Maritime Cluster Research Articles

Research on the spatial distribution and influencing factors of the maritime services: based on data from Chinese enterprises

ABSTRACT In the context of global maritime cluster development and the strategic evolution of port cities, the spatial distribution and determinants of Maritime Services (MSs) emerge as pivotal areas of inquiry. However, empirical analysis in this domain remains limited. To address this deficiency, our study meticulously processes and analyses data from Chinese Maritime Service Enterprises (MSEs) listed in the World Shipping Register Company until 2023, categorizing these enterprises into port-related, ship-related and maritime consulting enterprises. Utilizing instrumental variables and econometrics, our findings reveal that MSs in China predominantly aggregate in coastal cities, along major inland waterways, and within inland central cities, with a pronounced clustering near urban centers. This distribution is primarily influenced by two factors: firstly, geographic proximity to seaports and throughput levels markedly impacts the distribution, especially for port-related enterprises and ship-related enterprises. Secondly, the clustering of downstream supporting industries, shared labor pools and knowledge spillovers, which are essential elements of agglomeration economics, particularly affects maritime consulting enterprises. Such a pattern is also influenced by the broader business environment and governmental governance. This research not only clarifies existing disputes regarding the maritime industry’s spatial distribution but also offers insights for MSs development and the transformative planning of port cities.

Diurnal Variation Characteristics of Raindrop Size Distribution Observed by a Parsivel2 Disdrometer in the Ili River Valley

The diurnal variation characteristics of raindrop size distribution (RSD) in the Ili River Valley are investigated in this study, using the RSD data from May to September during 2020-2021 collected by a Parsivel2 disdrometer in Zhaosu. Significant diurnal variations (02–07, 08–13, 14–19, and 20-01 local standard time (LST)) of precipitation and RSD in Zhaosu are revealed during the rainy seasons. Precipitation mainly occurs in the late afternoon and early evening. A higher concentration of small raindrops is observed in the morning, whereas more mid-size and large raindrops are observed in the afternoon. The RSD exhibits diurnal differences between different rainfall rate classes; the diurnal difference of RSD is more pronounced in the case of high rainfall rates. Stratiform precipitation can occur at any time of the day, yet convective precipitation mainly occurs during the late afternoon and early evening. The RSD of stratiform rainfall shows a similar distribution over the four time periods. For convective rainfall, the concentration of small raindrops is the highest (lowest) over 02–07 (14–19) LST, while the highest (lowest) concentration of medium and large drops is observed over 14–19 (02–07) LST. Convective rain in the Ili River Valley over 14–19 LST can be characterized as the continental convective cluster, while in the rest time of the day, it is neither in the maritime cluster nor in the continental cluster. The empirical relationships between the radar reflectivity factor and rainfall rate (Z-R) for stratiform and convective rain types are also derived. The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of precipitation microphysics in arid mountainous region.

КОРПОРАТИВНІ ТРЕНІНГОВІ ЦЕНТРИ – ІНСТРУМЕНТ НАЛАГОДЖЕННЯ СПІВПРАЦІ ЗВО ТА ПІДПРИЄМСТВ ЩОДО АКТУАЛІЗАЦІЇ ІНТЕЛЕКТУАЛЬНОГО КАПІТАЛУ

The war in Ukraine has caused significant damage to domestic enterprises. Missile attacks have either damaged or completely destroyed objects of fixed capital and production infrastructure. However, the most significant problem lies in the loss of personnel within these organizations. Personnel need to be restored, and its intellectual capital must be updated. In this context, the question arises about establishing cooperation between higher education institutions and, primarily, high-tech intellectual businesses to address the challenges they face. In fact, this involves implementing dual forms of acquiring professional competencies by students of universities and enhancing the qualifications of organizational personnel. This topic is not new to a certain part of the academic community, however, such discussions only sometimes result in useful proposals regarding methods and technologies that would be beneficial to the relevant stakeholders. This problem-solving on the example of a corporate training center is the purpose of our investigation. The informational basis of the research includes legislative and regulatory acts governing processes related to the implementation of dual forms of higher education, as well as numerous publications from our predecessors identified using content analysis methods of popular scientific-metric databases. Observations of the practice of training centers creation by organizations participating in the Ukrainian Maritime Cluster were used to form practical conclusions and recommendations. A series of reasons are given for why this idea arose and was implemented in practice by companies in the shipbuilding product chain. All of them have long transformed into high-tech intellectual centers, requiring the engagement of a new generation of employees who are equally proficient in engineering, information and communication tools, and management. They must unite real and artificial intelligence carriers into effective teams. It is emphasized that the advantage of training centers lies in the synergistic effect resulting from shared requirements for training profiles, high competence, and experience in developing educational plans.

Evaluation of the potential for maritime cluster development in South Asia

ABSTRACT The maritime transport sector is a crucial domestic and regional economic engine, and maritime clusters can significantly enhance business operations and a country’s economy. South Asia does not have any recognised world-class maritime clusters but shows signs of intense clustering of the maritime sector. This study is the first to investigate the potential for maritime cluster development among ports in South Asia. The study adopted the following steps to reach a consensus on the clustering potential of eleven major south-Asian ports. First, experts were asked to rate eleven major South Asian ports on factors related to maritime cluster performance given by de Langen's cluster structure–cluster governance framework. These responses were used as input in the fuzzy-Delphi method to determine the weights of the factors. The ports were then ranked using the TOPSIS method based on their performance on these factors, which permitted an analysis of the long-term clustering potential of the evaluated South Asian port cities. The top three ranked ports were JNPT Mumbai, Port of Malé, and Port of Kolkata, offering valuable insights for port authorities, stakeholders, and policymakers to optimize resource usage and alleviate bottlenecks in South Asian maritime cluster development.

Seasonal variation of microphysical characteristics for different rainfall types in the Tianshan Mountains of China

Three-year (2020−2022) raindrop size distribution (DSD) measurements from a second-generation PARSIVEL disdrometer deployed at Zhaosu, which is located in the Tianshan Mountains of China, are analyzed to investigate the seasonal variability of microphysical characteristics of two types of rainfall. Rainfall at Zhaosu is classified as stratiform rainfall and convective rainfall in the normalized intercept parameter–median volume diameter (log10Nw–D0) and log10Nw–mass-weighted mean diameter (log10Nw–Dm) spaces, respectively. Both stratiform rainfall and convective rainfall samples in the log10Nw–D0 space are more than three times those in the log10Nw–Dm space, accompanied by smaller mean rainfall rate (R). Rainfall in summer (spring) has the lowest (highest) concentration of small-size raindrops, while rainfall in fall (summer) has the lowest (highest) concentration of mid- and large-size raindrops, accompanied by the largest (smallest) mean Dm and D0 values and the smallest (largest) mean log10Nw values in summer (spring). Convective rainfall exhibits more significant seasonal variation in microphysical parameters and DSD than stratiform rainfall, whether in the log10Nw–D0 space or the log10Nw–Dm space. The convective rainfall in spring is more like maritime cluster, whereas that in summer is more like continental cluster in the log10Nw–Dm space. Furthermore, in the log10Nw–D0 and log10Nw–Dm spaces, localized relationships of radar reflectivity factor – R (Z–R) and shape parameter – slope parameter (μ–∧) are derived across seasons for different rainfall types. The results indicate that there are significant seasonal variations in the microphysical characteristics of rainfall in the Tianshan Mountains of China for the two rainfall types. This study further emphasizes that different classification schemes for rainfall types can lead to significant differences in the characteristics of DSD, Z–R, and μ–∧ relationships for different rainfall types.

Techno-economic feasibility of marine eco-parks driven by wave energy: A case study at the coastal arid region of Mexico

Coastal arid regions face significant challenges in ensuring energy, water, and food security. Given the urgency of meeting these demands, it is necessary to consider innovative solutions that enhance adaptive capacity and sustainable development of coastal zones. Harnessing wave energy has become a potential ocean renewable resource that can provide significant benefits to mitigating coastal vulnerability and climate change. However, most wave energy projects still face different challenges that limit their financing and commercial deployment. This paper aims to evaluate the techno-economic feasibility of 0.5 MW Marine Ecoparks as maritime clusters coupled with wave energy converter, seawater desalination, and marine aquaculture modules to produce the water-energy-food nexus and boost, symbiotically, the viability of the wave energy sector and the blue economy in the arid coastal communities of Baja California, a Mexican Pacific region with a mid-wave energy resource. Based on technical and economic data available in the literature, the cost estimates and the contribution of each coupled module to the Marine Ecopark profitability were carried out and compared against other forms of energy generation using different current and projected 2030 market scenarios. All the cases analyzed show that the Pelamis device generates higher techno-economic performance than the WaveDragon. While individual wave energy devised siting is not profitable, economic scaling in increases maritime clusters' profitability. Optimally selected Pelamis facilities attain capacity factors over 40 % and a Levelized Cost of Energy of 480 $/MWh. The coupled seaweed aquaculture module generates the highest water-energy-food nexus profitability, whereas seawater desalination is not economically viable. All wave energy farms show a decrease in estimated electricity cost by 2030, reaching 198 USD/MWh for the most competitive Pelamis farms.

The role of shipbrokers in sustainable maritime clusters: A quantitative approach towards digitalization

Shipbrokers hold a very important role in shipping, as their involvement in bridging supply and demand in the industry is critical. Shipping, a modern yet highly traditional industry, has been woven through the eons of human need for transportation into a highly asymmetric construct with reference to the exchange of information. This pitfall is covered by the reassuring role of the shipbroker and over time can be facilitated only with digitalization. On the other hand, maritime clusters have been considered in previous years as the powerhouses of growth for modern economies, as they can foster national competitive advantages. These constructs have been thought to hold a definitive implication in the aim of the shipping industry towards sustainability. Within this context, the role of shipbrokers has not been documented extensively and this specific research gap is tended to by the present work. This is accomplished through a questionnaire administered to shipping professionals to extract the effect of shipbrokers in clusters, and presented with the utilization of instruments that can play a major part towards a digitalization paradigm. The analysis of the survey results can help attain a definitive image as per the implications of brokers in sustainable maritime clusters.

Potential to Setting Up of Maritime Clusters in Angola

This paper seeks to address the relationship between the concentration of economic activities associated with the sea and Angola’s economic development. The investigation on Maritime Clusters arises from the fact that Angola has maritime infrastructures and a strong maritime activity being the sea hinterland of landlocked countries in Southern and Southern Central Africa. It is also experiencing socio-economic and demographic changes generated by economic activities with a relevant impact on the business environment, bringing about opportunities for the establishment of industrial clusters in particular maritime clusters. Thus, this paper aims to understand that the setting up of clusters might reduce regional asymmetries and poverty in the country, showing the importance of maritime clusters for economic development and job creation by enhancing the growth of solid micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME). It also enables to understand that maritime clusters are relevant not only to the diversification of country’s economy that is still largely dependent from the oil industry but also to the integration of the Angolan economy in the Southern African Development Countries (SADC). Regarding the existing gap in knowledge about the issue, this research work represents an analytical contribute for further research initiatives, particularly quantitative nature.

УПРАВЛІННЯ РОЗВИТКОМ КОМПОНЕНТІВ МОРСЬКОГО КЛАСТЕРУ НА ШЛЯХУ ДО НАЛАГОДЖЕННЯ ІНТЕГРАЦІЙНИХ ПРОЦЕСІВ ТРАНСПОРТНОЇ СИСТЕМИ КРАЇНИ

The article considers the concept of a cluster, the special attention is paid to maritime clusters. The purpose of the article is to analyze the Ukrainian maritime clusters enterprises indicators, determine the condition of the integration potential implementation in the system of strategic development of the state, and develop recommendations for finding ways to preserve pre-war volumes of transportation. World experience shows that in the conditions of globalization, such a high-tech industry as the transport industry develops most successfully on the basis of regional innovation and industrial clusters. Over the past decade, in many countries, the traditional sectoral form of business organization has been replaced by clusters – informal associations of large leading companies with an unlimited number of small and medium-sized enterprises, technology centers, design and construction firms, related market institutions that interact with each other within a single value chain located at a relatively short distance from each other in the same region. Clustering makes it possible to form a comprehensive approach to the state development policy of the country and its regions, taking into account the potential of economic entities. At the current stage, the world economy is characterized by the deepening of integration processes, which necessitates the reorientation of the national economy to modern processes in the world economy. The implementation of integration functions is an important factor in the modern economic development of the state and currently acts as a separate promising aspect of forming the basis for a qualitative breakthrough in the country's economic development. In the Ukrainian transport system, in its performance of the transit role and integration functions, all components of its maritime clusters are of great importance: ports, shipbuilding factories, stevedore companies, companies providing forwarding and agency services, universities, certification agencies. All these components require an effective management strategy as a complete production and economic system, which should be based on an integrated approach.

The Impact of the Transformation of the Kołobrzeg Port on the Initiation of the Innovative Maritime Cluster of Central Pomerania: An In-depth Interviews

The article refers to one of the basic development directions of countries with high potential related to the implementation of maritime infrastructure in areas with high investment capacity. The selected research area, i.e. the South Baltic Sea of Poland, fits into the research topic, mainly due to the existence of high development capacity of the maritime industry, which is not fully used. Additionally, the indicated area is a strategic element in the predictive approach of building a new transfer channel for goods to Southern European countries.

Maritime cluster relatedness and policy implications

Despite existing debates on the maritime cluster's institutional composition, geographical boundary, or evolutionary patterns, few studies have empirically scrutinized the relatedness of industrial sectors inside a maritime cluster. This study aims to develop an industry-relatedness model to quantitatively measure the paired industry relatedness among three maritime sectors: port-related, shipping-related, and maritime business services. Maritime sectors can be labour-intensive or capital-intensive, and thereby we constructed a compound ratio of capital per capita to address the heterogeneity issue in evaluating the industry relatedness. Instead of focusing on a specific maritime cluster, we applied the model to three representative maritime clusters, namely Western Europe, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), to enhance the generalizability of our findings and implications. Findings suggest that the maritime cluster in Western Europe is characterized by more inter-sector connections. In Western Europe, Ship owning and operating, and Ship management and agency are found to operate with the highest relatedness; GBA has a polarized maritime industry structure with Hong Kong specializing in Ship finance and Shipbroking; cities in YRD operate with a speciality in Shipbuilding and repairing. This study found that differences in industry relatedness are mainly attributable to the focal region's evolutionary history and governance structure. We also provided a valuable reference for policymakers to plan and improve local and regional maritime cluster development.

MARITIME CLUSTERS AS AN INNOVATIVE FORM OF DEVELOPMENT OF COASTAL REGIONS OF UKRAINE

The subject of the research is the scientific substantiation of the theoretical foundations and development of recommendations for the creation and functioning of maritime clusters in Ukraine as an innovative form of development of coastal regions. Methodology. General scientific methods used in the study, in particular: theoretical generalization; methods of positive and normative analysis, statistical analysis. The aim is the scientific substantiation of the theoretical principles and development of recommendations for the creation and functioning of marine clusters in Ukraine as an innovative form of development of coastal regions. The conclusion of the study. The analysis showed that the dynamics of profitability indicators against the background of a gradual increase in gross profit of enterprises in 2010-2013, 2016-2018 and 2019-2020. It should be noted that in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018 the enterprises of transport and logistics industry of Ukraine were unprofitable, which indicates an increase in the growth rate of costs over profits. However, Russia's war against Ukraine has made significant adjustments to the efficiency of transport and logistics companies. Due to the blockade of ports, the economy loses about $170 million every day. Ukraine has currently lost control of four ports: Mariupol, Berdyansk, Skadovsk and Kherson (concessionaire – Risoil and Georgian Industrial Group). As the results of the study showed, the coastal regions of Ukraine currently need a separate public policy. For this purpose it is necessary to mobilize the scientific potential of Ukrainian marine biologists, geographers, specialists in the field of maritime and environmental law and economics, as well as to initiate cooperation of central, regional and local authorities in the cluster development of the maritime complex in coastal regions. The development of clusters is a distinctive feature of the modern innovation economy. The topic of clusters is becoming increasingly relevant for both theory and business practice all over the world. Clusters have become an effective tool for the development of individual areas and regions, which has contributed to improving overall national competitiveness for many countries. In this regard, further research can be aimed at developing a comprehensive mechanism for the functioning of marine clusters (classified in this study) in specific coastal regions as an innovative form of sustainable development of these regions, as well as the implementation of this mechanism in the domestic practice of national economic management.

Decolonisation, Diversification, and Decline: Liverpool Shipping and the End of Empire

The publishing and curating career of Mike Stammers demonstrated Liverpool’s multifarious colonial connections. The port city’s overseas trade remained heavily oriented towards markets in the Global South into the era of decolonisation after the Second World War. The non-European trade bias was reflected in the cluster of world-renowned imperial shipping lines which continued to be based on Merseyside. Drawing upon the rich archive collections of the Merseyside Maritime Museum, as well as company histories often written by ex-employees or authors with privileged access to business records, this article explores Liverpool’s experience of decolonisation. It analyses how Liverpool’s maritime cluster was affected by the ending of the European empires, how Liverpool shipowners reacted to decolonisation through diversification, and how the combination of decolonisation and diversification led to the decline of Merseyside’s overseas shipping sector by the late-twentieth century.

A study on the industrial symbiosis in maritime cluster considering value chain and life cycle – case of Dalian, China

ABSTRACT Maritime clusters are conducive to promoting the development of an urban economy and maritime industry. The development of high value-added maritime industry is beneficial to upgrading a maritime cluster and improving its competitiveness. We discuss the symbiosis between ports and various value-added industries within a maritime cluster from a resource perspective, using the theory of life cycle and value chain, in order to answer the question: what role does the port play in the upgrading of maritime clusters? An empirical analysis of Dalian, China, was conducted using the Lotka-Volterra model. Our results show that resources were attracted by ports to promote the shipping industry and marine insurance in the non-decline period (NDP) of the cluster. During the declining period (DP) of the cluster, port development led to intensified resource competition and lock-in effects, destabilizing the relationships within maritime industries. Strengthening inter-industry cooperation, increasing market openness, and granting supportive policies to enterprises may rectify this decline. This study provides a reference for managers and researchers to aid in promoting the coordinated development and upgrade of maritime clusters.

Global hierarchy of maritime clusters: Stability and reconstruction

In contrast to traditional research that is limited to individual maritime clusters, a holistic perspective is employed in this study to investigate the global hierarchy of maritime clusters. To conceptualize the global hierarchical stability of maritime clusters, Porter's diamond model is used to develop a general analytical framework and both empirical and theoretical analyses are conducted. The results of empirical analyses indicate that the global hierarchy of maritime clusters tends to remain stable. And the following conceptual discussions attribute such stability to historical effects, weakening prerequisite effects, and game effects. Further theoretical analysis reveals that governance restructuring, a novel innovation type, can disrupt the global hierarchical stability of maritime clusters and facilitate the leapfrog development of emerging maritime clusters.

Current cybersecurity state of automated processes in the international Aktau seaport

This work examines the current state of the system for protecting the seaport of Aktau from possible cyber threats. The need to test the systematic approach of the port of Aktau against possible cyberattacks by introducing a modernized system that can ensure the security of vulnerable clusters is described. Recommendations are presented aimed at identifying the importance of cybersecurity for other maritime clusters of Kazakhstan's industry.

Benchmarking of Singapore maritime cluster: the role of cluster facilitators

PurposeThis article analyses the role of cluster facilitators in the Singapore maritime cluster. Singapore has been recognised for its pro-business policies and its ability to attract international shipping companies to set up the ship ownership headquarters and ship management activities in Singapore.Design/methodology/approachThe research is an empirical investigation on the approach for industrial cluster development of the Singapore maritime cluster, using the case study research methodology. The case study approach leverages on multiple sources of evidence from deep interviews (of 24 Singaporean firms and 13 Norwegian firms) related observations, documentation and archival records. As a means of contributing to the cluster renewal process, Singapore as the country embarks on the next stage of maritime cluster development, a benchmarking against the Norwegian Innovation Cluster has been incorporated.FindingsThe research findings reveals that Singapore is lacking in innovation activities that entails multi-firms collaborations and collaboration between multi-firms and research institutions. The existence of cluster organisation to facilitate collaborations between firms in the cluster and between firms in the cluster with research institutions is another contributing factor that are not institutionalised in the Singapore maritime cluster.Research limitations/implicationsThough the research is grounded primarily on the international business theory, particularly from firm- and country-specific advantages of location decisions, the economic geography theory and cluster theory also complement the theoretical grounding.Practical implicationsThe findings derived from this research aim to facilitate policy makers, maritime leaders and practitioners to develop effective courses of action in current and future maritime industry development.Originality/valueThe research provides value to maritime industry stakeholders, maritime leaders and policy makers in their firm positioning strategy. Thus, the research adds values to the maritime industry with similar country perspectives and firm values for developing policies.

A Virtuous Circle? Increasing Local Benefits from Ports by Adopting Circular Economy Principles

As ports seek to maintain support for their operations amidst growing environmental awareness and social pressure, it is important they provide benefits for the local population to offset negative impacts. Ports can add additional economic benefits for the cities they are located in by encouraging maritime clusters, industrial development, a circular economy, and waterfront development. The current level of adoption, interest in future adoption, barriers to implementation, and attitudes towards the views of the local population were assessed via an online questionnaire sent to port authorities in 26 countries. The potential and willingness of ports to be on the frontline of the transition to a circular economy globally has been clearly identified for the first time, seeing a 60% increase between current levels of adoption and future interest in adoption. Barriers to a circular economy are comparable to barriers to widely adopted methods, such as industrial development and a waterfront economy. It is likely that circular economy activities in port cities will add additional local benefits and reduce the negative impacts of a port. A new framework is proposed to help ports and cities collaborate and encourage greater adoption of the circular economy.

Agglomeration effects or port-related benefits? (Re)Location patterns of basic maritime industries: the case of Dalian City, China

ABSTRACT To identify the impacts of both port relocation and agglomeration effects on the spatial patterns of basic shipping service industries, a multimethodological framework was employed to identify maritime clusters, the colocation patterns between pairs of shipping service industries, and the determinants of the (re)location of shipping service firms. Taking Dalian Port as a case study, the firm-level (re)location data of 6 types of shipping services were collected and analysed. The results showed that although a maritime cluster appeared around the new port area, no significant colocation patterns were found, and the shipping service firms preferred the existing maritime cluster to the new port area.

Perceptions of competitiveness for maritime clusters

Maritime clusters are important industrial constructs, for they have the potential to transform regions into beacons of global competitiveness. Clusters achieve this end-result through the fusion of collective dynamics and linkages among firms with acute innovation potential, as well as a culture of competitive symbiosis between and within firms. When the latter is paired with the maritime industry the results can manifest in many successful case studies not only for transportation, but business in general. Though clusters’ beneficial aspects can be traced in the dawn of economic theory, their intricacies are still not understood. Especially with respect to maritime clusters, the research body regarding the threads of their competitiveness is still germinating. This fact provides a dynamic opportunity for research and practice to develop frameworks and models to better understand these industrial constructs. The present work, through a questionnaire deployed to professionals active in maritime clusters, and to academics with contributions within the body of knowledge, provides strong evidence as to the perceptions of the threads of competitiveness for maritime clusters. The sample of the study was asked to provide a numerical representation of a constellation of factors with reference to competitiveness, which were extracted through a structured literature review. The numerical representations were then cross-tabulated, measures of association were extracted, and statistical decision testing was conducted. The results point to the convergence of the perceptions of academia and practice. The differentiating characteristic of this study is that it unveils distinct perceptions within academia and practice. This research can be utilized for benchmarking and setting specific policy directions with reference to the factors that competitiveness depends upon. Notwithstanding, this work can provide the baseline whereupon future research may spawn.