Shanghai Port Research Articles

Self-transcendence: Design Criticism in the 1928 Shanghai Exhibition of National Products

Abstract After establishing the Shanghai port in 1843, Western machine-made products inundated the Chinese consumer market, disrupting the local Chinese economic system. To foster the advancement of national industries, the Nanking nationalist government held the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Labour’s Exhibition of National Products in 1928, providing a platform for public discourse on the design of national products. This article analyses the progression of three representative types of early design criticism that emerged from the Exhibition of National Products. These criticisms examined the design’s economic benefits, responsiveness to cultural needs, and influence on shaping social consensus. Their progressive development can be characterized as a form of self-transcendence, indicating a move by critics beyond past limited understandings of the value, sphere of influence, and design’s role in society. Their focus transitioned from the economic interests of minorities to the diverse needs of broader social groups. In the process of self-transcendence, these design criticisms expanded the horizons of designers’ work. They facilitated collaborations between design and various industries, including production, consumption, and education, influencing broader socioeconomic and ideological fronts.

Liner fleet deployment and empty container repositioning under demand uncertainty: A robust optimization approach

This paper investigates a robust optimization problem concerning the integration of fleet deployment and empty container repositioning in a shipping line network, where a fleet of vessels is dispatched to transport both laden and empty containers, aiming to fulfill a predetermined set of requests over a defined time horizon. The sizes of customer demands are uncertain and are characterized by a budgeted uncertainty set. This study aims to ascertain the vessel types assigned to each shipping route, the routing of laden containers, and the repositioning of empty containers in a manner that minimizes the total cost. Simultaneously, it ensures the feasibility of all transportation plans for any realization of demand within the uncertainty set. We introduce a path-based two-stage robust formulation for addressing the problem. In the first stage, the assignment of vessel types to each shipping route is determined, and the second stage focuses on establishing the routing of laden containers and repositioning of empty containers under a worst-case scenario. We propose the Column-and-Constraint Generation algorithm for solving the proposed robust formulation. To address large-scale size instances, we propose an acceleration technique, i.e., the piece-wise affine policy, which reduces the dimensions of the uncertainty set while maintaining a bounded compromise in solution quality. Comprehensive numerical experiments derived from real-world industries, such as the Shanghai port and CMA CGM, are conducted to validate the proposed formulation and solution methodologies.

Composition and Distribution of Bacteria, Pathogens, and Antibiotic Resistance Genes at Shanghai Port, China

As one of the biggest ports, the aquatic ecology of Shanghai Port has a significant impact on the health of surrounding residents and aquatic animals. Therefore, this study explored the composition and distribution of bacteria, pathogens, and ARGs at Shanghai Ports by high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the bacterial community was dominated by the Proteobacteria at the phylum level. With the refinement of classification level, the main composition of bacteria in different samples shows significant differences. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the composition and distribution of pathogens among the samples. It indicates that pathogens and ARGs have steady community composition at Shanghai Port. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica could be regarded as candidate indicator pathogens. macB, tetA (58), and evgS were the main ARGs, and they showed a close relationship with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Magnaporthe oryzae, Streptococcus pneumonia, Xanthomonas oryzae, and Vibrio cholerae in different sites and layers. This may lead to the transfer of ARGs between different pathogens, resulting in more threatening pathogens. The results showed that the pathogens and ARGs present posed a risk of transmission and were potentially harmful to residents in the environment. They can spread to any other ports in the world through the transmission of ballast water, posing a threat to humans and local ecology. In order to keep human health, it is necessary to pay more attention to the water environment of ports and increase the monitoring. Furthermore, it is essential to strengthen the supervision of external source pollution input due to the special features of the port.

Reshaping port-city relationships through underground logistics system: A mixed qualitative approach

Against the backdrop of explosive growth in freight demand, the negative impacts of the traditional road-system-based port-city logistics mode on urban transportation, environment and safety have become prominent livelihood issues, as well as significant economic and social problems. Port-city underground logistics system (PC-ULS) has been widely recognized as an innovative way to ensure the sustainable development of port cities. However, the influence mechanism of PC-ULS on the port-city relationships is still unclear. Thus, this paper attempts to explore the PC-ULS-based port-city relationships formation process and the main influencing factors using a mixed qualitative approach. The social, economic and environmental impacts of PC-ULS on the development of port cities were systematically analyzed using the Shanghe Port ULS and Shanghai Port ULS as the case studies. The results show that the impacts generated by PC-ULS are positive and widely distributed across the economic sphere, port-city traffic, logistics governance, urban equity, stakeholders, ports, and urban spaces, as well as ecological sustainability. Furthermore, the urban planning, technology compatibility and engineering risk related factors have a strong impact on the PC-ULS implementation. A set of incentive policies has been designed to promote the effectiveness of PC-ULS. The findings provide a unique perspective on underground space development and utilization to address port-city conflicts, as well as a reasonable implementation pathway for PC-ULS application.

Examining the influence mechanisms of gateway ports on inland ports in the context of Port regionalization - A case study of the Yangtze River Port system

This study examines the influence of gateway seaports on inland ports within a river port system, focusing on the Yangtze River port system as a case study. The research initially employs a fixed-effects panel model to confirm the overall positive impact of Shanghai Port on Yangtze River inland ports. Subsequently, using Panel data model with individual-specific slopes, this study reveal that Shanghai Port positively affects each inland port, but the magnitude of this impact varies significantly. The research further employs a panel threshold regression model to dissect the mechanisms through which Shanghai Port influences inland ports in terms of geographical, operational, and economic distances. In terms of geographical distance, the influence of Shanghai Port on the throughput of Yangtze inland ports diminishes as the navigational distance increases. Notably, inland ports located downstream on the Yangtze River are the first and most impacted, marking the downstream area as an early influencer in the port regionalization process. As to operational distance, Shanghai Port exerts a stronger influence on inland ports with higher throughput levels, as opposed to those with lower throughput. With respect to economic distance, inland ports in cities with higher economic development are found to be less influenced by Shanghai Port compared to those in less economically developed regions. This nuanced understanding provides invaluable insights into the interconnectedness of major gateway ports and their inland counterparts.

Simulation of Ship Berthing Operation at Luojing Container Terminal Under Extreme Sea Conditions

The Luojing Port Area of the Port of Shanghai, specifically the coal terminal and ore terminal, used to be the main port area for coal and ore bulk cargo transportation services in the Port of Shanghai.To enhance the container handling capacity at Shanghai port, this study conducted a series of simulation tests at Luojing Container Terminal. The tests were designed according to the terminal's specifications, taking into account the limit berthing wind direction and wind speed (levels 6 and 7). This study selected an appropriate representative ship type for the comprehensive simulation tests, and it thoroughly tested the berthing limits under various extreme conditions using an advanced navigation simulator. The experiment obtained the motion parameters and trajectory of the simulated ship. Based on these results, this study analyzed and evaluated the safety of the rotary waters and berthing operations, ensuring they met the safety assessment requirements for wharf engineering. The study examined the berthing time window, berthing mode, boundary conditions, and safety guarantee measures under extreme sea conditions at Luojing Container Terminal. Finally, By analyzing the berthing simulation trajectory diagrams, tugboat usage, and vessel maneuvering data under the eight extreme berthing conditions, this study formulated a safe berthing plan for ships.

Research on Risks and Countermeasures of Berthing and Unberthing in Luojing Container Terminal

In order to further enhance the container throughput capacity of Shanghai Port, a total renovation of the terminal at Luojing port area is planned. The successful implementation of the renovation project not only needs to fully consider the updating of technology and facilities, but also requires an in-depth analysis and assessment of the risks of berthing and unberthing container ships. In this paper, we will collect and organize the hydrometeorological conditions around the terminal, as well as the existing conditions of the port area and the waterway. Through in-depth analysis of the traffic flow data of Luojing Container Terminal, this research will study the navigational environment in the vicinity of the terminal and explore the characteristics and changing trends of the traffic flow. These analyses will help to accurately assess the impact of traffic flow on the safety of berthing and unberthing of container ships. Eventually, this paper will combine the results of the traffic flow analysis of Luojing Container Terminal to propose corresponding risk assessment and response strategies for berthing and unberthing. These strategies will provide a scientific basis for the terminal management to make future decisions, ensure the smooth progress of the renovation project, and enhance the transportation efficiency and safety of the Shanghai port.

A Novel Technical Framework for the Evaluation of Node Significance and Edge Connectivity in Global Shipping Network

Marine transportation is pivotal in the rapid development of global trade, significantly enhancing international economic and trade connectivity and impacting the sustainable development of the global economy. In this study, we developed a novel technical framework based on the Laplacian matrix to evaluate the node significance and edge connectivity of the global shipping network using 2019 vessel schedule data from the top 30 liner shipping companies, as ranked by Alphaliner. Our analyses were conducted in both L-space, characterizing the connectivity function, and P-space, characterizing the transfer function. The findings indicate the following. (1) There is no consistent relationship between node significance and centrality for most ports. Ports with high node significance are mainly located in the Asia–Pacific region, with Singapore Port being the port with the highest node significance in L-space and Shanghai Port being the port with the highest node significance in P-space. (2) In L-space, the structures with significant improvements in edge connectivity in the shipping network have at least one port node that exhibits both low degree centrality and low betweenness centrality; these are primarily found on East African routes. (3) In P-space, the structures with significant improvements in edge connectivity in the shipping network are more complex but are notably linked to the ports of Assaluyeh and Bandar Abbas in Iran. The proposed node evaluation and edge addition strategy effectively analyze port significance and edge connectivity, providing decision-making support for optimizing port layouts, supporting container route planning, and enhancing the overall performance of the shipping network.

Viral diversity and potential threats in residues and ballast water of ballast tanks at Shanghai port

Ballast water is one of the most important vectors for transferring and spreading marine aquatic species throughout the world. While technological advancements have led to an enhanced comprehension of ballast water viromes, the understanding of viral diversity in the residues after deballasting such as sediment and residual water remains predominantly unexplored. Our research conducted an initial exploration of viromes present in both residues (sediment and residual water) and ballast water of ballast tanks at Shanghai port, revealing distinct profiles between viromes in sediment and the water column (residual water and ballast water). The diversity, richness, and evenness of viral communities in sediment were lower than those in the water column. Our study underscores the existence of viral pathogens within residues and ballast water. Shrimp hemocyte iridescent virus (SHIV), a strain of decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1) listed as an aquatic animal disease by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), was identified in all three types of samples. Our research expanded the understanding of viral diversity in sediments and residual water, highlighting the need for better management of residues after deballsting.

Impacts of salinity stress induced by ballast water discharge on the ecosystem of shanghai port, China

Large quantities of marine ballast water discharged by ocean-going vessels can cause salinity increases in freshwater ports, which in turn negatively affects indigenous plankton in the ports. In this study, we investigated the impacts of marine ballast water discharge on the plankton community in a freshwater wharf through field surveys. It was found that salinity stress caused reductions in community indicators such as plankton community composition, abundance and diversity, thus threatening the structure and function of the plankton community in the wharf. In terms of the impact range, the salinity stress had a significant effect on all plankton in the waters near the discharge point and the phytoplankton in the waters 50 m from the discharge point, but had no significant effect on the plankton in the waters further away. Ballast water discharge also caused a significant decrease in the alpha diversity and richness of the plankton community but had no significant effect on the evenness of the plankton community. Moreover, phytoplankton were more tolerant of salinity changes than zooplankton in our study. This study provides an ecological reference for the scientific management of marine ballast water discharge and the risk of exogenous nutrient inputs to freshwater ecosystems.

Energy–Logistics Cooperative Optimization for a Port-Integrated Energy System

In order to achieve carbon peak and neutrality goals, many low-carbon operations are implemented in ports. Integrated energy systems that consist of port electricity and cooling loads, wind and PV energy devices, energy storage, and clean fuels are considered as a future technology. In addition, ports are important hubs for the global economy and trade; logistics optimization is also part of their objective, and most port facilities have complex logistics. This article proposes an energy–logistics collaborative optimization method to fully tap the potential of port-integrated energy systems. A logistics–energy system model is established by deeply examining the operational characteristics of logistics systems and their corresponding energy consumption patterns, considering ships’ operational statuses, quay crane distribution constraints, and power balances. To better represent the ship–energy–logistics optimization problem, a hybrid system modeling technique is employed. The case of Shanghai Port is studied; the results show that costs can be reduced by 3.27% compared to the traditional optimization method, and a sensitivity analysis demonstrates the robustness of the proposed method.

Study on the diversity and germination of dinoflagellate cysts in the sediments of foreign ships in Shanghai Port

The dinoflagellate cysts present in the ballast water sediment of foreign ships in Shanghai Port have not been previously studied. Therefore, sediment samples were collected from the ballast water of 16 foreign ships in Shanghai Port, and the types of dinoflagellate cysts were identified and their abundance was calculated, with a specific focus on the analysis of toxic and harmful dinoflagellates. Moreover, simulations of temperature and salinity conditions throughout the year in the Shanghai port waters were conducted to carry out dinoflagellate cyst germination experiments, with analyze and compare the germinated dinoflagellate cysts under different conditions. Dinoflagellate cysts were found in 100 % of the ship sediment samples, including a total of 9 species of toxic and harmful dinoflagellate cysts. In the germination experiment, 15 °C was found to be the optimal temperature for the germination of dinoflagellate cysts in ballast water sediment, and high salinity is more favorable for cyst germination.

Enhancing OCR with line segmentation mask for container text recognition in container terminal

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) plays a pivotal role in enhancing the operational efficiency of container ports. However, challenges such as angle limitations and the complexity of container fonts in traditional OCR systems lead to tilted text and text adhesion, thereby reducing the recognition rate. Recognizing containers at a high speed is equally crucial for port operations. In this study, we address these challenges by introducing an Enhanced OCR (EOCR) system, incorporating Line Segmentation Mask (LSM)-based detection and Scanline-based recognition. LSM tackles the issue of text adhesion caused by traditional segmentation, while recognition based on scan lines accelerates efficiency. Additionally, we propose the arbitrary angle quadrilateral fitting algorithm targeting sloping quad areas in images taken at a container terminal. Experimental results on a dataset of container images from the Shanghai Port demonstrate superior performance compared to existing algorithms, achieving a recognition accuracy rate of up to 98.7%. Furthermore, an ablation study confirms that our EOCR significantly enhances recognition accuracy while ensuring real-time performance.

The impact of government support on port industry competitiveness: A qualitative exploration

Focusing on Shanghai Port, this in-depth study explores how government support can make port organizations more competitive. This study shall implement qualitative analysis based on in-depth interviews with key industry and government leaders to break down the complicated actions taken by the government and how they have changed the operational and strategic skills of the port industry. Seven factors were found in our study to be the most crucial support factors: Financial, regulatory, infrastructure growth, talent, market, policy, and organizational support. In their ways, each of these groups undermines the ability of port businesses to compete. For instance, finance can make ports more competitive in aspects such as tax cuts, lower interest rates, innovation and R&D funds, financing programs, venture capital funds, and putting up R&D sites. Supporting regulations makes sure that there is fair competition and smooth operations. This is done by protecting intellectual property, keeping the market going smoothly, improving the business environment, and monitoring market regulations. Building new infrastructure, such as innovation and updated buildings, enables the smooth running of the port businesses and minimizes wastage of time; thus, more time is spent on production. Supporting talent, the market, and policy all work together to make the human capital, international cooperation, and strategic regulatory framework that a company needs to stay ahead in the long run. It is clear from organizational support how important collaborative networks are for making ports more competitive. These networks, for instance, can be of assistance in helping schools and businesses work together, create new technologies, and find ways for companies and colleges to study together. This study examines these support systems to determine where the government should step in and how the systems can be made better to make ports more competitive. In terms of practical contribution, this in-depth study helps policymakers and port workers plan for the future. This study shows a fair way for the government to support the port business, which changes with its needs and stays competitive in the world of trade.

Data-driven approach for port resilience evaluation

As pivotal nodes in international trade, ports have faced unprecedented challenges, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the perspective of port congestion, this study investigates port resilience based on a quantitative approach. Port resilience is specifically evaluated using five novel metrics derived from resilience capacities and port congestion indexes, employing data-driven approaches, which are then applied to analyze nine global ports across six regions. The findings of the study indicate that: 1) The ports of Southampton and Shanghai display better resilience levels, whereas New York/New Jersey and Los Angeles/Long Beach show poorer resilience performance during the research period. 2) Ports in West Coast North America demonstrate relatively low resilience levels, while those in South East Asia showcase superior resilience. 3) The changing dynamics and evolution of port resilience rankings across different years underscore the multifaceted nature of port resilience and its capacity to adapt to external factors such as global events. Our study emphasizes the importance of quantifying port resilience, with a specific focus on port congestion. It provides valuable insights that have significant implications for port management and disaster preparedness within the maritime industry.

Epidemiological and Genomic analysis of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from imported travelers at the port of Shanghai, China (2017-2019)

BackgroundVibrio parahaemolyticus is the predominant etiological agent of seafood-associated foodborne illnesses on a global scale. It is essential to elucidate the mechanisms by which this pathogen disseminates. Given the existing research predominantly concentrates on localized outbreaks, there is a pressing necessity for a comprehensive investigation to capture strains of V. parahaemolyticus cross borders.ResultsThis study examined the frequency and genetic attributes of imported V. parahaemolyticus strains among travelers entering Shanghai Port, China, between 2017 and 2019.Through the collection of 21 strains from diverse countries and regions, Southeast Asia was pinpointed as a significant source for the emergence of V. parahaemolyticus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed clear delineation between strains originating from human and environmental sources, emphasizing that underlying genome data of foodborne pathogens is essential for environmental monitoring, food safety and early diagnosis of diseases. Furthermore, our study identified the presence of virulence genes (tdh and tlh) and approximately 120 antibiotic resistance-related genes in the majority of isolates, highlighting their crucial involvement in the pathogenesis of V. parahaemolyticus.ConclusionsThis research enhanced our comprehension of the worldwide transmission of V. parahaemolyticus and its antimicrobial resistance patterns. The findings have important implications for public health interventions and antimicrobial stewardship strategies, underscoring the necessity for epidemiological surveillance of pathogen at international travel hubs.

Analysis of emission characteristics associated with vessel activities states in port waters

This study investigates AIS data from March 2019 to February 2020 in Shanghai Port waters. The ship activities of berthing, waiting, and ingress/egress are extracted in detail to elucidate the emission characteristics of ships in Shanghai Port, differentiating emissions patterns across various ship activity. The findings reveal that the top three pollutants within Shanghai Port are CO2, NOX, and SO2. Container ships have the highest emissions, followed by bulk carriers. Berthed container ships and oil tankers exhibit the highest emission. Waiting container ships emit the most, followed by oil tankers and bulk carriers. Among ships entering and leaving the port, low-speed navigation produces the most emissions, followed by maneuvering and steady-speed navigation. Emission hotspots include the Yangtze River Estuary Anchorage and the main navigation channel into and out of the port. This study offers robust data support for an in-depth understanding and evaluation of ship emission characteristics in Shanghai Port.

Study on the hierarchical structure of container port systems along the South China Sea in the context of low carbon emissions

Under the low-carbon background, 37 ports of countries along the South China Sea with capacity ranking in the world’s top 100 container ports are selected as the research object to establish a shipping network, construct a directed dichotomous shipping network, and divide the port tiers after finding the kernel number by using kernel analysis method, respectively, to explore the relationship between tiers and the relationship between ports at the higher level, and then make clear the direction of the improvement for the reduction of carbon emissions. The results show that: the routes sent between container ports in countries along the South China Sea have formed a more stable connection, but the receiving routes are still in a passive position, and the port call relationship is affected by the port hierarchy. High-level ports such as Shanghai Port and Singapore Port undertake the transshipment function of cargo concentration and redistribution within the network. The small-world characteristics among ports such as Singapore Port, Ningbo Port, Haiphong Port, Shenzhen Port, Guangzhou Port, and Linchaban Port are obvious. Based on the results of the empirical analysis, corresponding suggestions are put forward to optimize the structure of the container port system in the countries along the South China Sea and promote the low-carbon development of the sea.

Research on the Decision Making of Value Chain Reconstruction of Chinese Port Enterprises under the Background of Free Trade Zone Policy

This paper aims to solve the decision-making problem of value chain reconstruction of Chinese port enterprises under the background of the Free Trade Zone policy. Based on value chain theory and system dynamics method, this paper constructs a simulation model that can simulate the value-added change process of port enterprises under different combination input conditions. Furthermore, it conducts simulation case studies. The research indicates that the Free Trade Zone policy has a significant promoting effect on the restructuring of port enterprise value chains and the transformation and upgrading of enterprises. Moreover, considering the impact of the Free Trade Zone policy and limited resources, the overall benefits to port enterprises from combined investments are superior to those from single-factor investments. According to the value chain theory, the business segments of a port are decomposed into ancillary value activities, basic value activities, and external value activities. The investments in these three types of value activities play roles, respectively, in enhancing the operational efficiency of port enterprises, expanding the business scope of port enterprises, and strengthening the core competitiveness of port enterprises. From the overall perspective of the system, Shanghai Port can obtain the maximum operating profit when the endogenous factor input rate is 13%, the basic factor input rate is 4%, and the exogenous factor input rate is 13%. The findings of this research provide a decision-making reference for Chinese port enterprises to realize value reconstruction, transformation, and upgrading in the context of the Free Trade Zone policy.

Hub-and-Spoke collusion in the port intelligence investment system: A case study of Shanghai Port

In the post-pandemic era, the maritime market has transcended traditional horizontal competition and collusion, giving rise to a new form of collaboration in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, known as hub-and-spoke collusion. This study provides a comparative analysis of competition and collusion strategies in the maritime industry from the perspective of port intelligence investment across five scenarios. The research findings suggest that hub-and-spoke collusion strategy can significantly enhance overall revenue in the shipping sector within a certain range. Unlike traditional horizontal and vertical collusion methods, hub-and-spoke collusion strategy operates more covertly and yields greater profits tending to occur within emerging or oligopolistic industries, the stability of which gradually increases with rising competitive pressure. However, excessive competition weakens its stability.