Port Visits Research Articles

Optimising port arrival statistics: Enhancing timeliness through Automatic Identification System (AIS) data

Today, there is a greater demand to produce more timely official statistics at a more granular level. National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) are more and more looking to novel data sources to meet this demand. This paper focuses on the use of one such source to compile more timely and detailed official statistics on port visits. The data source used is sourced from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) used by ships to transmit their position at sea. The primary purpose of AIS is maritime safety. While some experimental statistics have been compiled using this data, this paper evaluates the potential of AIS as a data source to compile official statistics with respect to port visits. The paper presents a novel method called “Stationary Marine Broadcast Method” (SMBM) to estimate the number of port visits using AIS data. The paper also describes how the H3 Index, a spatial index originally developed by Uber, is added to each transmission in the data source. While the paper concludes that the AIS based estimates won’t immediately replace the official statistics, it does recommend a pathway to using AIS-based estimates as the basis for official port statistics in the future.

Optimization of the stowage of fishing discards: Innovations in trawlers in the Gulf of Cadiz (SW Iberian Peninsula)

Discards in commercial fisheries are a common practice that generates negative impacts on fish resources and the environment. This study addresses the challenge of stowing discards in trawlers operating in the Gulf of Cadiz, with the aim of complying with landing regulations and ensuring the safety of fishing operations. The fleet was classified into three groups based on the length (m), power (kW), and tonnage (GT) of the vessels. Through port visits, efficient discard stowage designs were proposed. A SWOT analysis was conducted to assess discard management, leading to proposals based on decision matrices and the establishment of strategies for their management. Subsequently, stowage solutions were proposed for both new and existing vessels, with alternatives such as trays, boxes, and containers, with the optimal solution determined for each vessel type. This study highlights the complexity of discard management on vessels, considering their individual characteristics. Additionally, discard stowage alternatives based on the size and volume of catches are proposed, which could facilitate their handling. Finally, the need to implement a discard treatment system at the fish market is emphasized to achieve comprehensive management of discarded catches.

Prioritizing management of high-risk routes and ports by vessel type to improve marine biosecurity efforts

The shipping industry constitutes the main vector of marine bioinvasions. Over 90,000 vessels world-wide create a highly complex shipping network that requires appropriate management tools. Here we characterized a novel vessel category, Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV), in terms of potential contribution to the dispersal of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) in comparison to smaller vessels traveling similar routes. Such approach is essential for providing precise information-based risk analysis necessary to enforce biosecurity regulations and reduce the adverse global effects of marine NIS. We used Automatic Identification System (AIS) based websites to extract shipping data that will enable us to test for differences in two vessel behaviors linked to NIS dispersal: port visit durations and voyage sailing times. We then examined the geographic spread of ULCVs and small vessels, quantifying the accumulation of new port visits, countries, and ecoregions for each vessel category. Finally, Higher Order Network (HON) analysis revealed emergent patterns within shipping traffic, species flow, and invasion risk networks of these two categories. Compared to the smaller vessels, ULCVs spent significantly longer time in 20% of the ports and were more geographically constrained, with fewer port visits, countries, and regions. HON analysis revealed that the ULCV shipping species flow and invasion risk networks were more similar to each other than to those of the smaller vessels. However, HON port importance shifts were discernible for both vessel categories, with major shipping hubs not necessarily being major invasion hubs. Overall, compared to smaller vessels, ULCVs behave differently in ways that potentially increase biofouling risk, albeit in a smaller set of ports. Future studies using HON analysis of other dispersal vectors appears critical for prioritizing management of high-risk routes and ports.

Liner-Shipping Network Design with Emission Control Areas: A Real Case Study

In recent years, liner-shipping companies have faced a traditional trade-off between cost and emission (CO2 and SOX) reduction. This study considers this element to construct a liner-shipping network design model which includes a package-cargo transport plan, route allocation, and route design. The objective is to maximize profit by selecting the ports to be visited, the sequence of port visits, the cargo flows between ports, and the number/operating speeds of vessels. In addition, emission control areas (ECAs) exist in the liner network. With reference to the idea of the column generation algorithm, this study proposed a heuristic algorithm based on empirical data through a real case calculation and selected the optimal scheme, which is in-line with both economic and environmental benefits. The results show that the model and optimization method are feasible and provide an effective solution for the liner network design of shipping companies, while also considering environmental factors. In addition, the effects of the number of ECAs, inter-port origin-destination (OD) demand, freight rate, fuel price, and carbon prices on the design of transport networks are discussed to provide a reference for the operation of shipping companies and government decision-making.

Assessing Policy Changes on the Cost of Husbanding Services for Navy Ships

In the wake of a major corruption conspiracy, the U.S. Navy reformed husbanding service procedures to increase competition, auditability, and accountability with the goal of reducing expenditures. The first policy change, Off-Ship Bill Pay (OSBP), formalized a process for procuring, rendering, and paying for husbanding services to increase oversight. The second policy change increased the use of multiple award contracts (MACs), in which multiple vendors are awarded a contract over a region, increasing competition for individual port visits. The purpose of this article is to analyze the effects of these policy changes on the cost of husbanding services. Multiple regression was used to account for port visit characteristics that affect cost such as ship type and the number of days in port. MACs demonstrated a reduction effect on the cost of port visits. Further, OSBP appears to have a negligible effect on port visit cost after the initial learning curve for both Navy personnel and vendors.

Genomic and virologic characterization of samples from a shipboard outbreak of COVID-19 reveals distinct variants within limited temporospatial parameters.

Early in the pandemic, in March of 2020, an outbreak of COVID-19 occurred aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), during deployment in the Western Pacific. Out of the crew of 4,779 personnel, 1,331 service members were suspected or confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. The demographic, epidemiologic, and laboratory findings of service members from subsequent investigations have characterized the outbreak as widespread transmission of virus with relatively mild symptoms and asymptomatic infection among mostly young healthy adults. At the time, there was no available vaccination against COVID-19 and there was very limited knowledge regarding SARS-CoV-2 mutation, dispersal, and transmission patterns among service members in a shipboard environment. Since that time, other shipboard outbreaks from which data can be extracted have occurred, but these later shipboard outbreaks have occurred largely in settings where the majority of the crew were vaccinated, thereby limiting spread of the virus, shortening duration of the outbreaks, and minimizing evolution of the virus within those close quarters settings. On the other hand, since the outbreak on the CVN-71 occurred prior to widespread vaccination, it continued over the course of roughly two months, infecting more than 25% of the crew. In order to better understand genetic variability and potential transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in a shipboard environment of immunologically naïve, healthy individuals, we performed whole-genome sequencing and virus culture from eighteen COVID-19-positive swabs collected over the course of one week. Using the unique variants identified in those genomes, we detected seven discrete groups of individuals within the population aboard CVN-71 infected with viruses of distinct genomic signature. This is in stark contrast to a recent outbreak aboard another U.S. Navy ship with >98% vaccinated crew after a port visit in Reykjavik, Iceland, where the outbreak lasted only approximately 2 weeks and the virus was clonal. Taken together, these results demonstrate the utility of sequencing from complex clinical samples for molecular epidemiology and they also suggest that a high rate of vaccination among a population in close communities may greatly reduce spread, thereby restricting evolution of the virus.

Cold ironing: modelling the interdependence of terminals and vessels in their choice of suitable systems

Cold ironing has the potential to reduce the impact of ship exhausts in densely populated areas. However, especially for tankers, the implementation of this concept is almost non-existent. Still, these vessels have a relatively high port energy use, despite relatively short port visits, as they provide power to both pumps and inert gas systems during unloading and loading. A key factor in the reluctance, besides the fact that a sparkless connection is required, is the lack of a standard and the uncertainty from both tanker owners visiting a berth and terminal owners on which shore power systems to apply. This paper investigates the interdependency between ship and terminal owner choices for systems and establishes the overall most economical solution. Cold ironing was reviewed to identify existing systems and solutions and analyse the tanker fleet and terminals. The insights were combined in an integrated economic model consisting of two sub-models; one relating terminal decisions to a cold ironing price and one establishing the vessel side costs and savings. By using fuel price as an input and acceptance rates (for both terminals and vessels) for cold ironing systems as key variables to determine. The models have been used to identify the potential of cold ironing for shortsea and parcel tankers against different fuel prices and % of fleet and terminals that have shore power equipment. In all cases, shore power was not economical, which was caused by the high costs of the fixed costs of electricity, due to the high powers required. Interesting avenues for further research would be to increase the individuality of the model using e.g. an agent based model. Also extending the model with a battery pack on the terminal to allow for peak-shaving could lead to much lower costs and higher economic potential.

Mathematical models for a ship routing problem with a small number of ports on a route

This paper presents an industrial ship routing problem with split loads faced by a steel company that exports its steel products to neighboring countries. The problem considers two types of ships: ships with contracts of affreightment and spot ships. It also considers other practical constraints, such as cargo–cargo and cargo–ship compatibility and the minimum loading amount for using a ship. Due to high surcharges for multiple port visits, each ship is allowed to visit at most two loading and two unloading ports. Herein, arc flow-based and path flow-based mathematical models are proposed to solve the problem. Computational experiments show that the path flow model is more efficient than the arc flow model. The path flow model can reduce the computational time by 67% on average and find optimal solutions to real-world ship routing problems in acceptable computational time in most cases.

Notes from the Field: Outbreak of COVID-19 Among a Highly Vaccinated Population Aboard a U.S. Navy Ship After a Port Visit - Reykjavik, Iceland, July 2021.

Notes from the Field: Outbreak of COVID-19 Among a Highly Vaccinated Population Aboard a U.S. Navy Ship After a Port Visit - Reykjavik, Iceland, July 2021.

Indonesian Defense Diplomacy Strategy in Trilatel Cooperative Arrangement (Port visit Indomalphi 2017-2019)

The Sulu-Sulawesi Sea is a strategic trade route so that it becomes one of the policy priorities. Strategic value does not necessarily bring benefits, but also brings security threats such as piracy, piracy and kidnapping with a ransom demand. In an effort to overcome this, since 2017 the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement in the Port Visit scheme has been built between the three countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The purpose of this study is to analyze the form of Port Visit cooperation and to analyze the Indonesian Defense Diplomacy Strategy in this cooperation. This research uses defense theory, strategy theory, and defense diplomacy theory. This study uses a qualitative descriptive analysis research method. The data collection carried out in this study used primary data through interviews and secondary data from a literature review of journals, books, reports, and internet-based sources. The Trilateral Port Visit Indomalphi cooperation is a response in dealing with transnational crimes in the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea area. With various series of activities, this cooperation plays an important role in efforts to maintain regional security and stability and provides the authority to maintain the safety of all Indonesian citizens as mandated by the law. The Indonesian Defense Diplomacy Strategy in the Indomalphi Port Visit is aimed at increasing mutual trust and military capacity in terms of coordination, communication and piracy capture training. Therefore, the defense diplomacy strategy in this study can be said to have fulfilled the two main characters of defense diplomacy, namely; defense diplomacy to build mutual trust (CBMs) and defense diplomacy to build defense capacity (CB).

STRATEGI DIPLOMASI PERTAHANAN INDONESIA DALAM KERJA SAMA TRILATERAL COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENT (PORT VISIT INDOMALPHI 2017-2019)

The Sulu-Sulawesi Sea is a strategic trade route so that it becomes one of the policy priorities. Strategic value does not necessarily bring benefits, but also brings security threats such as piracy, piracy and kidnapping with a ransom demand. In an effort to overcome this, since 2017 the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement in the Port Visit scheme has been built between the three countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The purpose of this study is to analyze the form of Port Visit cooperation and to analyze the Indonesian Defense Diplomacy Strategy in this cooperation. This research uses defense theory, strategy theory, and defense diplomacy theory. This study uses a qualitative descriptive analysis research method. The data collection carried out in this study used primary data through interviews and secondary data from a literature review of journals, books, reports, and internet-based sources. The Trilateral Port Visit Indomalphi cooperation is a response in dealing with transnational crimes in the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea area. With various series of activities, this cooperation plays an important role in efforts to maintain regional security and stability and provides the authority to maintain the safety of all Indonesian citizens as mandated by the law. The Indonesian Defense Diplomacy Strategy in the Indomalphi Port Visit is aimed at increasing mutual trust and military capacity in terms of coordination, communication and piracy capture training. Therefore, the defense diplomacy strategy in this study can be said to have fulfilled the two main characters of defense diplomacy, namely; defense diplomacy to build mutual trust (CBMs) and defense diplomacy to build defense capacity (CB).

Exact Formulation and Analysis for the Bi-Objective Insular Traveling Salesman Problem

This paper aims at studying the Bi-Objective Insular Traveling Salesman Problem (BO-InTSP), which searches for a set of efficient, single visit sequences to collect (or distribute) freight from a set of islands. In this problem, the selection of ports (nodes) to be visited at each island, along with the associated port visit sequence, are optimized simultaneously, while the maritime transportation costs and the ground transportation costs inside the islands are minimized with a bi-objective perspective. This approach is employed since these costs are of a conflictive nature. A previous Approximated Formulation of the BO-InTSP relies on aggregating the actual demand locations within each island in a certain number of centroids for computing the ground transportation costs. Conversely, this paper proposes and develops a novel Exact Formulation for the problem based on the actual demand locations, instead of aggregating the demand inside the islands. Additionally, a systematic evaluation approach is developed to compare the two alternative formulations with different levels of demand aggregation inside the islands, considering the bi-objective nature of the problem. The results reveal that the novel Exact Formulation significantly outperforms the previous aggregated approach in terms of the solutions quality and computational resources.

Are Cambodia-U.S. Relations Mendable?

Are Cambodia-U.S. Relations Mendable? Thearith Leng (bio) and Vannarith Chheang (bio) The essay analyzes the evolution of U.S.-Cambodia bilateral relations since the turn of the century and explores possible avenues that may help improve bilateral ties. Since 2000 the relationship has been troubled by differences over human rights and democracy, the China factor, and Cambodia's debt to the United States that was incurred during the 1970s. Nevertheless, both countries have an opportunity to promote mutual trust if they embrace the principles of mutual respect, noninterference, and equal sovereignty. The United States and Cambodia can find common ground to expand and deepen cooperation. U.S.-Cambodian Relations since 2000 On the heels of decades of conflict, instability, and volatile U.S. relations, Phnom Penh's relations with Washington improved significantly after the 2003 national election in Cambodia. The two main political parties, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and FUNCINPEC (Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique et coopératif), managed to reach a deal and formed a government solely led by Prime Minister Hun Sen of the CPP. In the eyes of the United States, this move showed that the CPP at least accepted a pluralist government, even if it did not meet U.S. democratic standards. In early March 2006, CPP lawmakers amended the constitution from a two-thirds majority formula to a 50%-plus-one model that allowed the CPP to create a government on its own if it won the majority of votes or parliamentary seats in future elections. Momentum for restoring bilateral ties grew after Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Cambodia in 2003 and the two countries normalized their relations. The first U.S. Peace Corps volunteers arrived in 2007, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Cambodia in 2010. From 2000 to 2009, the United States provided over $470 million in aid to improve health [End Page 124] and education systems, stimulate economic growth, and promote human rights and democracy in Cambodia. From 2008 to 2010, U.S.-Cambodia defense and security cooperation also expanded considerably as Washington increased financial assistance and its training programs in the country. In 2008 the United States granted $4 million to assist in demining activities and offered loans and training to build the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces' capacity for participating in UN peacekeeping operations. An annual bilateral defense dialogue, established in 2008, became a foundation for defense and security cooperation, confidence-building measures, and operational topics of mutual concern. Cambodia and the United States created a security cooperation coordination group in September 2009 to discuss operational issues involving theater security cooperation. In the summer of 2010, Phnom Penh was invited to participate in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Program and received a port visit by the USS Tortuga. Cambodia and the United States also then co-hosted the U.S. Global Peace Operations Initiative capstone exercise Angkor Sentinel, which included around a thousand peacekeeping personnel from over twenty countries.1 Contemporary Economic Relations Cambodia has become steadily dependent on the United States economically since its 1993 elections, after which Washington and its Western allies re-established economic ties with the country, having made democracy and human rights protection preconditions for accessing their markets. The Cambodian government signed a bilateral textile agreement with the United States in 1996, and the two sides have regularly met under their 2006 trade and investment framework agreement.2 Since 2010 the United States has emerged as a key market for Cambodian exports and one of the kingdom's most important donors. The United States is Cambodia's second-largest export market (around 23.9% of Cambodia's total exports) after the European Union (29.1%).3 The kingdom is currently the United States' 58th-biggest trading partner, with two-way trade [End Page 125] volume nearly tripling between 2010 and 2020 from $245.46 million to $690.63 million.4 Among its economic priorities, Cambodia has continually sought to retain the general system of preferences (GSP) designation from the United States and actively seeks U.S. investment. For example, in September 2020, the Cambodian ambassador to the United States, Chum Sounry, together with...

Public relations campaign strategy PT. Pelindo 1 in socializing the Porting Business

PT. Pelabuhan Indonesia I (Persero) is a corporation engaged in the maritime and port sector under the auspices of the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) headquartered in Belawan, North Sumatra. As a corporation, of course, a campaign is required to inform the business being run so that it is more widely known by the public. As a form of public relations campaign and an effort to socialize its business, Pelindo 1 offers Port Visit activities as a means of learning about the world of ports. This research was conducted to find out how PT Pelindo 1's Public Relations Campaign Strategy in Disseminating its Port Business through the Port Visit program. In this research, it focuses on Port Visit activities with PERHUMAS Muda Medan which was held on February 28, 2020. The type of research that the writer does is descriptive qualitative. In this study, the authors used the theory of Corporate Campaign Theory and AIDDA theory as the basis for campaign marketing. By using the direct observation method where the author participates in the concept-making process and organizing activities as well as the interview method with 5 (five) resource persons, 2 (two) of whom are the Pelindo 1 public relations team, and 3 (three) others are activity participants. The result of this research is that Pelindo 1's PR has made the Port Visit activity a superior program and campaign tool to socialize port business to the community. This is evidenced by the fact that Port visits are registered in the company's Monthly Activity Plan (RKB) and are carried out routinely 2-3 times in a few months. Based on the results of the research, the participants who took part in the Port Visit activity admitted that the concept was not only theoretical but involved directly in the field to see the port area, as well as a fun session as an evaluation stage, making their thinking about the world of the ports and the role and function of ports change not only as a place leaning on ships but serving as a gateway to the world economy.

An Analysis of Essential Pediatric Surgical Cases Encountered During a Decade of Large-Scale Military Humanitarian Aid Missions.

Disease Control Priorities, 3rd Edition (DCP3) is an evidence-based, published resource that outlines essential procedures recommended for developing health care systems. These systems must consider various populations and the incidence of certain surgical conditions that require treatment. In relation to pediatric patients, the prevalence of certain surgical conditions encountered remains unclear in several low- and middle-income countries. Over the past 15years, the USNS Mercy, one of the U.S. Navy's large hospital ships, has led the Pacific Partnership missions, which provide large-scale humanitarian aid throughout Southeast Asia. The data collected during these missions provide an opportunity to analyze the scope of pediatric operations performed in resource-limited countries. This analysis may assist in future planning for specific needs during military humanitarian missions. Surgical case data were prospectively collected during the six Pacific Partnership missions from 2006 to 2018. Demographic data were analyzed for all patients ≤8years of age who underwent an operation. These data were retrospectively reviewed and all case logs were categorized by mission year, procedure-type, and host nation. Operations were classified based on 44 essential operations delineated in DCP3. Primary outcome was incidence of DCP3 essential operations. Secondary outcomes were perioperative complications. Standard statistical methods were performed for descriptive analysis. A total of 3,209 major and minor operations were performed during 24 port visits in nine countries. Pediatric cases represented 1,117 (38%) of these procedures. Pediatric surgeons performed 291 (26%) of these cases. Based on DCP3 criteria, 789 pediatric operations (71%) were considered essential procedures. The most common DCP3-aligned procedures were cleft lip repair (432, 57%), hernia repair (207, 27%), and hydrocelectomy (60, 8%). Operative volume for pediatric surgery was highest during the 2008 mission (522 cases), when two pediatric surgeons were deployed, and lowest during the 2018 mission (five cases), when the mission focus was on education rather than surgical procedures and lack of pediatric cases referred by the host nation. Overall complication rate for pediatric cases was 1%. This study represents the largest known analysis of military humanitarian assistance. Pediatric operations represented over one-third of the surgical volume during Pacific Partnership missions from 2006 to 2018. The majority of cases were DCP3-aligned and associated with a low complication rate. Future humanitarian aid missions and host nations should allocate appropriate medical and educational resources to treat DCP3 pediatric surgical diseases in low- and middle-income countries to support long-term capacity building while maintaining optimal surgical outcomes.

Challenges in Oncologic Preparedness: A Retrospective Review of Incident Surgical Cancers During Pacific Partnership Missions, 2008-2016.

For over 30 years, the USNS Mercy hospital ship has provided surgical care on multiple humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions. During these missions, surgical support varies according to host nation needs, and the operative treatment of cancer patients remains controversial. We report the number of incidentally discovered surgical oncologic cases treated aboard the USNS Mercy on four missions and discuss challenges regarding oncologic care on these missions. Between 2008 and 2016, operative cases and surgical pathology results from four multinational humanitarian missions were analyzed according to organ system, patient's geographic location, and diagnosis. Primary outcomes were total number and proportion of malignant cases, analyzed yearly and over all four missions. Secondary outcomes were malignant diagnoses by organ system and host nation health capacities (based on indicators from the WHO). A total of 2,767 operations were performed during 18 port visits in 8 countries in Southeast Asia. In total, 1,193 pathology specimens (surgical biopsies, fine needle aspirations, etc.) were obtained. Overall malignancy rate across all organ systems was 9%. Yearly malignancy rates ranged from 2% to 13%. The highest malignancy rates were found in thyroid (33%), breast (20%), and parotid and salivary gland cases (19%). All host nations had operational strategies for cancer in place (n = 8, 100%), but few had national infrastructures to treat noncommunicable diseases (n = 2, 25%). Despite current policies to screen out cancer patients on USNS Mercy missions, 9% of surgical biopsies were malignant. Cancer management during these missions presents a unique challenge because of limited resources for surgery, chemoradiotherapy, and follow-up care. Contingency plans must be considered to provide completion of care for these patients whose cancers are discovered incidentally. Furthermore, an understanding of host nation capabilities in relation to medical and surgical care is crucial to providing treatment in resource-limited areas.

Combined maritime fleet deployment and inventory management with port visit flexibility in roll-on roll-off shipping

We consider a combined fleet deployment and inventory management problem in Roll-on Roll-off shipping. Along given trade routes there are ports with inventories that should be kept within their limits. Current planning practice is to visit all ports every time a trade route is serviced. We instead aim at determining the sailing routes of each voyage along the trade route, where some ports can be skipped on certain voyages. A novel mixed integer programming model is proposed and tested on realistic instances. The results indicate that substantial gains can be achieved from this more flexible way of planning.

China as an Atlantic Naval Power

China is in the process of becoming an Atlantic naval power, Ryan D Martinson argues. Since 2014, the activities of the Chinese navy in the South Atlantic have evolved from port visits and largely symbolic joint exercises to independent operations at sea. This helps the Chinese navy to gain familiarity with the operating environment, so that it can effectively respond when called on by civilian leaders to protect China’s growing interests in the region. China’s increased naval presence in the South Atlantic may also reflect a shift in Beijing’s strategy for countering perceived threats from the US military in the Western Pacific.

Differentiating on port fees to accelerate the green maritime transition.

This study investigates conditions under which differentiating port fees based on vessels' environmental performance could be an additional driver for cruise-ship owners to invest in green technologies. Our case study on liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for a cruise ship shows that port-based incentives could help reduce emissions to air and drive uptake of green technologies. Assuming an average rebate of EUR 1500 per port visit, the accumulated rebates globally for our case study ship exceed EUR 400,000 per year. Applying a rebate of nearly EUR 4800 per visit as currently offered in Norwegian ports, and assuming 50% of ports globally adopt the scheme, gives a cost benefit of EUR 700,000 per year, reducing the LNG technology payback time up to one year. Our case study also shows that significantly reducing ship emissions in ports will bring social benefits through reduced risks of loss of life, health and wellbeing.

Compliance assessment for the ballast water convention: time for a re-think? A U.K. case study

The damaging introduction of invasive species continues unabated fourteen years after the adoption of the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC). The Convention came into force in September, 2017, 13 years after its adoption. Qualifying commercial vessels will need to comply with international discharge regulations and must now contend with complex regulations, uncertain Ballast Water Treatment System performance and potentially inconsistent enforcement internationally. Part of the dilemma rests with the stringent standards which often take days to determine. When certification testing is superseded by rapid Port State Control (PSC) compliance assessment during a port visit, questions arise regarding the logistics of sampling/analysis and the functionality of the BWTS. Reflecting doubts about the performance of installed BWTS IMO have proposed an interim Experience Building Phase (EBP) wherein BWTS non-compliance would not be penalised if operated in good faith. This paper presents a rationale for a robust global programme to test the efficacy of BWTS through Port State Control, using the U.K. as a ‘Case Study’. Rapid prognostic testing during port visits would be employed using technologies certified by regulatory agencies. Such indicative testing would not necessarily address every single aspect of international standards, but would represent robust compliance assessment, that would provide feedback data vital to the improvement of BWTS. Abbreviations: AIS: Aquatic Invasive Species; BWMC: Ballast Water Management Convention; BWTS: Ballast Water Treatment System; CFC: Chlorofluorocarbons; EBP: (IMO) Experience Building Phase; FDOM: Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter; HC: Hydrocarbons; HCF: Hydrofluorocarbons; HCFC: Hydrochlorofluorocarbons; IMO: International Maritime Organization; IOPP: International Oil Pollution Prevention; MARPOL: Marine Pollution (Convention); MEPC: IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee; NOx: Nitrogen oxides; SERC: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, U.S.A.