Abstract
Accurate information on port shipping activities is critical for monitoring global and local traffic flows and assessing the state of development of the maritime industry. Such information is necessary for managers and analysts to make strategic decisions and monitor the maritime industry in achieving management goals. In this study, we used monthly night light (NTL) images of the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) Day/Night Band, between 2012 and 2020, to study the night lights emitted by ships in ports’ anchorage areas, as an indicator for shipping activity in anchorage areas and ports. Using a dataset covering 601 anchorage areas from 97 countries, we found a strong correspondence between NTL data and shipping metrics at the country level (n = 97), such as container port throughput (Rs = 0.84, p < 0.01) and maximum cargo carried by ships (Rs = 0.66, p < 0.01), as well as a strong correlation between the number of anchorage points and the NTL values in anchorage areas across the world (Rs = 0.69, p < 0.01; n = 601). The high correspondence levels of the VIIRS NTL data with various shipping indicators show the potential of using NTL data to analyze the spatio-temporal dynamic changes of the shipping activity in anchorage areas, providing convenient open access and a normalized assessment method for shipping industry parameters that are often lacking.
Highlights
The global rise in the standards of living, consumption volumes, as well as the development and use of marine resources, are leading to an increase in global shipping, despite a temporary slowdown in maritime trade growth in 2018 as a result of trade tensions, protectionism, Brexit [1], and shipping restrictions following the COVID-19 outbreak [2].According to estimates of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the volume of international trade by sea accounts for approximately 80% of the volume of world trade [3]
We developed and implemented several correction methods for Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data to better analyze the light emitted from anchorage areas, VIIRS significantly improved quality over DMSP/OLS in terms of spatial resolution, dynamic range, quantization, calibrations, and spectral range availability over DMSP–OLS [25]
The main conclusion of this study is that monthly/annual VIIRS data can serve as a good proxy for estimating the number of vessels as well as various shipping metrics in anchorage areas at the port and country levels
Summary
The global rise in the standards of living, consumption volumes, as well as the development and use of marine resources, are leading to an increase in global shipping, despite a temporary slowdown in maritime trade growth in 2018 as a result of trade tensions, protectionism, Brexit [1], and shipping restrictions following the COVID-19 outbreak [2].According to estimates of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the volume of international trade by sea accounts for approximately 80% of the volume of world trade [3]. The global rise in the standards of living, consumption volumes, as well as the development and use of marine resources, are leading to an increase in global shipping, despite a temporary slowdown in maritime trade growth in 2018 as a result of trade tensions, protectionism, Brexit [1], and shipping restrictions following the COVID-19 outbreak [2]. Ports are important centers of trade between countries, and their cargo handling capacities (loading and unloading of goods) are one of the most basic and important indicators for measuring the development status of ports [4,5,6]. The PAA is an important part of the shipping and port management segment [5]. Accurate statistical information on the number of ships and cargo loaded and unloaded over a certain period in the port is of decisive importance for monitoring the movement of ships, assessing the state of development of the port, the Remote Sens.
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