Application of a Sustainability Model for Assessing the Relocation of a Container Terminal: A Case Study of Kristiansand Port

Mariia Dushenko,Kenn Steger-Jensen,Clemet Thærie Bjorbæk

doi:10.3390/su11010087

Abstract

Sustainable development, a new interdisciplinary paradigm, is attracting increasing attention from the global research community. It is an enhancement of sustainability principles. This study documents the findings from applying a sustainability assessment model framework by Koo and Ariaratnam (2008) for decision support in connection with the projection of major infrastructure investment in a port. The objective of this study is to support the decision-making process in a port development project and to verify the applicability of sustainability assessment using a sustainability assessment model for a terminal development project in an urban area of Scandinavia. The sustainability assessment model is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A literature review of sustainability assessment models was conducted to find indicators for the AHP approach. Subsequently, a questionnaire was compiled and six decision-makers for projects in Scandinavian Ports in urban areas were selected for the case study. The hypothesis is that decision-makers of major infrastructure investment projects in publicly owned ports must adhere to sustainable development principles and support the United Nations sustainable development goals that are a call for action by all countries. When documenting a sustainable design of port projects, decision-makers use theoretical sustainability models to conceptualize features of a sustainable society. However, a major challenge for the decision-makers was that the sustainability assessment results did not show, as expected, the same results as those of three existing theoretical sustainability models. The results of the sustainability assessment model were scrutinised and benchmarked against existing theoretical sustainability models, namely: a sustainability stool, a 3-overlappingcircles model, and a 3-nesteddependencies model. The benchmark results indicate a disparity between the importance of what sustainability models describe and what is important in practice.

Highlights

Physical infrastructure systems, including transportation, water and energy, have a significant impact on the environment, society, and economy from their individual development and operation throughout their lifecycles
The present paper aims to apply an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to support the decision-making process in port development project by: (1) verifying the applicability of a sustainability assessment using a sustainability assessment model for a terminal development project in an urban area of Scandinavia, and (2) validating results against the sustainable models
The most desirable alternative for a port project would conceivably be one that satisfies the greatest number of stakeholders from the perspective of decision-makers

Summary

Introduction

Physical infrastructure systems, including transportation, water and energy, have a significant impact on the environment, society, and economy from their individual development and operation throughout their lifecycles. The Third generation of Supply Chain Management Ports represents a logistic platform for international trade and transport that relies on stakeholder integration and collaboration, and became Globalized E-ports [4] and world-class Customer-Centric Community Ports representing the evolutionary steps in the port sector [5]. Such ports are integrated into global information frameworks and standards but are strongly focused on the requirements of local communities and customers. Sustainability entitles ports to attain a certain level of dynamics to perform beyond the established standards to satisfy the needs of its local community and customers [5]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion