used to study these cycles. The decrease of salinity and velocity in our mooring location in spring and autumn seems to be related to the eastward drifting of the Western Alboran Gyre (WAG). The increase of salinity and velocity is caused by the Atlantic current flowing south of the Alboran Island and its associated thermohaline front. Conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) data from two cruises along the 3°W are coherent with current meters and SST interpretations.During the period analysed, summer months are characterised by the stability of the two-gyre system, while in winter, the circulation is characterised by a coastal jet flowing close to the African shore. We use sea level differences across the Strait of Gibraltar for studying the variability of the Atlantic inflow. We discuss the changes in the Alboran Sea circulation and its relation with the variability of the inertial radius of the Atlantic inflow. Though our results are speculative, we find a possible relation between the disappearance of the two-gyre system and a reversal of the circulation in Gibraltar. Longer time series are needed to conclude, but comparison with previous works makes us think that the seasonal cycle described from May 1997 to May 1998 could be the most likely one for the Alboran Sea upper layer.     

A simulation of the simple Mohring model to predict patronage and value of resources consumed for enhanced bus services

Choosing between the competing approaches to providing enhanced bus services requires the ability to predict the effects on patronage and overall benefits to society in terms of Value of Resources Consumed (VRC) of any proposed change. One common approach uses the Mohring model of 1972 and its successors to optimise one or more aspects of the supply of transit services given various level of demand. This paper simulates the operation of a simple circular bus route using the equations of a basic Mohring type model and a Decision Support System (DSS) to endogenise demand under the assumption that there is a fixed demand for travel but commuters can choose between the bus and private vehicle. The selected approach recognises that demand for a particular mode of travel is predicated on the speed of the vehicle in service which is itself determined by the demand for that vehicle (in this model or boarding and alighting time) rather than being determined exogenously. This creates an iterative feedback mechanism whereby changes to the attributes of the bus and car alter mode choice and the speed in service of the bus which, in turn, alters mode choice. The simulation is used to predict changes to patronage and VRC under scenarios regarding changes to the transport network (in terms of fares and running costs, frequency and spacing of bus stops) using parameters from both a Multinomial Logit (MNL) and a Mixed Multinomial Logit (MMNL). The results demonstrate that there are large differences in the size and, in some cases, direction of predicted changes to patronage, VRC and revenue, depending on whether the parameters of the MNL or MMNL model are used.     

Editorial: Young maritime researchers—a note of respect

Globalization, liberalization, competition and spatial interaction are significant factors affecting the transformation of manufacturing industries worldwide. In the transportation and logistics industry, however, cooperation is becoming even more critical than competition in determining firms' efficiency. Cooperation has always characterized the liner sector in which strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions have generated twin effects: notable increases in ship size and falls in freight rates. Meanwhile, the stevedoring industry is undergoing privatization-driven consolidation and the emergence of global pure terminal operators. This article focuses on vertical integration between global carriers and terminal operators. We address the following key current issues: 1. dedicated terminals as a strategy for cutting costs and controlling integrated transport chains;

2. the struggle for supply chain control, involving global carriers versus global terminal operators, driven by financial power and technical and managerial capability.

We close analysing one of the core problems of the market, namely the evolving role of the dedicated terminals. For the pure stevedores they represent an opportunity to secure a cargo, while in the hands of the liners they enable cost stability and the possibility to put pressure on pure terminal operators.     

A Review of Whale-Watching and Whaling with Applications for the Caribbean

Whale-watching is a significant and growing tourism industry worldwide. Whaling has a long history and, although largely curtailed today, still occurs in a few countries around the world and in the Caribbean. Whaling has been labeled an incompatible activity with whale-watching because, in some cases, it reduces the number of whales available for use and changes whale behavior. Moreover, in some situations, whale-watching generates greater revenue than whaling, and whaling may detrimentally affect the larger tourism industry because of negative attitudes toward whaling by whale-watchers, other tourists, and host communities. This article examines the potential impacts of whaling on the whale-watching and tourism industries, and places these impacts in the Caribbean context. In doing so, the article outlines the history and current status of whale-watching in the Caribbean, outlines other potential constraints, and highlights the need for research about the impacts and roles of these industries. In the highly competitive global tourism industry, maintaining and nurturing a country's tourism image is critically important.     

一港飞架东西

自巴拿马运河管理局两年前宣布修建第三组船闸以来,许多行业观察家都怀疑巴拿马运河管理局是否过于野心勃勃。为了支付修建第三组船闸的费用,巴拿马运河计划增加通行费。此举是否会增加其它航线的竞争力？巴拿马运河管理局如何将项目成本控制在52．5亿美元以下,同时又保证项目如期竣工？     

预应力CFRP板加固钢板受拉试验研究

文章对预应力CFRP板双面加固钢板的轴心受拉静力行为进行了试验研究,首先采用一维线弹性理论和三维空间单元有限元模型分析预应力CFRP板双面加固钢板的轴心受拉应力分布,然后对粘贴不同预应力水平CFRP板的加固试件进行轴心受拉试验.结果表明:施加机械锚固装置后,钢板应力水平有很大降低,承载能力相应有很大提高,但刚度提高不大,而且机械锚固装置对保持高承载能力是必须的,应力分布理论值与试验值吻合得很好.试验中还观察到CFRP板高应力条件下很小的蠕变和预应力偏心作用所导致的弯曲应力.短期预应力损失主要由弹性压缩产生,循环荷载下的预应力损失很小.因此总预应力损失可简化计算为短期损失乘以一个安全系数,     

Experimental study of the characteristics of idle vibrations that result from axial forces and the spider positions of constant velocity joints

The vibrational characteristics of automotives during idling were studied experimentally by considering the axial forces of the drive shaft and the spider positions in a constant-velocity joint. The generated forces, such as PF (plunging force) and GAF (generated axial force) in the assembly of the drive-shaft module, were measured directly by an experimental apparatus. Measurements of the GAF and PF did not show the same trends as the joint angles. They depended instead on the types of CV joints. In addition, the relationship between the offset values of the shaft and the spider positions in the tulip of the constant-velocity joint were studied. As a result, the idle vibration characteristics were affected by the variation of the spider positions and the vibrational characteristics in the axial direction of the shaft, including the amplitude and the harmonic periods.