The Self Diagnosis Method. A new methodology to assess environmental management in sea ports

A methodology has been designed to assess the performance of the environmental management in sea ports. The Self Diagnosis Method, developed by two research teams and about sixty sea ports, allows the comparison of the current environmental situation with that corresponding to previous years and the assessment of the opportunities for improvement. The main objective is to review the management activities and procedures that affect the environment and the way the port authority handles significant environmental aspects. It has been designed as a "first level" tool: it can be applied in approximately six hours by a non-expert user. It is based on the ISO 14001 vocabulary, requirements and structure, and it can be considered as a first step in the voluntary implementation of an environmental management system for port communities.     

Development of a system of indicators for sustainable port management

The 1998 project ECOPORT, “Towards A Sustainable Transport Network”, developed by the Valencia Port Authority (VPA), established the bases for implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) in industrial harbours. The use of data and information shall always be required to develop an efficient EMS. The objective of the present research (INDAPORT) study is to propose a system of sustainable environmental management indicators to be used by any port authorities. All activities performed within a port area are analysed for any potential environmental impacts and risks.

An environmental analysis of port activities has been carried out with the objective of designing the indicators system. Twenty-one corresponding activities have been identified for large industrial ports. Subsequently, the same methodology developed to date will be later applied to other Spanish and European ports. The study has been developed by using an original system and a methodology, which simultaneously use stage diagrams and systemic models (material and energy flow charts). Multi-criteria analysis techniques were used to evaluate potential impacts (identification of factors and evaluation of impacts).     

Design, Installation, and Uses of Combination Ground Water and Gas Sampling Wells

Waste disposal sites with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) frequently contain contaminants that are present in both the ground water and vadose zone. Vertical sampling is useful where transport of VOCs in the vadose zone may effect ground water and where steep vertical gradients in chemical concentrations are anticipated. Designs for combination ground water and gas sampling wells place the tubing inside the casing with the sample port penetrating the casing for sampling. This physically interferes with pump or sampler placement. This paper describes a well design that combines a ground water well with gas sampling ports by attaching the gas sampling tubing and ports to the exterior of the casing. Placement of the tubing on the exterior of the casing allows exact definition of gas port depth, reduces physical interference between the various monitoring equipment, and allows simultaneous remediation and monitoring in a single well. The usefulness and versatility of this design was demonstrated at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) with the installation of seven wells with 53 gas ports, in a geologic formation consisting of deep basalt with sedimentary interbeds at depths from 7.2 to 178 m below land surface. The INEEL combination well design is easy to construct, install, and operate.     

Handling of waste in ports

A present major problem for ports is arranging adequate reception facilities for ship-generated waste, as the lack of such facilities is a problem to many shipowners. To preserve the environment in and around the ports it is necessary also to deal efficiently with the port-generated waste.

Although international conventions on the retention of waste on board ships for subsequent discharge to shore reception facilities have been ratified by most seafaring nations, a considerable part of the ship-generated waste still goes into the sea. Much of the waste generated in ports will also be dumped in quantities that at least affect the local marine environment. The regulations governing the handling of port-generated waste are often national and/or local legislation, whereas the handling of ship-generated waste is governed by the MARPOL Convention in most parts of the world.

The handling of waste consists of two main phases—collection and treatment. Waste has to be collected in every port and on board every ship, whereas generally only some wastes are treated and to a certain degree in ports and on board ships.

This paper considers the different kinds of waste generated in both ports and on board ships, where and how it is generated, how it could be collected and treated. The two sources are treated together to show how some ship-generated waste may be treated in port installations primarily constructed for the treatment of the port-generated waste, making integrated use of the available treatment facilities.

The different types of wastes can be divided into different categories. A world-wide accepted categorization of ship-generated waste has been established in the MARPOL 73/78 Convention. This will also be used for grouping the port-generated waste.     

Economic and environmental impacts on ports and harbors from the convention to ban harmful marine anti-fouling systems

The recent Diplomatic Conference held (1-5 October 2001) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London adopted the Draft Convention prepared by The Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) of IMO for the "Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems for Ships." The convention has been developed to immediately ban the use of Tributyltin (TBT) globally in anti-fouling paints to "protect the marine environment". The ban on TBT has come about because TBT has detrimental effects on non-target marine organisms. In November 1999, IMO agreed that a treaty be developed by the MEPC to ensure a ban on the application of TBT based anti-fouling paints by 1 January 2003, and a ban on the use of TBT by 1 January 2008. At the meeting surious concern was expressed by some experts for the need to identify in the treaty the necessary regulatory language for: (1) the "safe" removal, treatment, and disposal of marine anti-foulants deemed "harmful" by the treaty and (2) who is liable for the future dredging and disposal of TBT-contaminated port and harbor sediments--to also "protect the marine environment". The requirement for "safe" removal and disposal was incorporated at MEPC 46 as Article 5 in the treaty, without it shipyards complying with existing national and local discharge regulations (most have none for discharge of TBT) could inadvertently release more TBT to ports and harbors in the five-year compliance period than has been leached from ships (hulls) in the past 40 years to the same waters. Virginia is the only State in the US that regulates the discharge to below 50 ng/l (50 parts per trillion). However, the liability for the future dredging and disposal costs of TBT-contaminated port and harbor sediments has not been addressed.     

Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses (PIANC)

The Permanent International Association of Navigation Congresses was founded in 1885 with the aim of organizing international conferences for the dissemination of knowledge related to navigation in the field of civil engineering. To date, 28 congresses have been held, now with a four-year interval; the 28th Congress was held in 1994 in Seville, Spain. PIANC has become a leading authority, particularly in the field of engineering. Several studies, for instance on the dimensions of ships and waterways and on signalling, have led to international standardization and PIANC congresses have often recommended further international studies of specific subjects. The congresses are each attended by approximately 900 participants from around 50 countries world-wide. They are state, municipal and harbour officials, consultants, scientists and academics at technical universities, contractors and many other participants from the navigation industry. There is a strong governmental influence in the organization, as the governments of about 40 countries support PIANC both financially and by the participation of senior civil servants.

In the two sections of the congresses, inland navigation and ocean navigation, 10 subjects are discussed. PIANC has always followed recent developments such as trends in shipping, reception facilities for ferries, special arrangements for the handling of containers, oil, gas and of dangerous or environmentally noxious goods. Not only the technical aspects of navigation, such as canals, dams, ports and maritime structures, are discussed, but also economics, port management and port capacity and safety. Environmental aspects, for instance of maintenance dredging and the disposal of dredged materials, are important topics. PIANC has long been interested in coastal problems, as these affect ports. As many ports extend into the sea, PIANC has considered ocean engineering including artificial islands, maritime constructions, salvage and the removal of wrecks and navigation under arctic conditions. PIANC is also active in the field of sport and pleasure navigation. Since 1982 PIANC has organized international working groups to report on specific topics. At present there are about 35 active working groups and 23 reports have been published. Their members are from about 30 countries. They may convene several times each year or work by correspondence. The recommendations of the working groups represent recent advances and are widely distributed. For instance, the report Beneficial Uses of Dredging Material was presented for discussion to the London Dumping Convention. Membership of PIANC is open to organizations and individuals. In most countries a national section is the contact point for the members. The General-Secretariat is in Brussels, Belgium.     

Contamination of diuron in coastal waters around Malaysian Peninsular

The use of antifouling paints to the boats and ships is one among the threats facing coastal resources including coral reefs in recent decades. This study reports the current contamination status of diuron and its behaviour in the coastal waters of Malaysia. The maximum concentration of diuron was 285 ng/L detected at Johor port. All samples from Redang and Bidong coral reef islands were contaminated with diuron. Temporal variation showed relatively high concentrations but no significant difference (P > 0.05) during November and January (North-East monsoon) in Klang ports (North, South and West), while higher levels of diuron were detected during April, 2012 (Inter monsoon) in Kemaman, and Johor port. Although no site has shown concentration above maximum permissible concentration (430 ng/L) as restricted by the Dutch Authorities, however, long term exposure studies for environmental relevance levels of diuron around coastal areas should be given a priority in the future.     

The EU directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues: current availability of facilities in the North Sea

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the current availability of port reception facilities within the North Sea area. The evaluation is based primarily on original survey data from the summer of 2001, supplemented by existing information from surveys conducted by the International Maritime Organization. The EU Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste etc. (Directive 2000/59/EC) requires that all ports provide facilities to meet the needs of those vessels normally calling in at them. In order for the Directive to be implemented effectively, the physical availability of such facilities is vital. This paper audits the wide range of port types within the region and also outlines the wide range of vessel types using these ports, and their requirements for a range of facilities. On the basis of this analysis, conclusions are drawn about the extent to which the provision requirement of the Directive is already being met.     

Sensitivity and cost considerations for the detection and eradication of marine pests in ports

Port surveys are being conducted in Australia, New Zealand and around the world to confirm the presence or absence of particular marine pests. The most critical aspect of these surveys is their sensitivity-the probability that they will correctly identify a species as present if indeed it is present. This is not, however, adequately addressed in the relevant national and international standards. Simple calculations show that the sensitivity of port survey methods is closely related to their encounter rate-the average number of target individuals expected to be detected by the method. The encounter rate (which reflects any difference in relative pest density), divided by the cost of the method, provides one way to compare the cost-effectiveness of different survey methods. The most cost-effective survey method is site- and species-specific but, in general, will involve sampling from the habitat with the highest expected population of target individuals. A case study of Perna viridis in Trinity Inlet, Cairns, demonstrates that plankton trawls processed with gene probes provide the same level of sensitivity for a fraction of the cost associated with the next best available method-snorkel transects in bad visibility (secchi depth=0.72 m). Visibility and the adult/larvae ratio, however, are critical to these arguments. If visibility were good (secchi depth=10 m), the two approaches would be comparable. Diver deployed quadrats were at least three orders of magnitude less cost-effective in this case study. It is very important that environmental managers and scientists perform sensitivity calculations before embarking on port surveys to ensure the highest level of sensitivity is achieved for any given budget.     

A Discrete Point Sampler for Ground Water Monitoring Wells

A discrete point sampler has been developed that overcomes disadvantages inherent in several current small-volume samplers. It is designed to obtain ground water samples after a well has been purged with a pump. It consists of a sample chamber, two ports, and a stopcock for withdrawing sample aliquots. After lowering the sampler into a well, sampling is initiated by pulling on a line that sequentially removes the plugs in the lower and the upper level ports. The sample chamber fills from the bottom port and vents air from the top port. The device is suitable for sampling for volatile organic compounds in ground waters that are not subject to spontaneous bubble degassing. The upper port is sufficiently far above the lower port that none of the water that is sampled is exposed to the vented air. The sample chamber fills in such a way that the water that is taken from the chamber for analysis is not exposed to the headspace in the chamber.     

The EU Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues: the results of a second survey on the provision and uptake of facilities in North Sea ports

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the results of a survey of the availability and uptake of port reception facilities within the North Sea area. The evaluation is based primarily on original survey data from the autumn of 2002 which followed on from a similar survey conducted in the summer of 2000. The EU Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste etc. (Directive 2000/59/EC) was due to enter into force in December 2002, and required all EU ports to provide reception facilities to meet the needs of the vessels normally calling in at them. This paper examines the readiness of North Sea ports to meet that requirement and also considers the actual uptake levels of facilities, where ports were able to provide such information.     

Biological controls on bacterial populations in ballast water during ocean transit

Bacteria (and viruses) numerically dominate ballast water communities, but what controls their population dynamics during transit is largely unexplored. Here, bacterial abundance, net and intrinsic growth rates, and grazing mortality were determined during a trans-Atlantic voyage. The effects of grazing pressure by microzooplankton on heterotrophic bacteria during transit were determined for source port, mid-ocean exchange (MOE), and six-day-old source port ballast water. When the grazer component was removed, bacterial abundances significantly increased. Additionally, we determined that the grazer-mediated mortality for ballast water originating from ports was greater than MOE water and that mortality decreased over time for the source port ballast water. This study shows that bacterial populations in transit are controlled by microzooplankton grazing. If these findings are representative of ballast water environments, they suggest that if the grazing component is selectively removed by various treatment methods, bacterial populations may increase; this could have environmental and human health consequences.     

Managing tourist harbors: Are managers aware of the real environmental risks?

The management of tourist harbors has traditionally been analyzed with little attention to managers’ awareness of the effects of their decisions on the environment. The aims of this paper were to assess managers’ perceptions of the main environmental risks in their regions and to identify common behaviors among the managers involved in eight tourist harbors in southern Italy, where the same tourist harbor is often managed by different managers. A questionnaire was administered and statistical analyses were performed to test differences between managers of big and small harbors. Managers showed a low perception of environmental risks and, surprisingly, in certain harbors, some meaningful cases were highlighted: the most homogeneous case, where all managers showed a reasonable level of environmental awareness, and cases with strong mismatches among managers. In this paper, we propose that an assessment of managers’ perceptions of risk be included as a new form of analysis when environmental risk assessments are carried out.     

How useful are port surveys focused on target pest identification for exotic species management?

Monitoring surveys are an important tool for detecting new arrivals of exotic species, for documenting patterns of invasion, and exotic species impacts. Faced with time and cost constraints, these surveys are increasingly focused on lists of target pest species, identified as being most likely to arrive and cause significant harm. We used the national survey of Australian international ports for introduced marine pests as a case study to assess: (1) the taxonomic rigor of surveys focused on detection of target species; and (2) how the ability of port surveys to inform invasion patterns is dependent on taxonomic approach. Our analysis of the 46 available reports revealed common sub-optimal taxonomic practices that compromised their utility to identify abiotic conditions that are good predictors of biological invasion. Thus, although surveys for target species may provide information on the distribution of a handful of species, they may fail to do much else.     

Multistage scenario-based interval-stochastic programming for planning water resources allocation

In this study, a multistage scenario-based interval-stochastic programming (MSISP) method is developed for water-resources allocation under uncertainty. MSISP improves upon the existing multistage optimization methods with advantages in uncertainty reflection, dynamics facilitation, and risk analysis. It can directly handle uncertainties presented as both interval numbers and probability distributions, and can support the assessment of the reliability of satisfying (or the risk of violating) system constraints within a multistage context. It can also reflect the dynamics of system uncertainties and decision processes under a representative set of scenarios. The developed MSISP method is then applied to a case of water resources management planning within a multi-reservoir system associated with joint probabilities. A range of violation levels for capacity and environment constraints are analyzed under uncertainty. Solutions associated different risk levels of constraint violation have been obtained. They can be used for generating decision alternatives and thus help water managers to identify desired policies under various economic, environmental and system-reliability conditions. Besides, sensitivity analyses demonstrate that the violation of the environmental constraint has a significant effect on the system benefit.     

Probabilistic assessment for seismic performance of port structures

Past experience has shown that ports are often susceptible to severe damage during earthquakes. From field damage data of 1995 Kobe earthquake, it is observed that the seismic behavior of port structures shows significant variability. In this study, a 2D numerical model, representing PC1 berth located in Port Island, Kobe and damaged in the 1995 Kobe earthquake, has been developed and used to simulate seismic behavior. It has been found that the uncertainties in the friction angle and the shear modulus of reclaimed soil contribute most to the variability of the residual horizontal displacement (RHD) response of the quay wall of port structures. To investigate the propagation of uncertainties of soil–structure system to the quay wall, a tornado diagram and a first-order second-moment analysis are used. Uncertainty of ground motions has also been investigated. Based on the results, design considerations have been provided.     

Delivering environmental flows in the Murray-Darling Basin (Australia)—legal and governance aspects

Abstract

The hydrology of water-dependent ecosystems around the world has been altered as a result of flow regulation and extraction for a variety of purposes including agricultural and urban water supply. The flow regime of the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia is no exception, with attendant impacts on the health of the environment. Restoration of parts of the flow regime is a key feature of environmental flow delivery. However, environmental flow delivery in a system that is managed primarily to provide a secure and stable supply for irrigation presents challenges for managers seeking to return more natural flow variability in line with ecosystem requirements. The institutional arrangements governing releases of water from storage can influence the ability of managers to respond to natural cues, such as naturally rising flows in a river. As such, the legal and governance aspects of environmental flow delivery are likely to be important influences on the outcomes achieved.

Editor Z.W. Kundzewicz; Guest editor M. Acreman

Citation Banks, S.A. and Docker, B.B., 2014. Delivering environmental flows in the Murray-Darling Basin (Australia)—legal and governance aspects. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 59 (3–4), 688–699.     

Charging for port reception facilities in North Sea ports: putting theory into practice

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the charging systems for the use of port reception facilities for waste oil, and to examine the potential impact of the charging elements of the new (late 2000) EU Directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues. Experience to date with alternative models for charging is considered. Conclusions are drawn about the effectiveness of the EU Directive as a means of controlling pollution in the North Sea and producing a 'level playing field' between ports.     

Environmental management in Antarctica Instruments and institutions

Instruments and institutions for environmental management in Antarctica have evolved from beginnings in the Antarctic Treaty, with subsequent introduction of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and recommendations made at Treaty meetings. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty will improve existing provisions for environmental management in Antarctica. When it enters into force the Protocol will apply to all activities in the Treaty area: it provides rules for environmental impact assessment, conservation of fauna and flora, disposal of wastes, prevention of marine pollution and specially protected and managed areas. The Protocol's Committee for Environmental Protection will facilitate discussion and advice on environmental management. Management of information is a vital part of ensuring measures are effective. The Protocol should be ratified quickly to improve the basis for environmental protection, but the test will be whether and how it is implemented in practice.     

Planning of municipal solid waste management systems under dual uncertainties: a hybrid interval stochastic programming approach

In this study, a random-boundary-interval linear programming (RBILP) method is developed and applied to the planning of municipal solid waste (MSW) management under dual uncertainties. In the RBILP model, uncertain inputs presented as interval numbers can be directly communicated into the optimization process; besides, intervals with uncertain lower and upper bounds can be handled through introducing the concept of random boundary interval. Consequently, robustness of the optimization process can be enhanced. To handle uncertainties with such complex presentations, an integrated chance-constrained programming and interval-parameter linear programming approach (ICCP) is proposed. ICCP can help analyze the reliability of satisfying (or risk of violating) system constraints under uncertainty. The applicability of the proposed RBILP and ICCP approach is validated through a case study of MSW management. Violations for capacity constraints are allowed under a range of significant levels. Interval solutions associated with different risk levels of constraint violation are obtained. They can be used for generating decision alternatives and thus helping waste managers to identify desired policies under various environmental, economic, and system-reliability constraints.