Effects of COVID-19 on passenger shipping activities and emissions: empirical analysis of passenger ships in Danish waters

This paper focuses on the analysis of the COVID-19 effects on passenger shipping in Danish waters as an example and aims to analyse the differences in passenger vessel activities and emissions before and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Two sets of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data for the passenger ships sailing in Danish waters associated with the whole year respectively for 2020 and 2019 are used for a comprehensive evaluation of the passenger shipping activities in the region by means of the analysis of variance and bottom-up emission models. A comparison of those results based on the two datasets shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on cruise ships, with a significant reduction in the number of ships, average speed, and average draught. In contrast, the pandemic has a smaller impact on ferry-pax only and ferry-ro pax vessels. The effects can also be seen from the fact that, after the COVID-19 outbreak, SOx emissions from cruise ships, ferry-pax only and ferry-ro pax vessels were reduced by 50.71%, 0.51% and 0.82%, respectively. This investigation provides an important reference for policy makers in the marine environment sector.

Locked Up in Lockdown: Patronage in a Time of Pandemic in the Indian Ocean

This essay traces how sailors aboard wooden sailing vessels (dhows) negotiate mobility across the Indian Ocean, revealing their precarious conditions preceding the COVID-19 pandemic that came to the fore after 2020. Focusing on Yusuf, a sailor in captivity in Iran during the pandemic, the essay suggests that the pandemic shone new light on preexisting patronage relations. However, these relations were creatively harnessed by laborers in times of crisis. Accustomed to sanctions regimes that restricted movement even before the pandemic, Yusuf facilitated his release through new patronage networks that built on his previous experiences of precarity. Rather than seeing this pandemic as a rupture, the essay argues that it led to an intensification of preexisting labor relations, such as patronage. The COVID-19 pandemic saw contagion, threat, vulnerability, devaluation, and precarity being used widely;however, these ideas were sutured to the Global South long before this pandemic, through sanctions regimes, occupation, and conflicts that restricted movement and disrupted supply chains. Patronage, then, was one mode in which maritime laborers navigated a geopolitical realm suffused with the language of threat and contagion. This essay charts a complex geopolitical reordering across the Global South, one not always mediated by the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of History of the Present is the property of Duke University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sailing through the storm – performance of Russian manufacturing subsidiaries of multinational corporations in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

The aim of this study is to depict the performance of Russian manufacturing subsidiaries of multinational corporations during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a unique handcrafted database of financial reports from 259 subsidiaries for 2019 and 2020, we retraced three indicators of business robustness: the dynamics of revenues, positive profitability, and the level of financial solvency. Most of the studied subsidiaries (85%) were able to withstand the crisis and maintain satisfactory financial solvency. Revenues decreased in 2020 to 40% of the studied subsidiaries, and the share of loss-making subsidiaries reached 31%. However, more than 40% of the studied subsidiaries achieved both an increase in revenues and positive profitability of sales in 2020. In this respect we may assess the level of ‘ownership advantage' of multinational corporations regarding assisting their subsidiaries to achieve different elements of business robustness during the pandemic.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

While embarking on a new school year, Price begins a new journey as the President of OAME/AOEM. She is incredibly humbled by this opportunity to give back to the association that has supported her throughout her career. She is hopeful that with the new school year and newly elected members on the Board of Directors, OAME/AOEM will continue to serve mathematics teachers of Ontario in reaching their goals. On a more personal level, she is also intimidated. There have been many exemplary educators who have filled this role in the past. They have helped to steer this organization through times of smooth sailing and those that included some rough waters. Regardless of the conditions, she believes that as an organization, they have always emerged each year stronger than the one before. So why she is intimidated? She often reflects on her own strengths and areas for growth, and wonder if she really has what it takes to lead an organization that is, truly, an association full of leaders.

BY THE WAY

After 21 years, he resigned and embarked on more than 100 cruises in 3 years, eventually Jg settling down after sailing on the largest cruise ship at the time in 2000. An 80-mile detour from the nearest interstate, the attraction features cars stacked up to mimic the famous British site. *Cabazon Dinosaurs: Cabazon, CA. Since 1975, this California roadside attraction has been home to more than 50 dinosaur friends, including Dinny the Dinosaur, a 150-ft brontosaurus that houses a museum in its belly. Built in 1881, this six-story example of novelty architecture is constructed of wood and tin sheeting.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic disruptions on container transport

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions in the global economy, and container transport as a predominant means of the goods flow in global supply chains. Different measures employed worldwide to limit the virus spread, such as restrictions and quarantines on border crossings, port staff, container ships, transhipment terminals and the inland transport sector, created a colossal management challenge and caused a domino effect in delays. Consequently, it led to blank sailings and enormous rises in freight transport prices, the lack of supply reliability and shifts between different means of transport. These delays, enhanced by the Suez Canal blockage, exacerbated an already acute problem of the empty container shortage in the market. This paper aims to provide an in-depth overview of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on container transport and underline ways to increase resiliency against future disruptions. The research included a literature overview and formulation of recommendations. The paper contributes to the broad research of container transport management and provides insights for practitioners responsible for transport planning and disruption management. © 2022 K. A. Kuźmicz.

Uncertainties in Liner Shipping and Ship Schedule Recovery: A State-of-the-Art Review

Each shipping line is expected to establish a reliable operating model, and the design of ship schedules is a key operational consideration. Long-term profits for shipping lines can be expected from a well-designed ship schedule. In today’s liner service design, managing the time factor is critical. Shipping schedules are prone to different unexpected disruptions. Such disruptions would necessitate a near-real-time analysis of port capacity and re-design of the original ship schedule to offset the negative externalities. Ship schedule recovery strategies should be implemented to mitigate the effects caused by disruptions at ports or at sea, which may include, but are not limited to, ship sailing speed adjustment, handling rate adjustment at ports, port skipping, and port skipping with container diversion. A proper selection of ship schedule recovery strategies is expected to minimize deviations from the original ship schedule and reduce delays in the delivery of cargoes to the destination ports. This article offers a thorough review of the current liner shipping research primarily focusing on two major themes: (1) uncertainties in liner shipping operations;and (2) ship schedule recovery in response to disruptive events. On the basis of a detailed review of the available literature, the obtained results are carefully investigated, and limitations in the current state-of-the-art are determined for every group of studies. Furthermore, representative mathematical models are provided that could be further used in future research efforts dealing with uncertainties in liner shipping and ship schedule recovery. Last but not least, a few prospective research avenues are suggested for further investigation.

Investigation of empty container shortage based on SWARA-ARAS methods in the COVID-19 era

A shortage of empty containers has become a global crisis with more devastating effects than during previous periods when combined with various problems arising from the COVID-19, such as an increase in an imbalance of global trade between supply and demand, a decrease in the workforce, and restrictions by countries or regional quarantine practices. The absence of empty containers in regions where they are needed slows down industrial activities and locks the global supply networks, necessitating the use of alternative methods that are inefficient. Although this shortage causes many disruptions in global trade, solutions to the issue have not been studied in detail. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the issues caused by the shortage of empty containers and to rank the appropriate solutions. Four main criteria and sixteen subcategories used to define the issues, as well as a multi criteria decision model comprising five criteria for the solutions, were proposed based on information from the literature, sectorial publications, and expert opinions. The issues’ weighted order of importance in our proposed model was calculated using the SWARA (Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis) method;solutions were ranked using the ARAS (Additive Ratio Assessment) method. The results of the study revealed that the issues were ranked in importance as cost increases, uncertainty in the supply chain, volume loss, and increases in blank sailing announcements. Appropriate solutions were ranked as booking guarantee applications and information communication technologies, using shipper-owned containers, inducement calls, and E2E (end to end) delivery services.

Guest Editorial 2021 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference

This Special Section of the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC) features expanded versions of key articles presented at the 2021 Custom Integrated Circuits Conference (CICC), which for the second time in a row was fully virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. Originally planned to be held in Austin, TX, USA, the unpredictability of COVID-19 quickly lead the conference organization to decide to (again) go for a fully virtual format from April 25 to 30, 2021. With all the experience of the previous year, where CICC was the first IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society (SSCS) conference to go virtual, and that of subsequent SSCS and other conferences, it was comparatively smooth sailing.