Immense Potential of the Fisheries Industry as a Contributor to Oman’s Exports and Economic Development

Over the past 40 years, Oman has exhibited remarkable growth in various sectors such as infrastructure, retailing, manufacturing services and heavy industry. However, fisheries and related industries did not see much growth in the real sense. Previously, fish production in 2012 grew by 21% compared to 2011 and reached 191,000 tons in volume (or OMR142 million in value), striking an average growth rate of 6% between 2009 and 2012. Thus, the aim of this study is to explore the fisheries industry in Sultanate of Oman that could eventually help in Oman’s exports and economic development. The exploratory research and descriptive method that involving surveys and interview have been used in this study. As evident, three states of Oman being studied in this research: Sohar, Muscat and Salalah. Finally, the study found that the type of transportation used by the fishermen be traditional and modern boat because it has a significant relationship to the immense presence of fishes in the Arab waters. Traditional type of fishing boat can catch as many as 0 – 300 tons, while modern type boat can catch 0 – 500 tons of fish whenever they go fishing. This scenario can bring forth a better view on how Omani people can prosper vis-a-vis with Oman’s economic diversification where the government and the Omani people will unite with one purpose. Keywords: Fisheries Industry, Oman; Exploratory, Commercial Fisherman, Artisanal Fisherman DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-12-06 Publication date: April 30th 202

Port choice by intra-regional container service operators : an application of decision-making techniques to liner services between Malaysian and other Asian ports

Intra-regional container service operators are challenged to design regular and reliable liner services connecting regional ports at the lowest cost and shortest transit time while considering customer demand. This paper focuses on the selection of ports of call in regular intra-regional container services, an under-researched part of the container shipping market. A combination of decision-making techniques (i.e. Analytical Hierarchy Process, fuzzy link-based and Evidential Reasoning) are presented to assist intra-regional container service operators in selecting ports of call. The proposed methodology is empirically applied to container services between Malaysian and other nearby Asian ports. While Port Klang is the main gateway to Malaysia, the results show that other Malaysian ports should play a more prominent role in accommodating intra-Asian container services. This research can assist maritime stakeholders in evaluating intra-regional port-to-port liner service configurations. Furthermore, the novel mix of decision-making techniques complements and enriches existing academic literature on port choice and liner service configuration

Preliminary study on new container stacking/storage system due to space limitations in container yard

Purpose:The purpose of this study is to introduce a new innovative means of container stacking/storage as a potential solution for overcoming the lack of container yard space. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative methodology that incorporates questionnaires and interview sessions as the tools is utilised together with an application of new innovation concept.Findings:The proposed system not only allows increased efficiency and effectiveness in handling containers, but also increases the profit margin of ports, as container stacking/storage is tripled in height. Research limitations/implications:This is just the beginning of a preliminary research study that proposes a new container stacking/storage system to address the lack of space in container yards. Therefore, much more work needs to be done in future studies before a solid and concrete decision on the application of this innovative system can be carried out.Practical implications:The practicality of the proposed model means that it can be easily implemented to address space limitation problems in ports. Social implications:The benefits of the results to the local community around ports are a healthier environment, with cleaner air, so that there will be less health issues of the residents and therefore reduced burden on the local health system. This is due to the use of technology that will prevent the expansion of ports that ultimately could lead to deforestation and environmental damage.This technology will also help to preserve the greenery of the area around ports.Originality/value:An innovative model of a container stacking/storage system is presented in this study as a possible solution to the problem

Factors contributing to the imbalances of cargo flows in Malaysia large-scale minor ports using a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) approach

Malaysian ports have been recording imbalances in cargo flows year after year, whether in the form of a deficit or surplus, and the condition is becoming significant. As such, it has raised concerns among port stakeholders about the impact of such a situation on the sustainability of port operations, as well as questions about the actual reasons behind the occurrence, which is still ambiguous with regard to large-scale minor ports in Malaysia. This study was aimed at identifying the main factors that are contributing to the imbalanced cargo flows at large-scale minor ports in Malaysia by ranking all the possible factors using a systematic decision-making technique known as FAHP. The results showed that “economic factors” are the main contributors to these imbalances, followed by several other factors. This study contributes a clear insight into the main factors that are causing the imbalances in cargo flows at large-scale minor ports in Malaysia. Also, it may assist decision-makers and policymakers in identifying the key factors that are affecting business operations at these ports as well as guide them into using a systematic analytical approach like the FAHP to evaluate other situations with regard to the business, operations and management of ports, where applicable

The sustainable port classification framework for enhancing the port coordination system

The port classification framework is not only beneficial for highlighting the background of the ports, but can also be utilized in the benchmarking and comparison of port coordination systems. In Malaysia, the lack of concrete justifications in the existing port classification process had resulted in a debatable framework of port classification development and consequently, confusion among the port stakeholders. As such, this study is conducted with the aim of revising the Malaysian ports’ classification framework according to the global perspective of a sustainable port classification framework through the enhancement of its national port coordination system. By using a qualitative approach of descriptive analysis, the background of the port classification systems was not only analysed according to the Malaysian and global perspectives, the segregation of three different ports classes was also emphasized in the enhancement of the country's port coordination system. Apart from being a comprehensive reference that aids the academicians and stakeholders in the improvement of the existing loopholes in the Malaysian port coordination system, this paper had also offered a sustainable classification framework guideline for decision and policy-makers in the expansion of port competitiveness through a reclassification of the national port operations

Evaluation of delay factors on dry bulk cargo operation in Malaysia: a case study of Kemaman Port

There are various types of delay factors that could affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the dry bulk cargo operation, especially in port. Hence, it raises the concerns of the stakeholders, as some of them can significantly affect their actual transport plans and cost them extra money to handle the cargo. Due to uncertainty of the most significant delay factor in some Malaysia's dry bulk ports, therefore, this study aims to evaluate the most significant delay factors that causing delays in dry bulk cargo operation by using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. This study found that the factor of ‘Miscellaneous’ is the most significant factor that contributed to the most of delay creations in dry bulk cargo operation in Kemaman port. Meanwhile, sub-criterion of ‘Foul weather and tide prediction’ is selected as the most significant sub-cause of delay creation in similar port. This study contributes the practical technique and valuable findings to the port and its stakeholders, where it may alert the them to measure the factors that affect their operational performance and business. Also, it introduces the usage of practical and systematical analysis technique for assisting the seaport operator or interested parties in analyzing the potential contributors of a condition in the port settings

Evaluation of warehousing productivity performance indicators by the FAHP method

A warehouse is an important component in logistics operation as it is a huge contributor to speed up and cost the supply chain management.To monitor the performance of the warehouse operation, management will analyse the measurement of warehousing productivity. The basis of measuring productivity performance in the warehouse is based on how much it cost to perform an operation by utilising the warehouse resources. The purpose of this paper is to rank the most important warehouse productivity indicator for improving the warehouse operation efficiency. By indicating the main warehouse resources and its sub-criteria, a hierarchy structure of ratio-based warehousing productivity performance indicators is constructed. It presents an empirical methodology of the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) method, an integration between the fuzzy logic method with an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. The results indicate that Warehouse Management System scores the highest weight value which followed by Storage Space Utilisation and Throughput accordingly. This contributes to grab more attention on the utilization of technologies into the warehouse operation. This article also identifies several additional research opportunities on warehouse performance evaluation assessment

Assessment and Ranking of Inland Navigation Practices in Malaysia: The Case of Kenyir Lake

Inland navigation does not reside under the purview of international standards and conventions as it is up to the local authorities to manage its operation. This study aims to establish empirical data on navigation practices on Kenyir Lake, Malaysia which is the largest artificial lake in South East Asia that was created primarily for power generation in 1985. Its natural and human-made features result in a multi-use lake involving navigation. The objective of this study is to determine who the users are, the type of vessels used, and the availability of navigational aids and the economic contribution of Kenyir Lake. The research approach was based on a combination of exploratory and descriptive methods utilising observations, interviews and surveys. The study identified and categorised the users into five different criteria, namely 1) government, 2) business, 3) tourism, 4) personal and 5) others that were engaged with navigation on the lake using speedboats and houseboats. Using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, the pair-wise comparison matrix of all navigation users was analysed and ranking tourism as the highest activity. Furthermore, it was further observed that navigation on the lake does not conform to international standards and conventions as practised elsewhere in Malaysia. It is anticipated that the local authorities will benefit from this empirical study to further enhance navigation safety practices and efficiency in managing all water activities and users at Kenyir Lake, Malaysia. Keywords: Kenyir Lake, Navigation Safety, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Marine Sustainability, Inland Water Transpor

An Empirical Study on the Current Feeder Shipping Network Patterns among Malaysian Feeder Service Providers

Route network patterns have been investigated globally by many researchers, with the majority of studies only focussing on the liner shipping industry for long-distance services, and with less attention paid to the feeder services industry. The feeder services industry is important to enhance the economic sustainability and viability of feeder service providers and trade partners. The primary objectives of this paper were to study the focal economy points of feeder services in Malaysia and to demonstrate the type of network patterns practised by Malaysian feeder service providers. Accordingly, an empirical study was conducted through the cooperation of eight Malaysian feeder service providers via face-to-face interviews and port visits to understand the patterns of each shipping route deployed. Moreover, to demonstrate the network patterns of each feeder service provider, a route network model was designed. The main finding from this study found that Port Klang was the primary feeder hub port and focal economy point in Malaysia due to the highest number of feeder vessels entering the port. Furthermore, the type of route patterns applied by Malaysian feeder service providers were determined and categorised based on three models: 75% (basic model), 17.5% (butterfly model), and 7.5% (chain model) collected data consisting of 40 service routes. This paper will assist future and existing feeder service providers in their planning and execution of the optimal service routes regarding their efficiency in servicing existing and future customers and promoting strategic and tactical allocation of shipping services to specific ports