Tributyltin in marine sediments and Philippine green mussels (Perna viridis) in Manila Bay

Tributyltin (TBT) is a pollutant, mainly introduced to the environment as insecticides, fungicides, bactericides, wood preservatives and marine antifouling agent. Concentrations of TBT and its degradation products were isolated from the bivalve Perna viridis and marine sediments collected from selected coastal areas along Manila Bay. In all samples, the extremely toxic TBT compound was detected, calculated as Sn. In sediments, measured concentration ranged from the limit of detection of 0.5 to 9.0 ng Sn g^?1. Highest levels of TBT were observed at the inner and northern part of the bay, adjacent to coastal areas of varying land and water use (i.e., aquaculture, fishpond, mangrove forests, industrial establishments, and ports). However, the levels decrease near the bay entrance. Accumulation in this area can also be deduced from the movement of the prevailing wind and hydrodynamic behavior of the bay during the time of sampling, which transports suspended sediments from the eastern coast of Manila to the northern coast of Bulacan. In green mussels, the levels of TBT ranged from 2.1 to 8.9 ng Sn g^?1. While these values are relatively low, concentrations as low as 0.659 ng Sn g^?1 have been reported to be toxic to molluscs. The environmental levels of organotin species determined in the samples are comparatively low by global standards. Nevertheless, there is a need to estimate the levels of TBT in coastal waters and its associated uses, to evaluate the effectiveness of imposed regulation prohibiting the application of organotin compounds (OTs) as biocides in antifouling agents on ships and aquaculture facilities.     

Towards a meta-analysis and toolkit for port-related socio-economic impacts: a review of socio-economic impact studies conducted for seaports

Port authorities increasingly need to communicate with a variety of external stakeholders in order to maintain and strengthen the societal acceptance of seaport activities. The availability of socio-economic impact studies on port authority and regional development agency websites has often made this information accessible to the public at large. However, the differences in methodologies adopted, in terms of selecting, defining and measuring various types of socio-economic impacts, sometimes lead to misconceptions as well as misleading comparisons across ports within and between regions. In this paper, we suggest guidelines for the design and application of a potential best practice from an interregional perspective (UK, France and Belgium), based on research in the framework of a European Commission co-funded project, ‘IMPACTE’. The paper also aims to develop guidelines for comparing the socio-economic impacts of ports across regional and national borders and discusses the development of a European port economic impact measurement toolkit. We analyse a sample of 33 recent socio-economic impact assessment reports in terms of methodologies adopted and types of impacts measured. The review shows a great diversity among these studies, leading to important differences between the impacts of port activity communicated to stakeholders.     

Integrated ports clusters and competitive advantage in an extended resource pool for the Antwerp Seaport

In the context of increased scale of carriers and vessel sizes, stakeholder opposition to port expansion, and heavy regulation, ports prepare their strategic response. A port’s competitive strength strongly depends on its capability of developing or retaining competitive advantages. Ports consider options such as strategic partnerships, or any form of collaboration, which could help them to create more or alternative combinations of unique resources as sources of competitive advantage. Taking an extended resource base perspective, the competitive advantages of the Antwerp port cluster are analyzed, using both linear regression and factor analysis, for its integrated hinterland network area, on data of 59 port experts. The results of our analysis show that the port’s hinterland extension did not (yet) result in new sources of competitive advantages. This leads us to the reflection that we cannot assume integrated port clusters always lead to projected positive strategic outcomes.     

A flexible,adaptive traffic network simulation with parameter estimation

This article deals with macroscopic traffic modeling and online parameter estimation suitable for real-time simulation of complex road configurations. A numerical model for the nonlinear hyperbolic transport equation is introduced that works with a fundamental diagram of arbitrary shape and piecewise differentiable, discontinuous initial conditions. Suitable boundary conditions at road inlets and outlets are realized. A method to identify parameters of the underlying fundamental diagram via aggregated traffic sensor data is presented and the Fisher Information Matrix is utilized to optimize traffic sensor placement. The choice of parameterization, sensor placement, and the range of sensor data affect identifiability of the parameters of the fundamental diagram. The results are validated by comparison with a microscopic traffic simulation based on a car-following model.