This study addresses a critical gap in environmental assessments by focusing on petrochemical port operations, an area traditionally overlooked in life cycle assessments (LCAs) of material supply chains. This study investigates various methods of loading for 22 petrochemical products i.e., gas, liquid, container, tanker, and bulk loading; at the biggest petrochemical port in the world situated in the Persian Gulf with a loading capacity of 35 MMt/yr. Twelve scenarios were developed to enhance environmental efficiency based on hotspots defined in LCAs of port loading operations of petrochemicals in their present state. Scenarios 1 through 5 consider electricity savings of 2%–10%, scenarios 6 through 10 consider renewable photovoltaic energy mix of 10%–50%, and scenarios 11 and 12 consider no flaring and rejection of ash waste from ships.
To prioritize these scenarios based on environmental efficiency gains, a comprehensive LCA-GRM hybrid model has been introduced. This integrated model combines life cycle assessment and gray relational modeling, providing a robust framework for evaluating and ranking the scenarios. The Best Worst Method (BWM) is implemented for weighing multiple environmental criteria, contributing to informed decision-making.
The findings underscore the substantial impact of electricity consumption and gas flaring in petrochemical port operations, prompting the identification of the 'no flaring' scenario (S11) as the most preferred option. Implementing this scenario could lead to significant reductions in climate change impacts (22.14%), ozone formation and human health impacts (16.73%), and photochemical oxidant formation (15.98%).
The study's significance lies in emphasizing the environmental implications of port operations and urging policymakers to integrate port impacts into broader supply chain assessments. We advocate for targeted strategies to enhance electricity efficiency and reduce gas flaring in petrochemical ports, aligning with global sustainability goals. The Comprehensive LCA-GRM hybrid approach offers valuable insights for decision-makers involved in the global transportation of goods through ports.
This report provides public recommendations for waterborne transport to West Coast of Norway, with the focus on the specified transport system in use case A in the AEGIS project. The complete background for this report is only achieved by reading all the other deliverables related to the use case, however these are confidential. Therefore, it is recommended to read the ICMASS 2022 paper "Development of an advanced, efficient and green intermodal system with autonomous inland and short sea shipping – AEGIS"1 to get a better overview of the project and specifically use case A. The transport system of use case A consists of mother vessel(s) together with one or more daughter vessels, connected by several ports. The mother vessel transports containers from Rotterdam via Hitra Kysthavn and into ports in the Trondheimsfjorden. The rationale for this use case is to enable a more flexible and cost-efficient waterborne transport solution for fjords and smaller ports.
The present paper explores how industrial symbiosis emergence unfolds within port industrial areas through a multiple case study that focuses on actors, platforms for collaboration, and content of stakeholder processes. Drivers for industrial symbiosis emergence are identified, and future lines of research are proposed.
Port clusters are expected to play a significant role in the transition towards a circular economy, both at the level of facilitating regional and global transport within circular production chains, as well as hosting circular activities in port areas. There is strong evidence that significant investments in the circular economy (CE) are being made in port areas, albeit without much knowledge on their impacts. To ensure an efficient use of port resources in view of this transition, these impacts should be adequately monitored. Research on circular economy indicators for ports is still in an exploratory stage, characterized by an absence of in-depth research on the development of port-related circular economy indicators. This paper focuses on the development of a comprehensive set of relevant and feasible CE indicators, which aim to support port managing bodies (PMBs) as well as port stakeholders to monitor the CE transition taking place. Through multimethod qualitative research, including content analysis, focus groups, a gap analysis and a qualitative survey, an actionable list of CE 12 indicators for ports was developed. Seven of which are highly feasible and five of which have medium feasibility in terms of stakeholder relevance and ease of implementation. Findings related to (1) the overall limited CE ambition levels of PMBs and (2) the difference in the values of some indicators for different port typologies are also discussed. The value of this study for practitioners lies in providing them with an actionable set of KPIs which can support their efforts and communication related to their CE transition.
An increasing number of disruptions in ports, plants and warehouses have generated ripple effects over supply networks impacting economic activity. We demonstrate how the spread of the pandemic geographically expands the ripple effect by reducing the workers' participation in production, so undermining the ability of firms and, as a result, the entire cross-border sup- ply chain network to satisfy customers' demands. Our model of the spatio-temporal dynamics of the propagation of Covid-19 infection for supply networks contributes toward ripple effect visualisation and quantification by combining the flow of goods and materials through a typical global supply chain with an epidemiological model. The model enables prospective analyses to be performed in what-if scenarios to simulate the impact on the workforce in each node. The outcome should be helpful tools for managers and scholars. Results from this research will help mitigate the impact and spread of a pandemic in a particular region and the ability of a supply network to overcome the ripple effect. A stylised case study of a cross-border supply chain illustrates the ripple effect by showing how waves with crests at varying dates impact the ability to serve demand showing how a supply chain manager can obtain a forward-looking picture.
The term ‘innovation ecosystem’ has become popular among stakeholders involved in innovation. The core idea is that innovation does not thrive through isolated actions of individual companies, but rather depends on a broad array of interrelated actors, institutions and policies. In this paper, we apply the concept of innovation ecosystems to ports by first providing a theoretical overview of its components and then comparing the efforts to build such an ecosystem in the port cities of Rotterdam and Valencia. Our main findings are as follows. First, the importance of innovation for the ability of ports to continue to create ‘value for society’ is widely acknowledged. Second, research and development (R&D) activities in both Rotterdam and Valencia are relatively limited and the dominant innovation challenge is the early application of new technologies developed outside the ports industry. Third, a ‘systemic approach’ is required to understand the innovation ecosystem in ports, given the strong interrelations among companies in the port and the need for broad coalitions to implement new technologies. Fourth and fifth, human capital formation and research cooperation, respectively, play a central role in improving the port innovation ecosystem. Finally, the ecosystem in Rotterdam is ‘distributed and connected’ while Valencia is more centralised.
With the rise of ‘new’ state capitalisms, control over transport infrastructure has returned to the forefront of competition in the global economy. This article investigates how different state capitalisms interact to enable economic developments in ports. It tracks the relationship between state-owned firms in the shipping and ports sectors through a case study of the port of Valencia in Spain and COSCO shipping group. The article identifies state capitalisms as variegated and relational to analyze the ways in which qualitatively different state capitalist dynamics interact at different scales. The article identifies two state capitalist dynamics which have been dominant in determining relations between Spanish and Chinese state capitalisms: 1) A commercial dynamic of maximizing Spanish ports profits by establishing new relationships with Chinese firms; and 2) an expansionary dynamic of increasing market share of Chinese state-owned firms in European shipping markets. These two dynamics are synergistic and have contributed to the competitiveness of Spanish ports and Chinese shipping firms by providing new capital to the port of Valencia and expanding the port's profile as a hub in the eastern Mediterranean, while also further solidifying COSCO's position in European shipping markets and its internalization and vertical integration strateg
This article builds on rich empirical data following our unexpected discovery of a local practice to circumvent a stressful
and counterproductive work environment due to distrust at the Port of Tema in Ghana. Using theoretical work on networks,
trust, and humor, as well as extensive ethnographic feldwork, we found that the humorous atmosphere at the regularly
held physical berthing meetings fosters a sense of community, which enables competing professions, private companies,
and public institutions to manage their mutual distrust. In an environment where trust among competitors is unrealistic, we
argue that the objective of the performance of humor and transparency at the physical berthing meetings is the management
of distrust rather than the creation of trust. The meetings have, gradually, grown to serve as a pragmatic local stakeholder
adaptation to the challenges posed by universally perceived politicized, opaque, and corrupt business practices at the Port
of Tema and beyond. In conclusion, we posit that our empirical fndings allow us to identify the potential of and gaps in
theories about trust and humor in understanding the dynamics of coping strategies among competitors in business settings
that are characterized by unethical practices.
This article builds on rich empirical data following our unexpected discovery of a local practice to circumvent a stressful
and counterproductive work environment due to distrust at the Port of Tema in Ghana. Using theoretical work on networks,
trust, and humor, as well as extensive ethnographic feldwork, we found that the humorous atmosphere at the regularly
held physical berthing meetings fosters a sense of community, which enables competing professions, private companies,
and public institutions to manage their mutual distrust. In an environment where trust among competitors is unrealistic, we
argue that the objective of the performance of humor and transparency at the physical berthing meetings is the management
of distrust rather than the creation of trust. The meetings have, gradually, grown to serve as a pragmatic local stakeholder
adaptation to the challenges posed by universally perceived politicized, opaque, and corrupt business practices at the Port
of Tema and beyond. In conclusion, we posit that our empirical fndings allow us to identify the potential of and gaps in
theories about trust and humor in understanding the dynamics of coping strategies among competitors in business settings
that are characterized by unethical practices.