Analysis of Export and Import Processes of Seclected Products in Thailand

Administrative and procedural barriers to import and export processes may unnecessarily impede further participation in international trade. Business Process Analysis (BPA) is a powerful tool which can help to identify these barriers and suggest ways to streamline trade processes. As part of the ARTNeT Regional Study on Improving Regional Trade Procedures and Processes, a BPA was conducted on Thai exports of sugar to Bangladesh and auto-parts to India as well as imports of raw materials used to produce electronic goods.Business process Analysis, Trade Facilitation, Thailand, single window, paperless, international supply chain

Corruption and firm behavior

This paper investigates how corruption affects firrm behavior. Firms can engage in two types of corruption when seeking a public service: cost-reducing "collusive" corruption and cost increasing "coercive" corruption. Using an original and unusually rich dataset on bribe payments at ports matched to firrm-level data, we observe how firms respond to each type of corruption by adjusting their shipping and sourcing strategies. "Collusive" corruption is associated with higher usage of the corrupt port, while "coercive" corruption is associated with reduced demand for port services. Our results suggest that firms respond to the opportunities and challenges created by different types of corruption, organizing production in a way that increases or decreases demand for the public service. Understanding how firms respond to corruption has important implications for how we conceptualize, identify and measure the overall impact of corruption on economic activity

Inland Navigation Technology \u2709 - Digital Technology Impact on Safety and Efficiency

This workshop discussed the impact of digital technology on inland navigation safety and efficiency from the combined perspective government agencies and waterway operators. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) described inland navigation Research & Development (R&D), related demonstration efforts, and Headquarters initiatives for safer, more reliable waterways and infrastructure. The US Coast Guard (USCG) addressed the latest developments in e-Navigation (e.g., electronic charts, AIS, and aidsto-navigation), and how these developments might affect inland waterways operations. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) discussed PORTS (Physical Oceanographic RealTime System) and other activities. Representatives from the Towing Industry, led by the American Waterways Operators Technology Steering Group, described current/future needs, as well as ongoing/planned initiatives to meet challenges associated with projected future increases in inland commerce

Database of historic ports and coastal sailing routes in England and Wales

This data paper presents a reconstruction of historical ports and coastal routes in England and Wales during the age of the sailing ship, ending at the beginning of the twentieth century. The dataset was created by an amalgamation of twenty different sources,including geographical data, primary sources and secondary literature. Ports found in historical documents were listed by year of appearance and georeferenced. Ports that appear in multiple sour-ces were listed only once. Coastal routes between ports were drawn based on navigation charts and bathymetry data, distinguishing five categories with different characteristics. Visibility from the coast was deduced from elevation rasters and lighthouse locations. Subsequently both ports and coastal routes were checked using topo-logical rules to ensure the connectivity of the network. The data is provided in shapefile format with all the attributes and can be analysed using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for different types of geographical and historical studies

Indicators for management of coral reefs and their applications to marine protected areas

Informed planning and decision-making in the management of natural resources requires an ability to integrate complex interactions in ecosystems and communicate these effectively to stakeholders. This involves coping with three fundamental dilemmas. The first comes from the irregular pulse of nature. The second is the recognition that there are no strictly objective criteria for judging the well-being of an ecosystem. The third is posed by the quest for indicators with some integrative properties that may be used to analyze an ecosystem and impart the information to the relevant resource users. This paper presents some examples of indicators used to: 1) assess the status of a coral reef and, in particular, the state of its fisheries resources; 2) identify reefs that are most threatened by human activities; and 3) evaluate the likelihood of success of management interventions. These indicators are not exhaustive, but illustrate the range of options available for the management of coral reef ecosystems

Hazardous risk management survey and inland water survey.

The trucking industry is the largest freight sector, making up about 70 percent of all domestic shipment in the United States and contributes greatly the American economy. About 10 billion tons of goods are shipped annually and of that, about 800,000 shipments of hazardous materials are transported in the United States each day by trucks, resulting in 300 million annual shipments (Federal Motor Carrier Security Administration). These hazardous materials (HazMat) range from relatively harmless products, such as hair spray and perfumes, to bulk shipments of gasoline by highway cargo tanks, to transportation of poisonous, explosive, and radioactive materials. The complexity of this commodity makes them of particular interest, especially to carriers, shippers, consignees, emergency responders, and government officials. However, at both the national and state levels, the transport of HazMat shipments has not been analyzed to the degree necessary to completely understand the operational logistics. To assist strategic planning on the development and expansion for highway infrastructure and to mitigate security risk due to HazMat shipment, it is necessary to understand their shipment/flow characteristic, and more broadly, the current awareness and preparedness of shippers and carries of risk mitigation. Therefore, more research is necessary to help federal and local government to make efficient regulations regarding risk mitigation of HazMat highway shipments. The objective of this project is to understand the risk involved with HazMat shipment and the mitigation strategies/tools used in an effort to lessen the impact of HazMat-caused incidents on people, property and environment through actions taken before a disaster strikes. To accomplish this objective, a survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to HazMat shippers/carriers. The questionnaire mainly consists of three parts: part 1, background information of survey participants including company name, size, and location; part 2, commodity flow characteristics including HazMat type, shipping tonnage, and shipping mileage, etc.; and part 3: the state and future of risk mitigation including current precautionary measures and technologies, and future plans on strengthening security, etc. Inland waterway (IWW) is another important mode of transportation in the U.S. The inland waterways networks consist of nearly 12,000 navigable miles which makes it vast in geographical area and ability to carry high tonnages of goods (U.S Army Corps of Engineers, 2005). The direct access to large ports makes it a very beneficial for carriers using this mode of shipment. The inland waterways accounts for over 624 million tons of freight annually and create tremendous cost savings for U.S agriculture sector. It is also has a vital connection in energy production in the U.S resulting in low energy cost. This makes it a crucial economy contributor; making up 14% of our intercity freight and is valued nearly $70 billion (National Waterways Foundation, 2008). It is a logical mode for transporting several commodities due to its relative low cost compare to other modes of transportation and more environmentally friendly option. Despite these benefits inland waterway for shipment remains under-utilized and many of the existing infrastructures are nearing their designed life span. The objectives our research are: 1. To understand the factors that manufacturers consider before choosing what mode of transportation is appropriate for their commodity; 2. To propose an incentive that will either encourage participants who are currently using inland waterways to increase the volume transported via inland waterway or stimulate those who are not currently using to consider shipping via inland waterway. A survey questionnaire was designed and distributed to manufacturers. Data collected from the survey was analyzed and presented the subsequent chapters. This document focuses on the two areas discussed earlier; First, Risk Management of Hazardous Material (Chapter 1) and second, Identify factors that can help boost the use of inland waterway shipment (Chapter 7). The goal is to observe data collected from surveys and propose recommendations that can be used to improve both area of focus at the end of this research

Competitiveness of Arabian gulf ports from shipping lines’ perspectives: Case of Sohar port in Oman

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate the factors that encourage shipping lines to use port of Sohar, in Oman. Some selected factors were used to assess to what extent it affects the port choice from shipping lines companies’ perspective. These factors include infrastructure, hinterland, connectivity and port’s dues. Design/methodology/approach: for this study both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used. Self-administered questionnaire used for collecting quantitative data while interviews were used to collect qualitative data. Secondary data was collected by reviewing academic literature and recent relevant articles and reports. Findings: Port of Sohar has a better opportunity to be the gateway of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States and all Cargo could have dropped in the port and transferred to other GCC States by road, rail and other transportation modes. This opportunity is gained by the strategic location of Sohar Port outside of the Strait of Hormuz. It can be concluded that port competitiveness can be improved through strategic location, improved hinterland conditions, port facilities, services cost, volume of cargo, connectivity to other ports and dwell time factor. Research limitations: The research was limited mainly by conducting it only at the port of Sohar because surrounding ports are too far away and it should involve more ports to gain comparative results. Limited number of stakeholders as Port Authority, Oman International Container Terminal (OICT) and shipping lines companies and agents is another limitation. Practical implications: The port can improve its competitive advantages and focus on the investigated factors. The government can also continue in working in the three big infrastructural projects; the new express roads, Sohar Airport and rail network connections with other GCC networks. Originality/value: the study used specific factors that expected to contribute to the shipping lines companies’ selection of ports in the gulf region. This could help the port to identify their competitive advantage and how they can use these competencies to improve their competitiveness in relation to other ports in the region.Peer Reviewe

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Area to be Avoided (ATBA) Education and Monitoring Program

The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1431, as amended) gives the Secretary of Commerce the authority to designate discrete areas of the marine environment as National Marine Sanctuaries and provides the authority to promulgate regulations to provide for the conservation and management of these marine areas. The waters of the Outer Washington Coast were recognized for their high natural resource and human use values and placed on the National Marine Sanctuary Program Site Evaluation List in 1983. In 1988, Congress directed NOAA to designate the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (Pub. L. 100-627). The Sanctuary, designated in May 1994, worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to request the International Maritime Organization designate an Area to be Avoided (ATBA) on the Olympic Coast. The IMO defines an ATBA as "a routeing measure comprising an area within defined limits in which either navigation is particularly hazardous or it is exceptionally important to avoid casualties and which should be avoided by all ships, or certain classes of ships" (IMO, 1991). This ATBA was adopted in December 1994 by the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO, “in order to reduce the risk of marine casualty and resulting pollution and damage to the environment of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary”, (IMO, 1994). The ATBA went into effect in June 1995 and advises operators of vessels carrying petroleum and/or hazardous materials to maintain a 25-mile buffer from the coast. Since that time, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) has created an education and monitoring program with the goal of ensuring the successful implementation of the ATBA. The Sanctuary enlisted the aid of the U.S. and Canadian coast guards, and the marine industry to educate mariners about the ATBA and to use existing radar data to monitor compliance. Sanctuary monitoring efforts have targeted education on tank vessels observed transiting the ATBA. OCNMS's monitoring efforts allow quantitative evaluation of this voluntary measure. Finally, the tools developed to monitor the ATBA are also used for the more general purpose of monitoring vessel traffic within the Sanctuary. While the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary does not currently regulate vessel traffic, such regulations are within the scope of the Sanctuary’s Final Environmental Impact Statement/Management Plan. Sanctuary staff participate in ongoing maritime and environmental safety initiatives and continually seek opportunities to mitigate risks from marine shipping.(PDF contains 44 pages.