Commercial Port Research Articles

The permanent adjustment process: A theoretical approach to structural change in commercial ports from the nineteenth century onwards

This article proposes a theoretical approach to the development of Western commercial ports from the Industrial Revolution onwards. It is based both on a bibliographical corpus devoted to port history and on personal research into the main French ports of the nineteenth century. This work was based on two main sources: firstly, the Annales des Ponts et Chaussées, which recorded the experiments and theoretical work carried out by the engineers of this government body; and secondly, the Actes législatifs et Dépenses concernant les Travaux de Navigation Intérieure et Maritime de 1814 à 1900, a document published by the Ministry of Public Works which provides information on the budgets allocated to the main French ports. This reflection shows that since the nineteenth century the development of ports has been subject to a permanent adjustment process, with four main characteristics: disruptive innovation, spatial adaptation, selective adaptation and one-way adaptation.

Development, Calibration and Validation of Time Series Analysis and Artificial Neural Network Joint Model for Urban Noise Prediction

Noise in large urban areas, which is mainly generated by road traffic and by the human activities carried out nearby and inside the area under study, is a relevant problem. The continuous exposure to high noise levels, in fact, can lead to several problems, largely documented in the scientific literature. The analysis and forecasting of the noise level in a given area are, then, fundamental for control and prevention, especially when field measurements present peculiar trends and slopes, which can be modeled with a Time Series Analysis approach. In this paper, a hybrid model is presented for the analysis and the forecasting of noise time series in urban areas: this technique is based on the application of a deterministic decomposition model followed in cascade by a predictor of the forecasting errors based on an artificial neural network. Two variants of the hybrid model have been implemented and presented. The time series used to calibrate and validate the model is composed of sound pressure level measurements detected on a busy road near the commercial port of an Italian city. The proposed hybrid model has been calibrated on a part of the entire time series and validated on the remaining part. Residuals and error analysis, together with a detailed statistical description of the simulated noise levels and error metrics describe in detail the method’s performances and its limitations.

Mapping the past with historical geographic information systems: layered characteristics of the historic urban landscape of Nanjing, China, since the Ming Dynasty (1368–2024)

The layering process of the historic urban landscape (HUL) has spatial and temporal characteristics. With the help of digital technology, building a database to collect and manage spatial information on HUL is an effective research method. Taking Nanjing since the Ming Dynasty (1368–2024) as an example, our paper proposes a framework for constructing a historical geographic information system (HGIS) for HUL. The results show that (1) ancient Chinese historical archives have good potential for use in the construction of historical landscape databases. The HGIS can visualize the evolution of HUL and realize the storage, expression, querying, and analysis of information in different formats. (2) The Republic of China is a turning point in the evolution of Nanjing’s HUL. In terms of spatial evolution, the main distribution areas of urban form and characteristic places, as well as the NACH (normalized angular choice) and NAIN (normalized angular integration) cores of the road network, all moved from the south to the north of the city. In terms of typological evolution, the urban form changes from a predominantly residential area to one that emphasizes residential, administrative, educational and industrial areas. The main types of characteristic places shifted from house gardens, temples and ancestral halls to scenic buildings and public gardens. (3) Political factors, urban planning, commercial ports, and land prices influence the layering process of the HUL. The constructed database guides the preservation of HUL from the digital heritage perspective and the construction of other historical databases with spatial characteristics.

A baseline assessment of contamination in the Sacramento deep water ship channel

The Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel (SDWSC) in the San Francisco Estuary, which is an active commercial port, is critical habitat for pelagic fish species including delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus), longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys), and Sacramento perch (Archoplites interruptus). Pelagic organism decline has been attributed to covarying factors such as manipulation of habitat, introduction of invasive species, decrease in food production, and contaminant exposure. Quantification of bioavailable toxicant loads in the SDWSC is limited despite previous surveys that have detected elevated contaminant concentrations in the sediments. Therefore, the focus of the present study was to characterize the bioavailability of the contaminants in the SDWSC from six sites along the channel. At each site, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), pyrethroid insecticides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were quantified in sediment, zooplankton, and suspended solids. In addition, Tenax extraction was used to measure the bioaccessible fraction of sediment-associated contaminants freely dissolved in the water. Bioaccessible contaminants in the sediment provided an uptake route for these stressors into invertebrates and fish with bioaccessible OCPs being found at all sites, particularly 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE). Bifenthrin was the only pyrethroid detected in the chosen matrices and it was found at concentrations below levels of concern. Bioaccessible PAHs were found at all sites, with highest detections for phenanthrene and pyrene. No PCBs were detected in sediments, but were detected in both suspended solids and zooplankton. Contaminant concentrations overall were significantly higher in suspended solids, followed by zooplankton and sediments. The highest sediment concentrations of DDE, fluoranthene, pyrene, and dibenzo[a,h]anthracene exceeded sediment quality benchmarks indicating potential risk to sediment-dwelling species. Finally, elevated contaminant levels were found in both suspended solids and zooplankton, suggesting additional risk to pelagic species in the SDWSC.

Mapping the shoreline risk assessment of oil spill in the eastern region of Qeshm channel

The northern shores of the Strait of Hormuz constitute one of the most diverse shorelines in the Persian Gulf, characterized by both utility and environmental richness. Situated in the Qeshm channel, which hosts the largest mangrove habitat, major industries, and commercial port, these shores are subject to the occurrence of oil spills, posing potential substantial harm. This study employs General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) and numerical modeling to assess the potential risks to shorelines from hypothetical oil spills, considering the distinctive features of the shores and their environmental sensitivity. The results indicate that high-risk levels are not excessively prevalent overall and are confined to approximately 24 km. The shape of the channel and hydrodynamic conditions highlight the eastern sector of the Bandar Abbas urban area as particularly susceptible to oil spill entrapment. The findings indicate that high-risk areas are predominantly located away from industrial-oil shores and primarily consist of muddy shores. Therefore, internal strategies of Oil Spill Contingency Plan (OSCP) of companies are deemed insufficient and necessitate comprehensive planning initiatives.

Improving Integration of Transportation Modes for Hinterland of Prigi Commercial Port, East Java Province, Indonesia

Prigi Commercial Port was developed to bridge the economic gap between northern and southern regions of East Java Province. Therefore this research analyses the integration of transportation modes in hinterland region of Prigi Commercial Port. Data was collected from the research region and assessed using Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) and Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI). The results have shown the transportation modes in hinterland region of Prigi Commercial Port to be inadequate and partially achieved. The government took two steps and the first was associated with the preservation and improvement of the positive aspects of transportation mode integration, such as intermodal network availability, route clarity, transfer points across various networks, and time. The second step addressed the less satisfactory elements, such as the availability of primary modes, information, clarity schedule transparency, fare details, clear timing information, and modes connection.

Storm damage assessment of a port in the Southwestern Black Sea

This paper presents a comprehensive investigation of the storm damage at a commercial port located in the Southwestern Black Sea Region that occurred on January 18–19, 2018. One week after the event, a field survey was conducted at the port focusing on significantly damaged mound breakwaters and protection structures that failed at several sections. A numerical wave modeling study is carried out to estimate the wave characteristics at deep sea, nearshore, and inside the port to assess the observed damage during the field survey. Widely used numerical models WAVEWATCH III, SWAN, and SWASH are utilized using nested computational domains and calibrated based on satellite measurements. As a result, the significant wave height of the storm is estimated as 7.8 m with a peak period of 12.4 s near the port area, approaching mainly from the northwest direction. The damage mechanisms of the mound structures are discussed based on the field observations and the wave modeling studies. The insufficient seaside armor unit sizes and the orientation of the breakwaters are found to be the main reasons for the damage.

Evaluating the Sustainable Development Performance of China’s International Commercial Ports Based on Environmental, Social and Governance Elements

An environmental, social and governance (ESG) evaluation system can focus on the value of enterprises more comprehensively and better scrutinize the development premise of enterprise. As a novel investment concept, both domestic and foreign investors widely acknowledge the significance of ESG. With the implementation of “carbon peak”, “carbon neutral” and other national strategies, an increasing number of transportation enterprises in China’s international commercial ports have started to focus on the role of ESG evaluation. This not only facilitates self-examination and correction within enterprises but also helps in adjusting the strategic direction toward sustainable development. This shift toward ESG evaluation is crucial for promoting environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility within the transportation industry. In this regard, this study aims to evaluate the sustainable development performance of China’s international commercial ports based on ESG elements. A data envelopment analysis (DEA) is considered to be a non-parametric performance evaluation method that can effectively solve for multi-criteria decision-making units, so this study mainly selects the DEA model for the performance evaluation. This study conducted research to select eight benchmarking companies within the industry and found that efficient units excelled in their ability to complete capacity levels with high quality and quantity at ports. In contrast, less efficient units scored lower in the domain of social responsibility.

First occurrence of the family Botryllophilidae Sars G.O., 1921 (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) in Sicily, central Mediterranean Sea

Abstract A female copepod specimen belonging to the family Botryllophilidae Sars G.O., 1921 was retrieved for the first time in December 2023 from nautical ropes of the tourist marina in Palermo (Cala Marina), near the commercial port of the city. The individual lacks many of the distinctive morpho-anatomical characteristics of the class Copepoda, as usual in cyclopoid parasites. In this group, females typically carry paired multiseriate egg sacs, which are extruded from the genital openings and lead to taxonomic identification. The family is commonly associated with tunicates. There are few reports of commensal and/or parasitic copepods associated with sea squirts in the Mediterranean Sea. This record cannot be treated as a new non-indigenous species for the Italian coasts yet, as there are no extensive studies on the distribution of the taxon.

Assessment Of Wave Loads On Bridge Piers Using Physical And Numerical Modelling

The deep-water commercial port to be built, object of this paper, is an island port which will be served by a sea access bridge supported by piles. These piles are submitted to three types of forces: inertia forces, drag forces and wave breaking forces. As the first two type can be accurately approximated theoretically, the third one is highly dependent of the wave shape in the vicinity of the pile. As a consequence, in order to determine the hydrodynamic forces on the various piles of this bridge, a three-stages methodology was set up. An analysis of the loads was first carried out theoretically, the second stage consisted in carrying out physical model tests for a selected pile and in a third stage a numerical model was used. The paper will discuss the means and programme of the tests, and in particular the selection of characteristic waves and the results obtained.

Evolution of the Polygon of the Protected Natural Area “Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano” Due to the Expansion of the Port of Veracruz, Mexico

The Port of Veracruz, Mexico was artificially built at the beginning of the 21st century, dredging the sea floor and removing reefs to allow the entry of large ships, which led to a growth in the traffic of goods and people through it, making it the largest commercial port in all of Mexico. In 1992 the Government of Mexico decreed the area of coastal reefs near the Port of Veracruz as a protected natural area with the name of the Parque Nacional Sistema Arrecifal Veracruzano (PSNSAV). In 2013, with the demand of international trade, the decision was made to expand the port, generating job growth in the area and an increase in the flow of containers and automobiles, also have a greater capacity to transport cereals, minerals and fuels. In contrast to the disagreements of the society due to the loss of protected space, the Parks polygon had to be modified. This work try to demonstrated that the construction of the port expansion began previous the presentation to the environmental authorities of the Environmental Impact Statement and the change in the protected limits with the disappearance of the Punta Gorda reefs and the dredging of Vergara Bay for the arrival of deep draft vessels. Through a systematic mapping of the scientific literature combined with satellite mapping and visual interpretation of images, and documentary analysis, we determined the damage to the reef system, which has protected species according to Mexican national regulations.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE SIMULATION CAPABILITIES FOR OPTIMIZING THE OPERATION OF THE SEAPORT IN THE ANYLOGIC ENVIRONMENT

Globalization and containerization have significantly increased the volume of shipping in international trade. A seaport is a critical component in maritime transportation. Currently, the main focus for the effective functioning of commercial ports is focused on the use of the latest information technologies. Information support of the port operation is a difficult task for a variety of reasons, the main of which is the external influence on the internal operations of the port and its overall efficiency. Simulation modeling is the most suitable tool for analyzing such a complex interaction. The article defines the characteristic features describing the specifics of the seaport operation in the AnyLogic simulation program. Various possibilities of using the established simulation model are shown to determine the limitations in the size of the throughput and processing capacity of the seaport, substantiate the need to create a “dry” port and select its main parameters.

Evaluation of the contribution of the automated accounting information system to the managerial decision-making process in the commercial bank of Bangladesh

Accounting Information Systems (AIS) are becoming widespread among Bangladeshi banks. The purpose of this study is to assess how automated AIS affects Bangladeshi commercial banks. Purposeful sampling and a randomized block design were used to disseminate questionnaires to 400 respondents from Chattogram, Bangladesh, a commercial port city. Five-point Likert scale close-ended questions assess eight aspects of AIS usage and benefits: infrastructure, technological resources, understanding ability, operational comparability, relevance, reliability, decision-making, and organizational performance. Descriptive analysis, Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, Shapiro-Wilk test, factor analysis with Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, Cronbach's alpha, one-sample Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Kendall's tau-b Correlation Coefficient, Mann-Whitney test, Kruskal-WallisH test, and structural equation model were performed using MS Excel 2016, IBM SPSS Statistics 26, and IBM SPSS. The model was validated using convergent and discriminant validity tests. The study found that technological resources, operational comparability, relevance, and dependability influence AIS-based decision-making, while infrastructure and understandability do not. Private banks and AIS-trained personnel make more AIS-based decisions than public banks and non-AIS-trained workers. Regular and frequent decision-makers use AIS more than sporadic decision-makers. There is no effect of gender or job experience on AIS-based decision-making. Finally, AIS-based decision-making improved organizational performance. Therefore, the study results may assist Bangladeshi commercial banks in adopting AIS.

The first press release about the meetings of football teams in Mykolaіv

Local periodicals of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were studied. and local history literature from the funds of the State Archive of the Mykolaiv Region, the National Library of Ukraine named after V. I. Vernadskyi, the Odesa National Scientific Library, and the Mykolaiv Regional Universal Scientific Library to find out the history of the beginning of the game of football in Mykolaiv. In the shipbuilding city of Mykolaiv, which was previously closed to foreigners, where the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Empire was located, the possibility of commercial ships entering began in 1862, when the Commercial Port was opened with permission for the entry of foreign ships to visit and stay in the city of foreigners. Mykolaiv became one of the important ports for grain trade, where many foreign representative offices and banks were opened, commercial shipbuilding began to develop, and the cultural life of the city intensified. According to later local studies, it was established that, based on the memories of contemporaries, the first football meetings in Mykolaiv were started at the end of the 19th century. foreign sailors of merchant ships. Having adopted football traditions from foreigners, in 1901–1902 the teams of the city gymnasium and real school played football, and from 1906, the teams of the mechanical and technical school. At this time, street and district city football teams are created. Despite the fact that the first friendly meetings of football teams took place at the end of the 19th century, reports about the matches appeared in the local press only at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1908, Charles Bate, an employee of the bread office, organized the "Zebra" team, which played with foreigners and teams from educational institutions and sports clubs both in Mykolaiv and Odesa. Football matches took place on adapted sites, first near the Commercial Port, and later in different areas of the city. The referees of the matches were elected collegially from representatives of both opposing teams. Football matches were played according to English rules. The game of football at the time of its coverage in the local press was popular among the townspeople, especially among the youth of educational institutions, intelligentsia, and port workers. Newspaper articles cite examples of the presence of a significant number of spectators and fans, in connection with which the police had to be called in to maintain order. Local periodicals published not only announcements about scheduled meetings of football teams, notes with analysis of matches and their results, but also training schedules and sportsmen's runs around the city. Press publications announcing scheduled meetings, emotions from matches, the opportunity to observe and participate in joint training with popular athletes in the city contributed to the spread of football in the city. Most often, notes about football matches were printed by the "Nikolaevskaya newspaper", popular among the townspeople, with which a sports journalist probably cooperated, who did not indicate his surname or sign his authorship with the cryptonym Z-a.

A Qualitative Analysis of Climate Impacts on Egyptian Ports

Ports are vital in the global trading system but are also vulnerable to climate-related threats. This problem has not been widely studied, especially in Egypt. However, there is an urgent need to address climate-related threats to Egyptian ports, which could have significant economic and trade-related consequences. Therefore, exploring the Egyptian port administrations’ and stakeholders’ perceptions regarding climatic hazards is an urgent and essential matter for sustainable and resilient ports, considering their strategic economic importance. Consequently, this article is the first to examine how the port authorities perceive and respond to climate hazards in one of the most important and largest commercial Egyptian ports; it also explores their adaptation strategies and plans, considering the national agenda to develop the coastal ports respecting the sustainable development pillars, and fills the gaps in regional and national studies on seaports and climatic hazards. The paper focuses on the Great Alexandria Port, which includes the Alexandria and El-Dekheila ports. A questionnaire is designed and distributed in different port sectors for gathering relevant data and conducting interviews, discussions, and workshops. The findings declare obvious concern about developing the Egyptian ports under the national projects umbrella. Also, the port authorities are aware of the risks of climate change and believe some adaptation measures are necessary and could be essential soon. They are taking steps to adapt their ports, considering a specific strategy that includes rehabilitating infrastructure (breakwater and berths), functional facilities, and services, improving drainage systems to enhance their port’s resilience, and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Our research findings suggest that there are opportunities for scientists to engage with the port stakeholders to proactively develop plans to alleviate climate change’s effects on their ports.

Regulatory, accompanying, and collective governance? The challenges of re-orientating environmental-economic interdependencies in two French ports

ABSTRACT How small/medium-sized (SM) commercial ports act politically matters for local ecological transformation facing increasing climate and socio-environmental failures and dilemmas. In this spirit, we compared the environmental public action of two SM ports in southwestern France – La Rochelle and Bayonne – facing two sets of dilemmas: (i) how to tackle problems emerging from past choices; (ii) how to resolve issues arising from ‘choosing the future today’. Whereas global scientific assessments highlight regulatory, accompanying and collective approaches as high confidence ones towards ecological transformation, more technologically resourced scenarios (without economic behavioural change governance) are available to SM ports. Furthermore, although political processes of territorialisation, democratisation and ecologisation have reconfigured environmental authority for both public actors and SM ports in France, there is nothing inevitable about how different categories of public (and private) actor may work together. Our results reflect these tensions. Both SM ports have engaged to institutionalise regulatory, accompanying and collective environmental public action, and portray new approaches as indicative of their acknowledged responsibility. Nevertheless, important contradictions muddy the ecologisation trajectories their key actors claim to be taking. Overall, the study highlights that transformed governance alone does not guarantee that actors have fully embarked upon a newly transformative trajectory.

Safety management systems in multimodal transport networks: the case of commercial port infrastructures

The aim of the present work is to propose an original approach to the design of Safety Management Systems of multimodal transport networks, taking account of rules already used, or being tested, in the aeronautical, railway and road-motorway fields. This research, in particular, aims to analyze the specific case of commercial ports, which are configured as natural hubs in logistics chains and, as such, as points of intersection and interface between different carriers. Due to their intrinsic characteristics (multi-modality, multi-scale, multi-risk, multi-functionality), ports are configured not only as nerve nodes of large-scale transport networks but to be themselves complex networks characterized by multiplicity and diversity of inherent technical rules related to safety of infrastructures. Therefore, the purpose of the work consists of developing a context analysis of the port sector, capturing and analyzing its most relevant and distinctive features, in order to formulate and discuss hypotheses for the implementation of SMS focused on the infrastructural assets of ports. Note that such type of SMS can be therefore strategic in order to be usable as decision tool for the management activities defined in the Regulatory Plans of the Port System.

Monitoring microplastics in coastal waters of a biosphere reserve: a case study in Menorca (Spain)

This study provides with evidence of the presence of sea surface microplastics in a UNESCO marine biosphere reserve: the island of Menorca in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. From a total of 90 samples, in 100% of the samples, microplastics were observed with a mean value of 0.18 ± 0.01 items/m2. According to data, no significant differences were observed for sampling period with very similar values between 2021 (0.17 ± 0.02 items/m2) and 2022 (0.18 ± 0.02 items/m2). However, significant differences were observed regarding sampling area (both site and locality) suggesting that sea surface plastics in the study area might be more dependent of the spatial scale rather than on the temporal scale. Fibre type microplastics predominated over fragments, films, pellets, and foams, but in the commercial Port de Maó, almost 50% of the identified items were foams which could be related to the transportation of packed goods to this port. Results from the model applied to study the relation between waste management indicators and microplastic abundance indicate that when considering all marine litter categories, the explanatory variables are plastic waste generated by residents population (tonnes/year/km2) and waste collection rate (%), whereas if only plastics are considered, the indicator regarding waste per capita (kg/hab/year) is also included. Data in this study is obtained through a harmonized protocol which can be used to define baseline and threshold values to evaluate good environmental status regarding descriptor 10 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

EDNA Metabarcoding Analysis as Tool to Assess the Presence of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS): A Case Study in the Bilge Water

One of the most important causes of biodiversity loss are non-indigenous species (NIS), in particular invasive ones. The dispersion of NIS mainly depends on anthropogenic activities such as maritime traffic, which account for almost half of the total NIS introduction in the European seas, as reported by the European Environmental Agency. For this reason, NIS management measures are mainly focused on commercial ports (i.e., ballast water management and Marine Strategy Framework Directive monitoring), underestimating the role of marinas and tourist harbors; these host small vessels (<20 m), such as recreational, fishery, and sail ones without ballast waters, but are also responsible for NIS arrival and spread through the bilge water as well as from hull fouling. With the aim of paying attention to marinas and tourist harbors and validating an innovative molecular methodology for NIS surveillance and monitoring, in the present work, eDNA metabarcoding of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) was applied to both bilge waters and adjacent ones to assess species composition and particularly NIS presence. A total of 140 OTUs/species with extra-Mediterranean distribution were found in the bilge samples; several of these are most likely ascribed to food contamination (e.g., Salmo salar). Excluding food contamination species, twelve of these found in the bilge waters were already known as NIS in the Mediterranean Sea, belonging to algae, mollusks, crustaceans, annelids, echinoderms, and fishes. Nine of these species are new to Italian waters. The results obtained in the present work support the importance of NIS monitoring in marinas and small harbors, particularly in the bilge waters, through eDNA metabarcoding, having detected several potential NIS that otherwise would not have been discovered.

Some aspects of the impact of noise on the health of the population of the city of Vladivostok

In this work, sociological, laboratory, medical and statistical research methods. The population of the city of Vladivostok was chosen as the object of the study from 2019 to 2022. For the study, the points of measurement of noise generated by a commercial port, motor transport, railway near residential buildings and social facilities located in close proximity to the noise source were determined in the conditions of the existing residential development. During the study period, 202 measurements of the actual noise level were carried out.Based on the calculations of the levels of risk to public health, the existing noise levels in the territory of the city of Vladivostok, the probability of an adverse effect from the nervous system and hearing aid is estimated as a moderate risk to health, from the cardiovascular system is close to extreme. Based on the results obtained, measures are needed to organize constant monitoring of the noise load on the residential territory of the city of Vladivostok. It is recommended to develop measures to reduce the noise load taking into account the medium and short term (1–3 years). When assessing the impact of traffic noise on the health of the population of the city of Vladivostok, within the framework of social and hygienic monitoring, it is necessary to take into account the combined effects of chemical and physical factors. Based on the results obtained, measures are needed to organize constant monitoring of the noise load on the residential territory of the city of Vladivostok.