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Analyzing risks in Naval Operations: The case of visit, board, search and seizure operations in the Côte D’Ivoire Navy
No full textVisit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) operations, which are the preferred modus operandi to deliver law enforcement at sea, have always been, and remain, a risky endeavor. Because this type of operation holds a pivotal role in maritime law enforcement, safe execution is vital to protect involved staff and assets. Hence, this paper analyzes risks associated with VBSS operations; its main aim is to improve the overall level of safety and bring the identified risks under control, by developing associated mitigation measures. First, the risks under discussion were assessed, based on the professional judgment and experience of the naval personnel involved in these operations. Their inputs were introduced in a conceptual framework and the associated results were scored, compared, and benchmarked. It is true that there is an inherent level of risk built in the execution of VBSS operations; although the occurrence of negative incidents/mishaps can be considered marginal for the vast majority of the time, events like these are most often associated with serious consequences. The results of this research effort acknowledged that risk management practices can be useful and have variable performance in bringing risks to as low as reasonably practicable. In this aspect, risk mitigation can be more effective by implementing a systems approach of physical and administrative barriers with four distinct pillars: “Training”, “Equipment”, “Organizational Culture”, and “Procedures”
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods for effectively responding to climate change at marine ports
No full textMarine ports operations are often associated with a variety of externalities, including issues like air pollution and noise, among others; there is clearly a negative impact on the working environment and the quality of life of the citizens living next to a port. An effective way to improve the overall situation can be provided by deploying the shore-to-ship electrification method, also known as Cold Ironing. Unfortunately, there is still a disadvantage: there is no holistic approach involved, as the external electrical grid is usually powered by fossil fuels. In a different approach, the zero-emissions port concept uses a smart grid technology framework connected to renewable energy sources and the electrical grid is used only as a backup source in a situation where there is a deficit in power balance. However, an important challenge remains, the conversion to electricity and the efficiency of the converting systems. The use of such sources for commercial electrical supply is only possible with the new “Smart Grid” concept and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). In this paper, an overview of AI methods for smart grid energy management optimization for ports is presented, discussing the potential application of each algorithm to zero-emission port concepts
Assessing the need for harmonized marine debris monitoring and equity to support participation in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations by Caribbean SIDS
Get PDFThis research addresses the challenge of marine plastic pollution with particular reference to Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Marine plastic pollution is of particular significance to these states since they suffer from a disproportionate incidence of plastic pollution on their coasts. In line with the region\u27s need to protect its marine environment and subsequently its economy from the grave impacts of plastic pollution, this work assesses marine debris monitoring within Caribbean SIDS, and the barriers faced and considerations needed for unified monitoring efforts that support policy development. Additionally, the research examines microplastics on the beaches of Caribbean SIDS, and highlights concerns over scientific research on this issue being conducted by and often retained by extra- regional research teams and institutions.
The research further recognises that the United Nations (UN) member states are currently engaged in historic negotiations to develop an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. It is hoped and anticipated that this ambitious process of intergovernmental negotiations will lead to an ILBI, informally known as the “global plastics treaty” (note that ILBI and global plastics treaty are used interchangeably henceforth). It is intended that this instrument will comprehensively address the full life cycle of plastics from production to disposal. The ILBI is set to be achieved through five Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings to negotiate the specifics of the treaty between 2022 and 2024. Caribbean SIDS are disproportionately affected by the transboundary nature of plastic pollution and face challenges in equitably participating in the global plastics treaty negotiations. Through the lens of collective action to support the development of the global plastics treaty, this thesis explores the gaps and limitations experienced by Caribbean SIDS in their ability to coordinate and participate in the negotiations and also explores their ability to ascertain localised scientific data that supports negotiating positions. This work assesses key barriers hindering the equitable participation of Caribbean SIDS in the INC meetings in real time, and proposes applicable solutions. Additionally, it contributes novel information to discourse on contextual equity in environmental decision making by providing a framework to identify key factors needed by Caribbean SIDS to foster equity throughout the entirety of the INC process. Moreover, this work illustrates the importance of how relevant scientific research, equitable processes for participation in environmental negotiations, and adequate coordination mechanisms for multilateral environmental agreements can bolster efficacy for Caribbean SIDS participating in the global plastic treaty negotiations.
This thesis applies both natural and social science methodologies, along with event ethnography, participant observations, extensive reading of primary, secondary and grey literature, document analysis, interviews, informal conversations, webinars and participation in the INC-1 meeting
Economic implications of international energy trade: a comparative analysis across developed, developing, and least developed nations
Get PDFEnergy trade and consumption constitute vital components of international trade, a significance that has been amplified by escalating global industrialization and globalization. Nonetheless, the patterns of demand, trade, and utilization of energy differ markedly across various categories of economies, as delineated by the United Nations into Developed, Developing, and Least Developed Nations.
This study endeavors to elucidate the influence of international energy trade and consumption on the economic development trajectories of these three distinct categories of nations. Employing linear panel regression methodologies on panel data sets spanning the period from 1995 to 2021 for each category, the analysis reveals that international energy trade exerts a notable impact on the economic prosperity of all examined categories, albeit with varying degrees of intensity and characteristics. Specifically, both energy exports and imports have been found to exert a considerable influence on the per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDPs) of developed and developing nations, with the magnitude of this impact proving greater in developed economies. In contrast, Least Developed Nations demonstrated a pronounced inclination toward energy imports, indicating a lack of the requisite capacity to produce, utilize, or export energy at commercially significant scales.
Additionally, energy consumption emerged as a positive causal factor affecting the economies of all categorized nations, albeit more significantly in developed countries compared to their developing and least-developed counterparts. In terms of energy types, oil electricity appeared to significantly impact the per capita GDPs across all categories of countries. Notably, the impact was positive for developing and least developed nations, but negative for developed nations. Conversely, gas electricity showed a positive and significant correlation with the per capita GDPs of developed and least-developed countries, however, its influence on developing nations remained inconclusive due to the multicollinearity with per capita energy consumption within this category.
These findings carry significant policy implications for the spectrum of economies under consideration, particularly in shaping their international energy trade and consumption strategies. Given the current climate change efforts and heightened global environmental concerns over fossil energy, future research endeavours may delve into the potential impact of various forms of renewable energy on the economies of developed, developing and least developed nation
Hinterland connectivity and market share: a case of Indian container ports
No full textIndia has experienced remarkable economic growth over the last two decades, thanks to its trade-oriented development policies. Since most of international trades are carried out by sea, the country\u27s ports play a pivotal role in economic development. This speedy development in a short period of time has led to a situation where container traffic volumes are substantially increased. All parties involved in port businesses have made considerable efforts towards keeping the pace with the ever-growing container traffic. The Indian ports, however, still face a number of problems. Amongst the most noticeable ones is hinterland connectivity, which has weakened the country’s position on the global logistics index and the competitiveness of products due to high logistics costs. To adequately address the issue, the Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has launched a new project called Sagarmala. In one part of this project, the government is spending a large sum to improve the hinterland connectivity of the existing public ports. This section of the project is aimed at improving the connectivity of the ports to the hinterland by mainly upgrading rail, road and waterway networks in the country. This move by the government is entirely justified from a traditional perspective, as it has always been argued that improving hinterland connectivity gives ports a competitive advantage over their rivals and enables them to increase their relative market shares from hinterland. Connecting port hinterlands in an effective and efficient manner has subsequently become an important parameter for a port\u27s competitiveness. In order to improve hinterland connectivity, ports are suggested to extend their intermodal network into distant hinterland markets so as to increase their [hinterland] market shares. The port intermodal network has been extensively discussed from a perspective by combining intermodal transport and different types of inland logistics centres. Recent years have, however, observed a new dimension of port-hinterland connectivity; that is, ports are not only expanding their intermodal networks but also striving to integrate inland logistics centres at different levels. The degree of integration varies from port to port. Ports make a different configuration of hinterland connectivity as an effort to increase their market shares in the
14 hinterlands. It has been traditionally argued that extending an intermodal network to the hinterland gives ports a competitive advantage over their rivals and enables them to resultantly increase their relative market shares. This issue in question leads
us to raise a challenging question that needs an answer by having examined the port- hinterland connectivity issue differently from those being discussed in existing
literature: that is, a mixed perspective from both ‘port-hinterland connectivity’ and ‘port market shares’. Against this background, this thesis attempts to bring related issues together by discussing conceptual and theoretical issues (in)directly related to the two concepts in a holistic manner. For this purpose, the thesis conducts a comprehensive and systematic literature review to better reflect recent developments that results in establishing a conceptual framework in the context of container ports. In the framework, the frequency of intermodal services between ports and inland logistics nodes is considered as the main parameter for analysing port-hinterland connectivity. An empirical investigation was made with the conceptual model, using the social network analysis (SNA) centrality functions (i.e., degree centrality and betweenness centrality) for 16 container ports and 349 inland logistics nodes in India as a case. Findings of the empirical analysis show that (i) the port-hinterland connectivity is in general positively related to the port market shares, and (ii) this case is always not applicable to all the sampled ports since higher hinterland connectivity does not always guarantee higher market shares. This line of research could be treated as making an original contribution to knowledge in three ways. Firstly, port-hinterland connectivity, at least within the Indian context, has been scientifically studied and tested for the first time. Secondly, the SNA method has been applied to constructing the port-hinterland networks in two layers. Finally, the outcome of the study will undoubtedly provide the central and local governments, port authorities and other interested parties with an insight into the implementation of the port-hinterland connectivity project and/or policies
Interrogating the state of application of technology within the Malawi Maritime Force as maritime expression : a task-technology fit approach
Get PDFSpatiotemporal analyses of pelagic Sargassum : biodiversity, morphotypes and arsenic content
Get PDFPelagic sargassum blooming in the Tropical Atlantic has been linked to the mass shoreline inundations observed over the last decade in Caribbean and West African countries. Since the onset in 2011, affected countries have and continue to experience multiscale impacts across fisheries, tourism, nearshore coastal ecosystems, maritime transport and public health. Impacts associated with influx events have generated significant economic damage across the region. Moreover, clean-up efforts in response to mass shoreline strandings placed further strain on national economies and in some instances amplified the negative environmental effects caused by inundations. Evidence suggests that influx events are likely to continue into the foreseeable future leaving countries with no choice but to adapt to their new reality. In an attempt to ‘turn the tide’ against influx events, researchers and entrepreneurs are searching for innovative applications for the large quantities of sargassum arriving on their shores. Whilst valorisation of pelagic sargassum presents an opportunity to ameliorate some of the economic damage generated from influx events; commercialization efforts face key constraints that must be overcome in order to turn the current threats associated with influxes into opportunities. Constraints associated with sargassum valorisation can be grouped into five broad categories: (1) unpredictable supply (of sargassum and its different morphotypes); (2) insufficient knowledge of the biological and chemical properties including micro-pollutants; (3) harvesting, transport and storage; (4) governance; and (5) funding. The main focus of this thesis is to understand the spatiotemporal variation in the biological and chemical composition of sargassum influx events. The research takes a compilation approach centring each of the five core papers on knowledge gaps relating to key valorisation constraints. Specifically, this research focussed on understanding: the biodiversity associated with sargassum influx events and identifying implications for in-water harvesting; the variation in the supply of sargassum morphotypes; and the arsenic levels and arsenic ‘species’ composition associated with influx events. Using a combination of quantitative research methods this thesis provides important baseline information on the sargassum community, its morphotypes and arsenic content. Biodiversity assessments indicate that there is a low species diversity associated with shore bound pelagic sargassum. Furthermore, raft size and distance from shore was positively correlated with species abundance. This suggests that in-water harvesting of smaller mats and those within the nearshore environment is unlikely to have any significant negative impacts on the associated community. Assessment of the morphotype composition over the course of one year reveals that variation in the predominant morphotype during influx events is linked to oceanic sub-origins within the Tropical Atlantic. Contrastingly, arsenic analyses suggest that arsenic contamination of pelagic
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sargassum arriving in Barbados was not affected by sub-origins, sample month or year. However, results indicate that the toxic inorganic arsenic species represents a substantial percentage of the total arsenic content of sargassum arriving in Barbados. Findings of this research contribute to the growing body of knowledge on pelagic sargassum influx events in the Caribbean and are relevant to the budding sargassum industry and ultimately to the adaptation of Caribbean people to this new hazard