Deep-sea Ports Research Articles

The spatialities of extended infrastructure landscapes: the case of Malaysia’s Melaka Gateway project

ABSTRACT This paper contributes to emerging research that seeks to understand how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is transforming the processes of urbanisation through more nuanced and situated analyses of its spatial, political-economic and discursive dimensions. In doing so, the paper focuses on the proposed Melaka Gateway project in Southwestern Malaysia, which is a privately financed initiative, slated to be the largest artificial island project in Southeast Asia, including a deep sea port, cruise ship terminal and eco-resorts off the UNESCO World Heritage city of Melaka. In line with the focus for this special issue, this paper examines the political, ecological, and socio-cultural transformations that such speculative infrastructure projects generate, even as they remain incomplete. Conceptually, the paper argues that a landscape political ecology approach can help to understand the conjoined political, ecological and discursive dimensions bound up with transnational infrastructure projects at multiple scales.

A BIM Approach for the Design of Industrial Warehouses

All around the world, the Building Information Modeling (BIM) is transforming the architecture of engineering design and of construction industry. While it is in an early implementation stage in African Sub-saharan Countries, many construction regulators and project owners are beginning to enforce the BIM application from the project design stage to its commissioning. The aim of this research work is to provide an approach for designing industrial warehouses using BIM as it was done in the industrial zone of the Kribi Deep Sea port in Cameroon. The proposed methodology is presented in six steps: definition of BIM general requirements, design of the 3D BIM architectural model, sizing of wall and roof for specific requirements, design of the 3D BIM structural model, coordination of 3D BIM models and interference detection and creation of 4D BIM model. Results obtained from the application of BIM on the design of a warehouse, dedicated to preserve the natural and biological essence of cocoa and coffee products in a hostile marine environment, show that this methodology is easily appropriated and implemented by local design and construction engineers through available engineering software in the local market.

Taking Responsible Innovation to China: The Dalian Port Development Case

Responsible innovation (RI) is playing a progressively significant role in the developed countries of Europe and North America, but is not as often used as a framework for analysis in developing countries. This article describes how what we term latent or implicit RI was introduced to a large-scale technological project in China: the expansion of the deep-sea port in Dalian. This analysis first reviews the historical development of the port and summarizes the Chinese context since the Reform and Opening that began in the late 1970s. It provides a brief case study of a particular emergency containment pool construction project undertaken by Dalian Port (PDA), uses stakeholder analysis to evaluate the project, identifies key values influencing the work, and considers the extent to which it meets criteria set out in a specific four-dimensional RI methodological framework. We argue that although it does not use RI rhetoric, the PDA in effect practices latent RI which is also in fact becoming manifest. In conclusion we also consider some of the weaknesses of our argument and some ambiguities of RI.

River Port and Deep-Sea Port Developments in Nigeria: Implications for West African Gateways and Hinterland Markets

The steady development of river and deep-sea ports in Nigeria are examined, with a special focus on the changing trends of inter-port competition in-country and among West African rivals. In 2018, whereas Togo overtook Nigeria in annual container throughput volume and Onne Port, from 2015, recorded higher throughput volume in-country, than the two previously dominant Lagos ports, other regional rivals such as Cotonou, Tema, Abidjan and San Pedro recorded higher year-on-year throughput increases than Nigeria, posing the logical question of what the future holds in a vibrant liberalized market apparently set for redefinition through Chinese intervention. The study used archival, primary and secondary sources and qualitative analytical methodology. Interviews of Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) staff, port operators and cargo logistics agents were conducted and latest throughput data of Nigerian ports were verified during the research. The findings include the high number of Nigerian deep-sea port proposals which are hardly supported by the current national (and transshipment) traffic volumes, and even less so by the weak multimodal transport infrastructure, although the new China-backed Lekki Deep-sea Port might redeem lost grounds. The study recommends ways NPA can use the new presidential orders to redirect unfavourable traffic flow patterns in the region.

Effect of Tide on Temporal and Spatial Distribution of Some Physical and Chemicals Parameters in the Shallow Estuary of the Kienke River (Kribi Deep Sea Port Area, South Cameroon Coast)

The aim of this study was to highlight the effect of tide on the variation of the physicochemical parameter in the Kienké estuary. Six (06) environmental variables were monitored at nine (09) stations with the time step of one hour from 7 am to 7 pm on 4th August 2019. The hovmuller analysis showed that salinity, conductivity, total dissolved solids, and pH values increased during the flood phase and decreased during the ebb phase while oxygen concentration decreased during the flood and increased during the ebb phase. The stratification parameter has shown that the influx of seawater during high tide shifts the Kienké estuary from a well-mixed to a partially mixed environment.

A hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making model for prioritizing risk mitigation strategies in deep-sea port public-private partnerships

Public private partnership has been broadly accepted as an effective practice to resolve funding issue for large-scale infrastructure projects, especially in many developing countries. Both researc...

Does China Wants to Contain Singapore through OBOR Inititative?-Take Melaka Gateway as an Example

Melaka Gateway is a joint project promoted by China and Malaysia. As a project followed by OBOR Initiative, it will include a deep-sea port as well as commercial and residential property expansions once completed. Some opponents concerned that it was an aggressive and ambitious plan that used to contain Singapore’s further development. But the reason why China develop Melaka Gateway is more like a rational choice after political and economic considerations. The paper will illustrate the point in detail.

Strategic and Economic Importance of Gwadar for China and other Regional and Western States

Gwadar is a deep seaport that played the role of main communication and trade route among India and the Gulf States. In collaboration with China, Gwadar Port has been intended to be connected with Afghanistan and via Afghanistan to Central Asia through road links. If we take the case of the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, it is Gwadar Port that allows China to counterbalance the Indo-US supremacy. Beijing now has the ability to counterbalance Indian maritime activities in the Indian Ocean by praising and acknowledging this Port. Gwadar Port's distance from Pakistan's Karachi Port and India's Gujarat and Mumbai naval stations allows China to observe Indo-US naval operations in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf. Persia Gulf is responsible for over 60% of Beijing's energy supply demands. This phenomenon, in the long run, allows Beijing to monitor and control the sea lanes of communication (SLOCs) from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and up to the Strait of Hormuz.

GEO-STRATEGIC CONSEQUENCE OF CHABAHAR AND GWADAR SEA PORTS AND THE INTERESTS OF EXTERNAL PLAYER

In this study, we are trying to examine the Geostrategic and economic potentials of Gwadar and Chabahar deep Sea ports recently two constructed ports while Gwadar situated in Balochistan Province of Pakistan and Chabahar located in Sistan and Balochistan area of Iran has been recognized as coagulated strategic agreements between China and Pakistan and between India and Iran. These sea port politics are forming an unbalance of powers in the region after the United States of America is expanding its military role in the region and attended more strategic partnership with India. Both ports could change the dynamics of regional politics, oceanic trades and transshipment, therefore, in this developing scenario both Gwadar and Chabahar Iranian port have taken a central stage in the current phase of international politics and have taken a unique geo- strategic and geo-political significance. Gwadar deep sea port is weighted as a strategic base from where; China can monitor US movement in the Persian Gulf, Indians naval actions in the Arabian sea and US-Indo maritime cooperation in the IOR (Indian Ocean Region). India, in response of this strategic move developing Chahbahar port with Iranian assistances and partnership of Afghanistan, desire to Central Asian countries coupled with to reduce the influence of Chinas future long -run geo-economic and strategic interest in the entire region. The new economic, strategic and development move have created a new power structure which places the indigenous people better off after the new wave of globalization in this region. The development of Chabahar and more specifically Gwadar port could go nowhere, if the property rights of local masses and their socio economic security are not protected. One solution is to provide free and fair access of local masses to the new developments with equal distribution of resources and other opportunities to the locals at their doorsteps

Wind farms selection using geospatial technologies and energy generation capacity in Gwadar

Pakistan has been a victim of energy crisis since last few decades. This energy crisis has adversely affected country’s socio-economic development and continues to do so. The continuously increasing demand–supply gap has negatively impacted the economic stability of the country. With the recent awareness and development of alternate energy resources like wind and solar, the current energy crisis can be minimized. However, proper planning is essential for successful execution of these renewable energy projects. This study aims to identify the suitable sites for wind farms in District Gwadar, Balochistan using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Web-based Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS). In this study, multi-criteria decision making is applied which assists breaking down the site selection complexity. Multi-Criteria evaluation methods provides different set of procedures that facilitate decision making by analyzing different alternatives. The underlying geospatial and ICT technologies used in this analysis form the core component of the planning process. Gwadar is currently drawing investor’s attention due to its geographical location, deep seaport, and proposed China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). This research is useful for stakeholders of Wind Energy to explore the wind potentials using GIS as an interactive decision-making tool during the pre-feasibility stage.Furthermore, this research has considered the environmental, social and economic aspects during the decision-making process of wind farm development. This is the strength of multi-criteria evaluation as differently weighted scenarios provide different output, depending on the factors considered of highest importance. A detailed analysis of the sites in terms of their wind potential and energy generation capacity has also been reported in this study. This long coastline of Balochistan with huge wind energy potential has not been explored yet and therefore this study will assist researchers to further explore this area and can have a positive impact on CPEC.

Impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on regional stability in South Asia

ABSTRACT By focusing on domestic and geopolitical factors, this study aims to understand the impacts of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on regional stability in South Asia. It critically examines China’s investments in Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to understand how that impacts local economies and politics as well as the geopolitical climate considering the rivalry between China and India. As China seeks to promote alternatives for its partners to decrease their dependence on India and India-dominated institutions, there appears to be a negative impact of the geostrategic competition between China and India on South Asian regionalism. China’s economic influence varies and the evidence from Sri Lanka and Pakistan suggests that Beijing fully controls the deep seaports that it has built through BRI. While Beijing has engaged with a variety of political actors in the selected countries, it has not tried to influence domestic politics.

The Implementation of South Sumatera Industrial Downstreaming for Rubber Products Strategic Policy with The Establishment of Tanjung Api-Api Special Economic Zone

The downstreaming option to provide added value to local industries, especially developing countries in the Global Value Chain (GVC) era as a way to increase competitiveness and seizing global markets, is inevitable. This paper focus on the analysis of the developments and limitations faced in the implementation of the Strategic Policy of South Sumatra Rubber Product Downstreaming with the establishment of Tanjung Api-Api Special Economic Zone. At the regional level, the idea of developing SEZ (Special Economic Zone) aims to prepare investment institutions in improving the investment climate in Southeast Asia region and manifesting ASEAN as a single market and production base as a component of the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community. This study used an exploratory and descriptive qualitative research method, where the depth and context of the data are important. Data from this study consisted of secondary data through literature study and analysis of documents and primary data obtained from interview as well as through field research. The author concludes that the industrial downstreaming of rubber products in South Sumatra has not been maximally carried out, it was still segmented, it was not conducted linearly, both production and coordination between the central government and the locals. Tanjung Api-Api SEZ as a hub for international trade and industrialization of rubber commodities also encountered various obstacles including infrastructure (deep sea port) at this point was inadequate, certainty of fiscal incentives for companies relocating to SEZ and licensing.

China-Bangladesh Geopolitical Relations: A Study of Some Geostrategic and Geoeconomic Issues in the Context of the Bay of Bengal

Geopolitically, the Bay of Bengal is very important because it is connected with Andaman Sea and Malacca Straits. Moreover, the Bay of Bengal has direct links with South Asia and South East Asia including the Indian Ocean. Particularly, both China and India are very interested in the Bay of Bengal for mineral resources. Through the Bay of Bengal, China wants a direct connectivity between China and Indian Ocean through either South East Bangladesh or Rakhine state of Myanmar. This study has dealt with the importance of the Bay of Bengal in the light of China’s geopolitical desire, trade and investment, oil and gas, and regional connectivity. Many geopolitical issues of China and Bangladesh have been discussed in this study. The main objective of this study is to focus on strengthening the relationship between China and Bangladesh, so that these two neighboring countries can be beneficiaries through trade and investment, regional connectivity, expanding the exports and imports. And these two friendly countries can be also beneficiaries through constructing the deep seaports along the Eastern Coastal Zone of Bangladesh, particularly Southeast Cox’s Bazar. The findings of this study are that, the relationship Between China and Bangladesh in the light of the geopolitics and geo-economic issues is, of course, pivotal for both countries for trade and investment, and for economic cooperation and development. Methodologically it is a qualitative study, which is based on both primary and secondary data. Keywords: China, Bangladesh, Geopolitical Relations, Bay of Bengal

Interaction between Marine Sectors using System Dynamics for Patimban Deep Sea Port as a Green Port: A Proposed Model

Based on Marine Policy Statement (MPS) some sectors are chosen as the key elements, whose interactions are modeled using system dynamics (SD). They are port, commercial shipping, marine protected area, and commercial fishing. Besides those, according to MPS and beyond the coastal area conversion of agricultural land into the industrial area due to commercial shipping, maintenance of state roads due to port (shifting from Tanjung Priok port), redistribution of population, and environmental aspects will also be taken into account in the model. Some of the elements will construct reinforcing (R+) loops, while the others construct balancing (B-) loops in finding an equilibrium or solution. Several scenarios are proposed, where each has a different set of parameters, that can reflect a certain policy. Due to the lack of certain data and information related to the deep seaport, most of the data used in this work are based on assumptions but with a logical causal relationship between elements. It is observed that some features in the results are as expected, but some are new and depend on the chosen scenario. Further benchmarks with real situations are required for validation of the model.

Economic Development Policies and Land Use Changes in Thailand: From the Eastern Seaboard to the Eastern Economic Corridor

The Thai government’s project called “Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC)” was announced in 2016 to stimulate economic development and help the country escape from the middle-income trap. The project provides investment incentives for the private sector and the infrastructure development of land, rail, water, and air transportation. The EEC project encompasses three provinces in the eastern region of Thailand because of their strategic locations near deep seaports and natural resources in the Gulf of Thailand. Clearly, this policy will lead to dramatic changes in land uses and the livelihoods of the people in these three provinces. However, the extent to which land use changes will occur because of this project remains unclear. This study aims to analyze land use changes in the eastern region of Thailand using a Cellular Automata–Markov model. The results show that land uses of the coastal areas have become more urbanized than inland areas, which are primarily agricultural lands. The predicted land uses suggest shrinking agricultural lands of paddy fields, field crops, and horticulture lands but expanding perennial lands. These changes in land uses highlight challenges in urban administration and management as well as threats to Thailand’s agricultural cultures in the future.

An Analysis of the Fate and Trajectory Simulation of Bonny Light Crude From The Dangote Single Point Mooring(SPM) Terminal Off the South Atlantic Ocean, Lagos Nigeria

ABSTRACT Crude oil is predicted to become one of the most detrimental sources of anthropogenic pollution to the marine environment. To meet Nigeria's energy need, Dangote Industries Ltd. was granted licence to build a refinery in the Lekki Free Trade Zone in 2014. There is a significant risk of oil spill from the Single Point Mooring terminal of the refinery as it shares close proximity to the Lekki deep seaport, closeness to the shoreline, sensitive environmental receptors as well as social spots (beaches and resorts). To address this gap, this study aims to design a stochastic model for oil spill prediction for the SPM terminal in order to provide an understanding of the trajectory, fate and uncertainties of spilled oil at different environmental and hydrodynamic conditions. The GNOME software was used to model oil spill trajectory in the SPM terminal while ADIOS2 modelled Bonny light crude weathering characteristics. The best guess solution and the minimum regret analysis shows the possibility of oil beaching on the coastline of Lagos, Edo and Delta State as well as the Gulf of Guinea. The fate simulation for 5 days revealed that evaporation will account for 23% and 27% of oil loss in dry and wet season while dispersion will account for 1.3% and 1.6% in the same time period. Within the same time period, Bonny light crude will form a stable emulsion that will increase the viscosity and density of oil. Also, 66% and 59% of oil was remaining after 5 days, while airborne benzene concentration evaporated in 36 hours and 12 hours in the dry and wet season respectively. The results obtained in this research work suggest that, the window of opportunity need to be utilised by stockpiling equipment and mechanical responders for shoreline clean-up to avoid the oil possibly beaching along the Coastline of Lagos, Edo and Delta state as well as countries on the Gulf of Guinea.

Deep Sea Port and the National Development: Perspective of Bangladesh

The deep sea port development as an economic infrastructure influences positively on the growth of a country. The economic history of Britain, Netherlands, and Singapore, known as the maritime powers in the world, undoubtedly proves the important role of ports played in the development of their economies. Establishment of a deep-sea port has become strategically very critical for Bangladesh considering its potential impact on the development and economic growth of the country.Port economics and macroeconomics are closely related.So changes in port traffic or operation and port organization has a significant impact on national economy especially on the hinterland. This study, therefore, has focused on the importance of deep seaport in the national development of Bangladesh. Moreover, the paper gives an overview of a deep seaport and national development in respect of Bangladesh.The study also indicates the effect of a deep seaport on national development. At the end, this study states some recommendations for the establishment of the deep sea port.Those Includes-Studies on the selection of strategic location, details investigation of hinterland connectivity, the decision on investment and proper planning etc.

China's Investment in Bangladesh: India's Apprehension and Bangladesh Responses

Bangladesh is the closest neighbor of India rather than China. India has a certain advantageous position in its multifaceted relations with Bangladesh. Both countries shared common history, trade and commerce, social, religious, and cultural traditions from a long time ago. On the other hand, Beijing is the top development partner of Dhaka and since 1980, it has been steadily investing in Bangladesh. Last five years China’s investment has increased in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is one of the top customers of Chinese arms and ammunitions. In addition, China is investing a lot in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) region including its upgrading Chittagong port as well as intended to build another deep sea port in Bangladesh, which is viewed by many scholars as a part of Chinese ‘String of pearls’ strategy. This study is in view of looking at whether Bangladesh is a part of China’s string of pearls strategy or not. This article concludes that China’s investment in Bangladesh is not a matter of security concern for India. In fact, Bangladesh has engaged with China for the country’s development as China is the second world largest economy and is projected to outdo the USA within a short period.

The problem of determining the threshold for statistical analysis by the POT method: Application to wave data on the Moroccan Atlantic coast

In a study of extreme waves by the Peak Over Threshold (POT) method, the determination of the threshold of data censoring is an essential step. A wrong choice of the threshold can lead to erroneous results of the wave height design and consequently a bad design of maritime structures such as breakwaters for deep sea ports. In this study, we analyzed the influence of the threshold variation on the results of the hundred-year return period waves, generally considered for the design of maritime structures. The sensitivity study allowed us to confirm that the exponential model is the best probability distribution to describe wave data in two points on the Moroccan Atlantic coast for the wave data period from 1958 to 2019. This study also confirmed that a wrong choice of the statistical distribution and a wrong choice of the threshold lead to significant errors in the estimation of design wave height.

A hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making model for prioritising risk mitigation strategies in deep-sea port public-private partnerships

A hybrid fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making model for prioritising risk mitigation strategies in deep-sea port public-private partnerships