A Study on the Retention of Port Distribution Functions at the Time of Earthquake: Business Continuity Management

Abstract

This is a study on how to retain distribution functions at the port in the large-scale industrial disaster prevention scheme at the time of great earthquakes. Urgent need for such efforts has been mounting in recent years. Industrial disaster prevention scheme is, in other words, Business Continuity Management (BCM), which enables continuity of important businesses while trying to make an early recovery of overall business activities at the time of great earthquakes. When an earthquake occurs, it is important to quickly resume businesses after an initial period of confusion. For this purpose, it is necessary to make a large-scale restoration plan, including the restoration of social infrastructure. In the Chubu Metropolitan Area in Japan where the city of Nagoya is the center, the global division of labor has been rapidly in progress. The businesses are developing more and more within the framework of closely and finely-knit global supply-chains between domestic and overseas enterprises. It is one of the areas where Business Continuity Management is in urgent need. The subject of the case study in this paper is all international distribution activities at the Port of Nagoya in the Chubu Metropolitan area where Tokai, Tou-Nankai or Nankai Earthquakes is anticipated in the near future. The concept of the Business Continuity Management shall be developed through research on the current measures taken by the enterprises and organizations who are the port-users. Then the goals and problems regarding the recovery of port functions will be identified. Furthermore, we will attempt to propose technological means to solve the problems and achieve the goals. This paper starts with the analysis of the questionnaires to about 30 member companies and organizations of Industry Disaster Management Panel. The next section consists of two parts; the first half is devoted to the function recovery planning on the shore, and the second half discusses the function restoration of the section on the sea within the port. We believe this study will provide valuable guidelines for the port function recovery in the Chubu area at the time of earthquakes. It will also serve as effective guiding philosophy for many ports in Japan and around the world which face similar problems.