This paper examines if eco-rating schemes improve environmental outcomes in the context of the international shipping industry. Shipping faces global environmental challenges and has recently witnessed the introduction of several eco-rating schemes aiming to improve the environmental performance of ships. Extending the private environmental governance literature into a mature service industry with global operations, the paper shows that concerns about eco-rating schemes’ effectiveness also have relevance here. Shipping eco-rating schemes fall short of best practices for design and governance, and this hampers improvement efforts. The study has policy implications for the achievement of improved environmental outcomes in the shipping industry.
The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) occupies a central role in the advice system to support the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) in the European Union (EU). Despite improvements, its capacity to deliver ecosystem advice seems to be far from a fully functional operational framework. To what extent availability of appropriate scientific advice is a barrier for a more widespread use of an EAFM in Europe remains an open question. Building on the findings of a large research project, this article explores what advice ICES can provide. The article concludes that: (i) ICES has taken a leading role in generating an EAFM framework in which management decisions can operate; (ii) the advice “suppliers” and the advice “users” agree on the feasibility of using existing knowledge to “do EAFM now”; (iii) ICES can address a range of shortcomings, but some of the present bottlenecks demand concerted action between the advisory system and the political realm. The implementation of an EAFM requires consistency between science and management. ICES appears as well-suited to facilitate the dialogue on applying an EAFM in the EU, but it is unrealistic to expect ICES to produce all the answers.
Background: Limited access to medical care can be considered as an occupational risk of seafaring and it may predispose to developing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) requiring hospital care. We sought to investigate the risk for CAP and other lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) requiring hospital care among seafarers. We examined the length of hospital stay (LOS) as a proxy for severity of illness. Methods: The study population in this panel data analysis were all seafarers and a 20% random sample of economically active individuals aged 18–65 years who were residing in Denmark in 1997–2016, constituting more than 11 million person-years of follow-up. Annually-registered socio-demographic and work characteristics were linked to data on cause of hospital admissions. We used fixed-effects and zero-truncated Poisson regression to estimate the rate ratios of hospitalization for CAP and other LRTI, and compared LOS across the two populations. Results: The adjusted incident rate ratio (IRR) for CAP in seafarers compared to the economically active population was 1.42 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15–1.77), whereas the IRR was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.38–1.42) for other LRTI. For LOS, the IRRs for CAP and other LRTI in seafarers were 1.08 (95% CI: 1.04–1.12) and 0.92 (95% CI: 0.83–1.01), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that seafaring was associated with an increased risk for CAP requiring hospital care. Limited access to health care may be an important contributing factor.
There has been a continued increase in the load on the current offshore oil and gas de-oiling systems that generally consist of three-phase gravity separators and de-oiling hydrocyclones. Current feedback control of the de-oiling systems is not done based on de-oiling efficiency, mainly due to lack of real-time monitoring of oil-in-water concentration, and instead relies on an indirect method using pressure drop ratio control. This study utilizes a direct method where a real-time fluorescence-based instrument was used to measure the transient efficiency of a hydrocyclone combined with an upstream gravity separator. Two control strategies, a conventional PID control structure and an H ∞ robust control structure, both using conventional feedback signals were implemented, and their efficiency was tested during severely fluctuating flow rates. The results show that the direct method can measure the system's efficiency in real time. It was found that the efficiency of the system can be misleading, as fluctuations in the feed flow affect the inlet concentration more than the outlet oil concentration, which can lead to a discharge of large oil quantities into the ocean.
This article is a feasibility study on using fluorescence-based oil-in-water (OiW) monitors for on-line dynamic efficiency measurement of a deoiling hydrocyclone. Dynamic measurements are crucial in the design and validation of dynamic models of the hydrocyclones, and to our knowledge, no dynamic OiW analysis of hydrocyclones has been carried out. Previous studies have extensively studied the steady state efficiency perspective of hydrocyclones, and have related them to different key parameters, such as the pressure drop ratio (PDR), inlet flow rate, and the flow spill. Through our study, we were able to measure the dynamics of the hydrocyclone's efficiency (ϵ) response to step changes in the inlet flow rate with high accuracy. This is a breakthrough in the modelling, control, and monitoring of hydrocyclones.
In the current transition of power industry from conventional sources to renewable energy sources, wind power generation is becoming one of the key sources of electrical energy. Although the development of wind power plants (WPPs) has made a significant contribution to addressing the demand for clean and cheap energy, the integration of large-scale WPPs introduces a series of technical challenges to power system operations. These challenges involved control, protection, and adherence to specified power quality standards. Particularly, power quality plays a vital role in utility systems and industries having direct technical and economic impact on both power consumers and suppliers. To tackle such issues, various grid codes have been initiated by regulation authorities. Moreover, different ancillary devices and control approaches have been adopted to comply with the established grid code. This article aims to review the state-of-the-art research and progress, while considering the main challenges related to dynamic performance and power quality enhancement of emerging grid-forming wind power plants. Various topologies of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) are examined and compared, and their control strategies are investigated. A comprehensive review on power quality and dynamic response issues caused by large-scale wind power integration is presented. Moreover, the evolving grid code requirements for grid-connected WPPs in most leading countries including Denmark, U.K., Australia, Germany, and the USA are analyzed and compared. Furthermore, the improvement approaches proposed in the literature are investigated and classified on different basis and their pros and cons are discussed. A brief discussion on the solutions and future directions is presented. Finally, some conclusive considerations about the overall study are provided.
Since the late 70s, much research activity has taken place on the class of dynamic vehicle routing problems (DVRP), with the time period after year 2000 witnessing a real explosion in related papers. Our paper sheds more light into work in this area over more than 3 decades by developing a taxonomy of DVRP papers according to 11 criteria. These are (1) type of problem, (2) logistical context, (3) transportation mode, (4) objective function, (5) fleet size, (6) time constraints, (7) vehicle capacity constraints, (8) the ability to reject customers, (9) the nature of the dynamic element, (10) the nature of the stochasticity (if any), and (11) the solution method. We comment on technological vis-à-vis methodological advances for this class of problems and suggest directions for further research. The latter include alternative objective functions, vehicle speed as decision variable, more explicit linkages of methodology to technological advances and analysis of worst case or average case performance of heuristics.
This paper highlights the urgent need to accelerate research and action on ocean carbon sinks through human intervention, known as Global Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions (Global-ONCE) Programme, as a vital strategy in global efforts to mitigate climate change. Achieving 'net zero' by 2050 cannot rely on emission reductions alone, emphasising the necessity of complementary approaches. Global-ONCE's mission extends beyond scientific exploration. It embodies a profound commitment to protecting and restoring blue carbon ecosystems, as well as implementing ocean-based solutions that are sustainable, equitable, and inclusive. Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) are at the heart of these efforts, and their innovative approaches, technical expertise, and passion make them indispensable leaders in advancing ONCE initiatives. ECOPs bridge the gap between science and society, playing a relevant role in integrating cutting-edge research, technological advancements, and community-driven action to address climate threats. By bringing together diverse perspectives and leveraging their interdisciplinary expertise, ECOPs ensure ONCE strategies are grounded in scientific rigour and practical feasibility. Through advocacy, education, and collaboration, ECOPs not only spearhead research and innovation but also inspire collective action to safeguard our oceans. This paper amplifies the critical role of ECOPs as agents of change and calls for a unified global commitment to harness the ocean's potential for a climate-resilient future.
This paper proposes an economic and resilient operation architecture for a coupled hydrogen-electricity energy system operating at port. The architecture is a multi-objective optimization problem, which includes the energy system optimal economy as the goal orientation and the optimal resilience as the goal orientation. The optimal resilience orientation looks for the best resilience performance of the port through reasonable energy management including (1) reducing the amount of electricity purchased by the port power grid from the external power grid (2) improving the energy level of electric energy storage (3) improving the energy level of hydrogen energy storage. Taking the actual coupled hydrogen-electricity energy system of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port as an example, four typical scenarios were selected according to renewable generation and load characteristics, and a comparative analysis was carried out during the oriented operation. The results show that although the resilience orientation increases the operating cost compared with the economic orientation, the four scenarios reduce the load shedding by 44.84%, 30.26%, 48.49% and 34.37% respectively when the external power grid is disconnected. The impact of changes in resilience-oriented weight coefficients and hydrogen price on system resilience performance was investigated to provide more references for decision makers.
The world is witnessing a growth in economic nationalism, especially in countries like the United States and United Kingdom, where this would scarcely have been predicted a few years ago. These developments threaten the internationalization of services and gains made through various global trading arrangements. Moreover, there are concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic will further undermine supranational forms of governance and nurture the trend towards protectionism and economic nationalism. We undertake a systemic literature review on economic nationalism and services internationalization to identify research themes. The findings of the study have implications for policymakers, and we provide directions for future research.