159,404 research outputs found
Effect and Improvement Areas for Port State Control Inspections to Decrease the Probability of Casualty
No full textThis report is the fourth part of a PhD project called "The Econometrics of Maritime Safety – Recommendations to Enhance Safety at Sea" and is based on 183,000 port state control inspections and 11,700 casualties from various data sources. Its overall objective is to provide recommendations to improve safety at sea. The fourth part looks into measuring the effect of inspections on the probability of casualty on either seriousness or casualty first event to show the differences across the regimes. It further gives a link of casualties that were found during inspections with either the seriousness of casualties and casualty first events which reveals three areas of improvement possibilities to potentially decrease the probability of a casualty – the ISM code, machinery and equipment and ship and cargo operations.maritime safety;correspondence analysis;binary logistic regression;probability of casualty;improvement;Port State Control Effectiveness;casualty first events;detention;port state control deficiences;target factor
The Seagull, 1917, Volume Six
No full textYearbook for Port Arthur High School in Port Arthur, Texas includes photographs of and information about the school, student body, teachers, and organizations
The Development of a Port Performance Measurement System: With Reference to Damietta Port, Egypt
No full textPorts compete through providing high quality services at the right price. Ports require reliable performance measurement systems so that their daily operations can be effectively managed, their port assets efficiently utilised, and cargo dwell and standing times minimised. Port performance studies have been approached from strategic, operational, functional, financial and managerial perspectives. Findings in the literature have concluded that the measurement systems currently used are limited because the focus is on measuring efficiency, especially for containerised cargo and terminals. Often, key variables have been ignored and there is focus on improving productivity rather than performance. This research addresses the issue of how current performance measurement systems can be developed to measure the performance of ports more effectively.
The research has been designed to contribute to knowledge through conceptualising the needs of developing effective measurement systems in ports by using relevant measures and quantifying those key predictors that influence a port’s performance. Quantitative methods are traditionally used for assessing port performance. This research commences with a discussion of supply chain performance measurement systems in relation to ports. It investigates different supply chain measurement designs, categories and characteristics within each category and examines the effectiveness of the current measurement system applied in Damietta port, Egypt. Findings show that Damietta port currently has no formal measurement system and would benefit from the implementation of a performance measurement system. Data have been collected according to the four types of handled cargoes in Damietta port, namely general cargo, dry bulk, liquid bulk and containers. Data have been collected on a monthly basis. For each type of cargo, data have been edited and keyed and a categorisation scheme has been set up to cover those operations at terminals. The Damietta Port Performance Measurement System (DAPEMS) has been developed using three measures, including: time, revenue and flexibility measures. Initially the system was developed using time measures, where key determinants were discussed and multiple regression analyses applied. Relevant predictor variables were selected and incorporated into the regression models with varying degrees of significance. Following this, DAPEMS has been extended using revenue measures, where revenues resulted from operations time, clearance time and the time a ship stays in a port. The final measure considered was flexibility. This helps to cope with the complexity of operations and uncertainty at ports. DAPEMS has been tested for two months in Damietta Port. In addition, the system’s features, including: reliability, applicability and flexibility have been analysed. The system was tested for two months at Damietta port. The port managers reported the benefits of using DAPEMS as there is no system currently applied in the port. Using additional variables, understanding the relationship between variables, providing information about port revenue and providing managers with estimated future performance were appreciated by the port director and a top manager as this helps them and the port planners in a decision-making process. It is concluded that applying DAPEMS was highly appreciated for providing useful visibility about the port's performance. However, some limitations are addressed and suggestions are proposed to be carried out for future research
Proactive stakeholder management in the port planning process: empirical evidence from the Port of Brussels.
No full textPort planning and port management are increasingly influenced by a variety of external stakeholders, each pursuing specific strategic objectives with regard to port activities and port development. A greater focus on external stakeholders may increase the port activities’ legitimacy at the city and regional levels, and may also contribute to sustainable development. In this paper, a new port planning methodology is designed within the context of the development of the Port of Brussels (Belgium) Master plan, time horizon 2015. This new planning methodology describes the port planning process, building upon the decomposition of the total port area in several distinct port objectives were taken into account in this planning process, and how this multi-zone, multi-stakeholder approach can be generalized to improve upon conventional strategic port planning processes. Keywords: Port planning, stakeholder management, evaluation methods
Technical efficiency gains from port reform : the potential for yardstick competition in Mexico
No full textThe authors show how relatively standard methodologies can help to measure the efficiency gains from reforming the organization of port infrastructure, how those measures can be used to promote competition between ports, and how competition can be built into an incentive-driven regulatory regime. As illustration, they use a case study of port reform in mexico in 1993, the first efficiency analysis of port restructuring in a developing country. Their analysis, which covers 1996-99 and relies on a stochastic production frontier, shows that overall, Mexico has achieved annual efficiency gains of 6-8 percent in the use of port infrastructure since assigning its management to independent, decentralized operators. Changes in relative performance ratings are revealing. They identify consistent sets of leaders and laggards, including some that would not have been identified by partial productivity indicators commonly used in the sector. The authors'main conclusions: 1) Reforms have significantly improved average port performance. 2) The analytically sound performance rankings allowed by the port-specific efficiency measures can help to promote yardstick competition in the sector. These rankings are superior to those that would emerge from use of partial productivity indicators. They account for the joint effects of all inputs on outputs--which is crucial, because it avoids the risk of inconsistent rankings based on different partial indicators, arbitrarily chosen. Developing the database method to measure efficiency in countries with no strong tradition of database development is an enormous task--especially in transport sectors, where the tradition of generating databases useful to policymakers is in its infancy. The most immediate effect of this exercise was to reveal the poverty of the database in the Mexican port sector and the need for regulators to invest in its development.Transport and Trade Logistics,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Common Carriers Industry,Environmental Economics&Policies,Ports&Waterways,Transport Security,Economic Theory&Research,Transport and Trade Logistics
Automatically generated port hinterlands
No full textCompetition between ports depends on inland freight distribution and the spatial structure of the hinterland. With this, ports and port regions increasingly compete to serve distant hinterlands. In a European context, many researchers refer to the agglomeration of economic activity in the Rhine-Ruhr area and the ‘blue banana’ to explain the concentration of port activity in the Hamburg-Le Havre port range. Besides this, the incorporation of new member states in the European market has changed the structure of port hinterlands. In this paper we attempt to reveal the spatial structure of the hinterland of the Hamburg-Le Havre ports using automated zoning techniques. These techniques aggregate geographical areas in homogeneous clusters using spatial as well as content-related constraints. We use both economic characteristics of hinterland regions and variables which express the link between these regions and ports to create a new map of the port hinterland. Besides an improved insight in the spatial structure of the hinterland, this analysis delivers a set of areas which can be used in economic models. Indeed, creating an ‘optimal’ zoning is one of the strategies researchers employ to handle observational units with often arbitrary boundaries.
Port employment in eastern Saudi Arabia: problems and prospects
No full textSocial, cultural and economic influences have combined to create a shortage of national manpower in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to investigate the extent of those shortages in port labour. The main focus is on port labour problems and prospects in the ports of Eastern Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Gulf, the selected ports being Jubail, Ras Tannurah and Dammam. The thesis is divided into two main parts. The first deals with setting the scene including analysis of development planning and manpower problems as well as the impacts of cultural and social background on labour supply. This part also includes an analysis of port hinterland and an investigation of port labour management of the studied ports. The second part includes field investigation starting with general characteristics of port labour, training problems, the problems of housing and the journey to work and how employees from various organisations in ports suffer from commuting problems. This part also includes discussion of employees' perceptions of various factors leading to shortage of indigenous manpower in port work. Finally, in order to present a clear understanding of employment problems and port labour prospects, investigation of employees' job satisfaction is undertaken. This will be particularly relevant during the transfer of port operations to the private sector. The study findings indicate that the majority of port employees are expatriates. Little has been achieved to increase recruitment of national manpower among port private contractors. It was found that the manufacturing sector was prominent in the port and port-related industries, particularly in Ras Tannurah and Jubail ports. The increased use of new cargo handling techniques in those ports reduced the dependence on low paid labour-intensive work, which is mainly carried out by expatriate labourers. However, trade sector activities continued to depend on foreign labour in stevedoring, containerisation and other technical port work which is mainly conducted by port contractors. There was little evidence that privatisation of port operation will increase recruitment of domestic manpower. This study shows that most public vocational schools and training centres did not provide the port sector with adequate skilled national manpower. A model was suggested to benefit from those institutions by on- the-job training leading to full-time employment. However, due to the tribal background of most of Saudi individuals, it has been found that several behavioural attitudes prevail which have a negative effect on training and other work issues. It was revealed that long distance and time of commuting, along with weather conditions clearly make training rather unattractive to most port employees. Regarding national manpower shortages in the port sector, it was revealed that the beneficial effect of the lower cost of hiring foreign employees was seen as affecting the recruitment of Saudis in ports. However all segments of employees showed low levels of satisfaction with pay and other port job benefits
ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS OF INTRA-PORT COMPETITION
No full textIntra-port competition is widely regarded as beneficial, for the competitiveness of ports, for local and national economies and for consumers and exporting industries. The aim of the paper is to analyse the benefits resulting from the presence of intra-port competition. Even though this issue has been addressed before, a thorough and complete overview of the effects of intra-port competition, enabling conditions for intra-port competition and policies in case of lacking intra-port competition are absent. The paper presents first a short overview of previous studies dealing with intra-port competition. Second, it discusses the two main arguments underlying the benefits of intra-port competition. In this context, attention is given to the relation between intra-port and inter-port competition. Third, the paper examines the conditions under which these arguments are valid and intra-port competition can be introduced. Possible policy responses to limited or absent intra-port competition are discussed in this section as well. Fourth, the need to introduce effects of intra-port competition in port modelling is briefly. Finally, the paper presents empirical evidence of the effects of intra-port competition.ports, intra-port competition, regulation, port policies
A PC parallel port button box provides millisecond response time accuracy under Linux
No full textFor psychologists, it is sometimes necessary to measure people's reaction times to the nearest millisecond. This article describes how to use the PC parallel port to receive signals from a button box to achieve millisecond response time accuracy. The workings of the parallel port, the corresponding port addresses, and a simple Linux program for controlling the port are described. A test of the speed and reliability of button box signal detection is reported. If the reader is moderately familiar with Linux, this article should provide sufficient instruction for him or her to build and test his or her own parallel port button box. This article also describes how the parallel port could be used to control an external apparatus
Port Development in Muskegon, Michigan
No full textMuskegon Lake provides one of the deepest ports on the Great Lakes. While the port is used on a regular basis for recreational and commercial activity, there may be potential for expanding these activities and providing for a self-sustaining facility that will provide the needed infrastructure to enhance port use in Muskegon. Regionally, West Michigan provides an extensive transportation network that would support such development. With the manufacturing and agricultural base in West Michigan, there is much potential for an expanded import-export market that would provide port related activity. My research provides a basic framework for looking at the port development issue, and gives rationale for further study on the topic. Benefits and feasibility are identified and discussed in the paper. Research involved data collection on a regional basis and more specifically in and around the County of Muskegon. The Michigan Port Collaborative and The Muskegon Sustainable Harbors and Marinas Initiative, and their associated partners were instrumental in providing data and research materials for this project. While the research was able to point to many positive aspects of port development for Muskegon, it is crucial to look at the issue from a comprehensive standpoint. As with any large-scale planning issue or topic, studies that are more detailed may be necessary before a final analysis and recommendation can be made. This research is a good starting point for the overall framework regarding port development in Muskegon, and can be a guide to further research if resources and partnerships can be formed among the local leaders and private parties with interest in the port
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