Port Cargo Research Articles

Application of grey BP neural network in port logistics demand analysis

From the perspective of port cargo throughput, this paper firstly analyses the characteristics and influencing factors of port logistics demand. Secondly, considering the characteristics of nonlinear logistics demand and small sample modelling, the modelling adopts GM(1, 1) and the single prediction model of BP neural network for calculation. Then, based on the prediction results and the target of minimum fitting prediction square-error, the single model is given weight, and the combined prediction model is constructed. Finally, taken Qingdao Port as an example, the port logistics demand is simulated by MATLAB software. The results show that the combined forecasting model has higher accuracy and stronger stability than the single forecasting model, which can effectively reduce the error rate and make the forecasting result closer to reality, thus having guiding significance for the future port logistics development planning.

Application of grey BP neural network in port logistics demand analysis

From the perspective of port cargo throughput, this paper firstly analyses the characteristics and influencing factors of port logistics demand. Secondly, considering the characteristics of nonlinear logistics demand and small sample modelling, the modelling adopts GM(1, 1) and the single prediction model of BP neural network for calculation. Then, based on the prediction results and the target of minimum fitting prediction square-error, the single model is given weight, and the combined prediction model is constructed. Finally, taken Qingdao Port as an example, the port logistics demand is simulated by MATLAB software. The results show that the combined forecasting model has higher accuracy and stronger stability than the single forecasting model, which can effectively reduce the error rate and make the forecasting result closer to reality, thus having guiding significance for the future port logistics development planning.

Similarity Grouping-Guided Neural Network Modeling for Maritime Time Series Prediction

Reliable and accurate prediction of time series plays a crucial role in maritime industry, such as economic investment, transportation planning, port planning and design, etc. The dynamic growth of maritime time series has the predominantly complex, nonlinear and non-stationary properties. To guarantee high-quality prediction performance, we propose to first adopt the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and ensemble EMD (EEMD) methods to decompose the original time series into high- and low-frequency components. The low-frequency components can be easily predicted directly through traditional neural network (NN) methods. It is more difficult to predict high-frequency components due to their properties of weak mathematical regularity. To take advantage of the inherent self-similarities within high-frequency components, these components will be divided into several continuous small (overlapping) segments. The grouped segments with high similarities are then selected to form more proper training datasets for traditional NN methods. This regrouping strategy can assist in enhancing the prediction accuracy of high-frequency components. The final prediction result is obtained by integrating the predicted high- and low-frequency components. Our proposed three-step prediction frameworks benefit from the time series decomposition and similar segments grouping. Experiments on both port cargo throughput and vessel traffic flow have illustrated its superior performance in terms of prediction accuracy and robustness.

The role of inland shipping in the handling of sea port hinterland

The research shows that in the Western European Countries due to many of its advantages inland shipping plays a significant role in total throughput of cargo in the sea ports. On the other hand, the marine ports significantly affect the supply of cargo mass imposed on the inland waterways. In Poland the inland waterways transport plays a significant role only in the handling of transport needs of the ports Szczecin-Świnoujście. This mode of transport is not used for the cargo transport in the relations with Gdańsk marine port, even though this port is located at the estuary of lower Vistula waterway. The European experience should lead to an implementation of infrastructural investments which would improve the land access to the Port of Gdańsk and an implementation of investments which would allow the adaptation of the port infrastructure to the handling of inland waterways barges.

COMPLEX ODESSA SEA PORT ESTIMATION ON THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT BASIS

The publication is devoted to the problem of choosing a strategic direction for further development of the Odessa seaport territories. According to some urban planning experts, the main problem of these territories is that the development of a cargo port, handling of bulk cargoes and increasing the traffic load in the city center of Odessa inevitably leads to the degradation of the city-port system. Therefore, they raise the issue of the cargo port remove outside the city to develop these territories as a recreational facilities. But their opponents believe that the port is not only noise and dust, it is also thousands of jobs for inhabitants and the source of state revenue refill and taxes to the local budget. Sea ports are also plays an important role in state interests as a gate for export of Ukrainian products. So the aim of the study is a comprehensive assessment of the port activity based on the sustainable deve-lopment concept, which considers the sustainable development of complex systems of human settlements, states or civilization as a whole by ensuring balanced development of the social, economic and environmental spheres of these systems. The article provides an integrated analysis of the Odessa seaport activities in the economic, social, environmental and urban planning fields. The role of this enterprise and the strategic directions of its further development in the context of transportation, the ecology of the urban environment and urban planning activity are defined. The analysis showed the complexity and ambiguity of the Odessa seaport location and its further deve-lopment in residential area in the historic center of the Odessa city. In order to reduce the environmental and traffic negative impact of the port to residential buildings, it is necessary to modernize the port and ensure the development of appropriate infrastructure, as well as eliminate impossible activities from an urban planning point of view at the port's location. As the main private investment attractor for the seaport development can be used some areas freed up after the optimization of the port activity, which will be provided under certain investment conditions for building recreational facilities. The development of a model for the comprehensive assessment of similar development projects is a promising direction for further research in this field.

Optimal stowage on Ro-Ro decks for efficiency and safety

ABSTRACT The roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ships are true workhorses of coastal and deep-sea shipping. They are valued for their versatility to transport heterogeneous cargo and short turnaround times in ports. However, the optimal utilisation of cargo space has been inherently problematic with the Ro-Ro concept. In view of the existing attempts to contrive optimal stowage plans, the paper proposes three practical improvements with respect to the state of the art. The improvements lead to a finer approach to ship stability, fire safety, and cargo handling efficiency when optimising cargo stowage on Ro-Ro decks. Formally, we express the stowage problem as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) problem and solve it to optimality. The paper outlines the mathematical formulation, provides a numerical example, and studies practical application aspects.

Numerical simulation of the effect of wind speed on VOCs diffusion concentration distribution in liquid cargo port area

The discharge of VOCs in the port area is harmful to the environment and the human body. Therefore, this paper aims at transient leakage of VOCs in cargo port area. The diffusion process was simulated with Fluent software, and this paper considered the impact of changes in wind speed on the diffusion concentration distribution. The results show that when the wind speed is higher, the earlier the initial concentration appears, the greater the concentration peak is, and the longer the VOCs spread. The increase of the wind speed is conducive to the diffusion of VOCs.

Direct Effect and Covert Integration: A Critical Review of the Liberalization of Port Cargo Handling Services Through the Spanish Case

Article 49 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union contains the principle of freedom of establishment. Discrimination based on nationality was prohibited when freedom of establishment was involved. That was the only EU law provision invoked by the Commission to monitor a reform of Spanish Port Law, which concluded in May 2017. No secondary EU regulations were enacted, yet, the reform led to the overruling of the staff recruitment system for cargo-handling services in Spanish docks. The new recruitment system was already designed by the Commission and transposed by an Act of the Spanish Parliament as if it was derived from a Directive. An infringement action and a ruling of the European Court of Justice were the formal mechanisms to make the design of the Commission enforceable. Notwithstanding the apparent simplicity of this reform, there were indirect normative and institutional mechanisms working through well-known dynamics of supranational integration. This paper presents an analysis of those mechanisms, paying particular attention to the role of direct effect in the ECJ infringement decision and to the use of soft law and institutional cooperation as covert integration strategies.

Spatial Distribution Of Atmospheric Pollutants Through Biomonitoring In Tree Bark Using X-Ray Fluorescence

Several studies have shown that tree barks can absorb air contaminants, therefore, trees can be used as biomonitors to identify the distribution of atmospheric pollutants. The city of Paranaguá, located at the coast of the Paraná State in Brazil, hosts the largest bulk cargo port in Latin America and an elevated number of fertilizer processing industries. In this study we used tree barks coupled to X-ray fluorescence spectrometer analysis to biomonitor the distribution of air pollutants in the city of Paranaguá. We identified a visual correlation between the level of the elements K and Cl, with high levels detected near fertilizer warehouses. A relation between Fe levels and position of railways and train stations were also clear. The low levels of the elements Zn, Al, Ba and Mg detected in a traffic restricted zone confirm the use of these elements as markers of vehicles traffic and validate the approach of using tree barks for air pollution biomonitoring.

The Unequal Reach of Transnational Legal Institutions: Mapping, Predicting and Explaining Spatial Disparities in EU Law Use

We investigate spatial disparities in the use of supranational law using a new dataset compiling the geographic coordinates of the entire universe of courts that have passed on cases to the European Court of Justice over the lifetime of the EU. We adopt a data-driven approach which integrates exploration, prediction and explanation into a single research design. Our cartography reveals that involvement in the preliminary ruling procedure tends to be concentrated in a relatively small subset of regions within member states. Next, applying machine learning methods, we find that the presence of organizations like peak courts and infrastructures like large cargo ports constitute strong predictors of EU law use. So too are capital cities and EU trademark registrations. Finally, we rationalize these findings using text mining and additional empirical tests. We argue that spatial variations are induced by the team structure of the EU court system and the division of labour within national judiciaries as well as by the resources and geographic location of litigants.

АНАЛИЗ И СОВЕРШЕНСТВОВАНИЕ ТЕХНИЧЕСКИХ СРЕДСТВ УЧЁТА ЭЛЕКТРОПОТРЕБЛЕНИЯ ПРЕДПРИЯТИЯМИ СУДОВОЙ ОТРАСЛИ

The object of research are the enterprises of ship industry (cargo ports, berth places, ship-repair and shipbuilding plants, processing plants of fish raw materials). Analysis of amount of power consumption by the enterprises of ship infrastructure, problem of plunder of electric energy by unauthorized intervention in normal operation of metering devices is provided in article (including normal operation of metering stations - current transformers, voltage transformers) or avoiding metering instruments of electric energy. Such concepts as technical and commercial losses of electrical networks have been formulated. The effectiveness of the taken measures with each type of the specified losses has been considered. General methods of identification of unauthorized intervention in operation of metering instruments of electric energy are considered: method of external visual examination of the electric counter and metrological method by using the control and measuring equipment. Taking measurements by control equipment, it is necessary to pay special attention to consuming electric energy by the metering instruments. The working principle of a circuit which isn't provided by the manufacturer and is lowering readings of the consumed electric power is schematically presented. According to the achievements of improvement of technical means of accounting electric energy there has been offered a relevant and effective way of fight against plunder of electric energy: starting mass production of electric meters with a cast casing and a built-in anti-magnetic indicator. At the same time, the importance of setting the high quality components into the metering instruments at the manufacturing plant is emphasized.

Urbano-geografska preobrazba Zadra - elementi prometnog sustava 1945.-1991.

U sklopu sveobuhvatnog proučavanja urbano-geografskog razvoja Zadra autor u ovom radu obrađuje glavne sustojnice njegova prometnog sustava. Analizira se naročito unutargradski promet, te značenje prometne funkcije Zadra u regiji i Hrvatskoj. Posebno se razrađuju elementi prometnog sustava grada: ulice i prometnice, te gradske autobusne linije. Istaknuto je značenje tranzitne i regionalne prometne funkcije Zadra, s karakterističnim pokazateljima broja putnika i količina tereta u pomorskom, željezničkom, autobusnom i zračnom prometu. Važnost i razvoj zadarske luke osobito su naglašeni, kao i potrebe budučeg učinkovitog razvoja svih prometnih funkcija u skladu s potrebama grada, regije i Hrvatske.

Port Pricing in the North Port of Split: A Comparative Analysis

Pricing in ports is an important element of port competitiveness when it comes to the establishment of logistics and transportation systems, determining cargo flows, and developing optimum and quality service. This paper aims to examine the need to modify the port tariff in the North Port of Split through comparison of thetariff system in the main Croatian cargo ports for specific vessel categories and types of cargo. The results were also compared with the port tariffs in the ports of Koper and Trieste to identify shortcomings and suggest potential modifications of individual service prices. The analysis revealed a discrepancy in the segment of port charges, towage and light dues (which account for almost 75 % of the total price), with the latter indicated as a crucial problem in all Croatian ports. Tariff adjustment would eventually improve port competitiveness, with the possibility of expansion to new markets, extension of the gravitational area, and acquisition of additional cargo for the North Port. The inclusion of "environmental charge", with envisaged discounts or additional charges for environmental protection and sustainable development, is essential for the port’s strategic orientation and market positioning.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Prediction model of port throughput based on game theory and multimedia Bayesian regression

In order to simulate the situation of freight flow in overlapping hinterland, we forecast the throughput of port and introduce the game theory to improve it. On the basis of this, a multimedia Bayesian regression model is established. On the basis of the existing port throughput prediction theory and actual situation of ports in China, through the analysis of China’s coastal port cargo and impact, a coastal port cluster cargo throughput prediction model, improve China’s coastal port throughput prediction precision and accuracy, which provides more reliable reference for China’s coastal areas port investment planning. The main features of this model are as follows. For the first time, we analyze and predict the throughput of coastal ports from the point of view of the composition of port throughput. Considering the coordination relationship between major coastal port cargo throughput under, we use game theory, to deal with the port cargo throughput index, the maximum information is retained to ensure the accuracy of prediction model. The model is convenient and flexible, and can be extended to the throughput prediction of a single port or port group. It can be extended to the prediction problem with more time series indexes under multimedia environment.

Hydrodynamic storm surge model simplification via application of land to water isopleths in coastal Louisiana

The Mississippi River Delta ranks the seventh largest delta in the world. It provides a habitat for the Louisiana seafood industry, navigation canals and rivers that support five of the 15 largest cargo ports by volume in the United States, and hurricane storm surge protection for coastal cities and oil and gas industry infrastructure that facilitates 90% of the outer continental oil and gas extraction. Due to substantial coastal wetland loss since 1900, the risk of damage to these industries and infrastructure has increased through time. The goal of this research is to develop a methodology to analyze the historical and future evolution of coastal hazards, such as hurricane storm surge, across a complex, low-lying coastal landscape. To accomplish this task, the change in coastal hazards is analyzed through historical changes in coastal wetlands. Specifically, isopleths, defined as lines on a map indicating a constant value of a given variable, are developed to describe areas of constant values of the ratio of land to water (L:W) across coastal Louisiana.In this analysis, a methodology is developed that utilizes land to water (L:W) isopleths to simplify the modern day Louisiana coastal landscape as represented in a state-of-the-art high resolution storm surge model. L:W isopleths are derived for the year 2010 and used to construct 36 storm surge models, each featuring variations of three distinct coastal zones: “High” (i.e. high wetland), “Intermediate” (i.e. wetland), and “Submersed” (i.e. region between open water and wetland). The ADvanced CIRCulation (ADCIRC) code is used to compute water surface elevations and depth-averaged currents forced by hurricane wind and pressures from Hurricanes Rita, Gustav, and Katrina for each model. Peak water levels and volume of inundation are quantified within hydrologic unit code watersheds (HUC12) in order to compare storm surge models featuring high resolution and simplified coastal landscapes.A L:W isopleth permutation of 99%–90%–40%–1% with areas labeled “High” (99%–90%), “Intermediate” (90%–40%) and “Submersed” (40%–1%) is found to best represent simulated storm surge that most closely reproduces the high resolution storm surge model. Simulation results reveal the methodology developed in this analysis is effective in identifying an isopleth permutation that accurately simplifies a high resolution storm surge model. This result may lead to future analyses of the historical evolution of storm surge attenuation in the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) as well as other complex, low-lying deltas. These possibilities include developing storm surge models for the years 1930 and 1970, for instance, with the same isopleth permutation to examine the changes in storm surge attenuation through time. This analysis could also be applied in other similar low-lying coastal regions to conduct past and future analyses of the evolution of coastal hazards.

Co-opetition in enhancing global port network resiliency: A multi-leader, common-follower game theoretic approach

Ports are key elements of global supply chains, providing connection between land- and maritime-based transportation modes. They operate in cooperative, but competitive, co-opetitive, environments wherein individual port throughput is linked through an underlying transshipment network. Short-term port performance and long-term market share can be significantly impacted by a disaster event; thus, ports plan to invest in capacity expansion and protective measures to increase their reliability or resiliency in times of disruption. To account for the co-opetition among ports, a bi-level multiplayer game theoretic approach is used, wherein each individual port takes protective investment decisions while anticipating the response of the common market-clearing shipping assignment problem in the impacted network. This lower-level assignment is modeled as a cost minimization problem, which allows for consideration of gains and losses from other ports decisions through changes in port and service capacities and port cargo handling times. Linear properties of the lower-level formulation permit reformulation of the individual port bi-level optimization problems as single-level problems by replacing the common lower-level by its equivalent Karush Kuhn Tucker (KKT) conditions. Simultaneous consideration of individual port optimization problems creates a multi-leader, common-follower problem, i.e. an unrestricted game, that is modeled as an Equilibrium Problem with Equilibrium Constraints (EPEC). Equilibria solutions are sought by use of a diagonalization technique. Solutions of unrestricted, semi-restricted and restricted games are analyzed and compared for a hypothetical application from the literature involving ports in East Asia and Europe. The proposed co-opetitive approach was found to lead to increased served total demand, significantly increased market share for many ports and improved services for shippers.

Economic evaluation on container shipping route selection

The competition between each attractive container cargo port has been increasing drastically. Every port is striving to maintain the competitive edge and provide satisfactory services. This paper will provide an economic evaluation model which corresponds to the change of transshipment cargo volume of neighbour ports in North East Asia. The model, which classifies to Route 1 and Route 2, figures out an economic evaluation of the sea route, both routes hypothesise the Busan Port as a starting point. Basing on this model, it can generate an important data for deciding sea routes and calling ports of the shipping companies. Moreover, the shipping companies could improve a more efficient route and the related government authority or operational institution of each country could figure out the threshold of feeder cargo volume through this economic method.

Quay cranes scheduling at mixed cargo ports cargo ports in Viet Nam

Quay cranes are used to discharge cargo from and load onto a vessel. The throughput of a port highly depends on the efficient operations of quay cranes. In Vietnam ports, the cargo ports not only receive containers, but also other kinds of cargo. This study focuses on the scheduling problem of the quay cranes in these ports. The mathematical model is developed, and a meta-heuristic algorithm is used to solve the problems in reasonable computation time. The numerical examples are used to validate the performance of the algorithm.

Assessing the environmental quality of sediments from Split coastal area (Croatia) with a battery of cell-based bioassays

A battery of cell-based bioassays, including PLHC-1 cells, zebrafish-Pxr-transfected COS-7 cells and estrogen receptor-recombinant yeast assay (ER-RYA), were applied to detect the presence of bioactive pollutants in sediments collected from Kaštela Bay and Brač Channel (Croatia). Exposure of PLHC-1 cells to the sediment extracts evidenced significant cytotoxicity and presence of CYP1A inducers in sediments collected in Kaštela Bay, near the industrial zone and cargo port of Split. Sediments from this area, which is highly contaminated with PCBs, HCB, DDTs and γ-HCH, also activated the zebrafish Pxr (zfPxr) reporter system. No evidence of estrogenicity was detected for any of the sediments extracts in the ER-RYA assay. Importantly, the battery of in vitro assays identified Kaštela Bay as the area with the higher anthropogenic impact, where sediment-bound pollutants could pose a risk to aquatic organisms. In contrast, sediments from the Brač Channel showed rather low response in the different bioassays.

Economic Impact Analysis of Autonomous Containerised Freight

Advanced robotics is a disruptive technology that has the potential to create massive economic impact. One application of advanced robotics is the automation of cargo ports, with the intention of increasing profitability for cargo terminals by reducing costs and increasing container handling productivity.Autonomous straddle carrier technology can not only significantly improve freight capacity but can also enhance the safety of operations, reducing the potential for manual errors by isolating the workforce from heavy machinery. Our findings suggest a net present value (NPV) of autonomous straddle carrier technology in direct impact worth for NSW of around $9.42 to $10 billion between the years 2014 and 2030.In this report we present only the final application of a long term process of university R&D effort, i.e. cost benefit analysis was not undertaken in this report as innovation studies show that any innovation outcome cannot capture the full benefit to the economy, therefore the costs are normally high and in most cases create no tangible benefit but creates intangibles like knowledge is not easy to be quantified