P-JMR

Repercussion of meagre flow of the lower Indus River

2023-12-29T04:00:48+00:00

This study was intended to gauge seawater penetration in the lower Indus region and an overview on economic, social and ecological snags including (i) agriculture which is occupation of over 60% population residing in the Badin, Sujawal and Thatta districts of Sindh (ii) The freshwater scarcity getting out of hands cultivable land resulted either displacement of populations or living below poverty level (iii) People switched from agriculture profession to fisheries (iv) absence of quality drinking water and unsuitable underground water created health risks (v) No-water in lower Indus region has damaged river and estuarine ecosystem that provide geo-ecological services (vi) Since long meagre dischargement of sediment reached toward delta permitted seawater to penetrate thousand acers of cultivable land into saline soil. The most affected dehs of Thatta district include three Talukas Mirpur Sakhro (14 Dehs), Ghorbari (7 Dehs) and Keti Bunder (31 Dehs). Three dehs Milko, Pirpathai and Pumbri of Mirpur Sakhro are completely under sea water and out of agriculture. Sea water inundation has badly affected Ghorabari Taluka over thirty-two-thousand-acre land of seven Dehs are now briny. Thirty-one Dehs of Taluka Keti Bunder are completely barren. Badin district is divided in two talukas (Badin and Shaheed Fazil Rahu) and ten Dehs namley, Babralo, Dharan, Warayo, Sando, Patiji, Thath, Siantri, Khudi, Palh, Ahmed Rajo, out of which three dehs Babralo, Siantri and Ahmed Rajoare completely barren in a limited period of (2008-2018). Overall outcomes of this study reveal that southernmost region of Sindh encounter rampant seawater penetration. Therefore, solid structures like construction of the coastal highway, intensive forests, coastal banks in affected area and persistent freshwater flow toward lower region is unavoidable.

Piracy in Southeast Asia during the COVID-19: Exploring Regional Anti-Piracy Strategies and China’s Involvement

2023-12-29T04:05:03+00:00

Recent years have witnessed a pessimistic maritime security environment and an increasing emergence of non-traditional security threats in the Southeast Asian Waters. In early 2020, although the covid-19 outbreak and quickly spread to the world, piracy was still rampant in the Southeast Asian waters. Thus, the fight against piracy became a major challenge for maritime governance. The covid-19 pandemic was a global trigger for weak economic growth and social conflicts. This paper collects the piracy information reported by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and other institutions. After that, it sorts these reports from different perspectives. Then, it demonstrates the change trend of piracy such as behavior patterns, criminal areas and criminal characteristics. In addition, the paper also suggests that China should actively participate in international anti-piracy cooperation in this region and joins hands with other states in this region and international organizations. In this way, they can prevent and combat crimes, for instance, piracy and armed robbery against ships, and maintain peace and stability in Southeast Asia.

Optimizing Port Efficiency: Unveiling Disparities and Potential of Port Community System (PCS) Deployment at Port Qasim for Economic Growth and Technological Transformation

2023-12-29T04:08:41+00:00

The integration of technology has demonstrated its capacity to enhance organizational operations and foster economic development. Just as in various other sectors, the maritime industry also demands the digitalization of its operations through an efficient and seamless IT system – known as the Port Community System (PCS). The PCS serves as a secure technological platform that facilitates the exchange of data and information flow among the myriad of public and private entities involved in seaport operations. This research endeavors to explore the disparities between the existing and proposed procedures at Port Qasim, with a particular focus on the implementation of the PCS within the framework of Port Qasim Authority. Employing structural equation modeling via PLS-SEM, the study collected data through a Likert questionnaire featuring a 5-point scale. This questionnaire was administered to 123 respondents, all of whom were esteemed port professionals at Port Qasim. The findings unveiled that the perceived impact of the introduction of the PCS holds a positive and significant influence over overall process efficiency and workflow. Correspondingly, the pre-requisite knowledge required is found to have a positive and significant relationship on perceived impact of PCS introduction at the port. Nonetheless, the correlation between the prerequisite knowledge and process efficiency was deemed insignificant. This implies that possessing prior knowledge of PCS doesn't inherently translate to increased process efficiency. Interestingly, this gap can be bridged effectively through targeted training sessions, enabling users to harness the full potential of the PCS without adversely affecting process efficiency. Nevertheless, with streamlined data exchange and efficient information flow, the PCS can reduce port congestion, enhancing trade operations and positioning Karachi as a competitive trade hub. Economically, this translates into increased trade throughput, improved logistics, and heightened business attractiveness.

Monitoring Emissions over Coastal Regions of Pakistan: Current Status and Applicable Techniques

2023-12-29T04:13:12+00:00

Shipping operations have an environmental impact both in ports, as well as in the immediate vicinity of the coast. These impacts are due to the fuel burning exhaust from the ship’s main and auxiliary engines which contain gases like Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) and machinery used for loading and unloading, in addition to particulate matter and dust from the handling of materials such as grain, coal and sand. Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) is an efficient tool being used worldwide for the monitoring of environmental problems. Response of Earth’s atmosphere or surface to electromagnetic radiation can be mapped through RS for the status of changes in the natural environment. Smart sensors developed for detection of air pollutants is an emerging technique to monitor emissions for real time monitoring and management of air pollution in distant regions. In the current study, satellite data is used to investigated concentrations of key emissions from shipping operations at ports to analyse the status of air pollutants over coastal regions of Pakistan. The pollutants investigated in this study through RS and GIS technique include CO2, SO2, NO2, CO and Particulate Matter (PM). These emission trends can be used to determine the efficacy of mitigatory measures to reduce emissions at ports and monitor the air quality of coastal areas. Furthermore, use of scientific technology and current trends in the measurement and monitoring of shipping emission have been studied for their applicability in Pakistan.

IUU Fishing policy adoption in Pakistan: An overview

2023-12-29T04:17:21+00:00

Several initiatives have been taken to fight against IUU fishing globally. In a recent development FAO has developed a new agreement to prevent IUU fish catch reaching to the ports. In this context, Regional Fisheries Organizations have a key role in the fight against illegal fishing in their territorial waters. However, many east African and southwest Indian Ocean states do not pay attention to adopt IUU prevention measures. They should have no history of IUU activities and are subject to inspections during the arrival and amp; landing of fish. In this research, we provided three types of forms for the various measures are prescribed in the model scheme. The Application (form A) for Port Access for foreign fishing vessels should be submitted 72 hours before the arrival of the Vessel. Information on fishing trips, vessel characteristics, VMS, quantities of fish on board, and other documentation should be provided. The name of the vessel is verified to ensure that it does not appear on the list of IUU. For tuna and tuna-like species, the name of the vessel is checked against the positive list of the Indian Ocean Tuna

ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES - FOCUS ON INDIAN OCEAN: EVALUATION OF INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENTS AND PROTOCOLS

2023-12-29T05:17:42+00:00

Environmental challenges are posing serious threats not only to humanity but to all creatures on Earth. Countering rapid ecological degradation in the last two decades has been a source of serious stress for the international community. According to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), human imprint is contributing to climate change due to many factors. The retrospective study highlights oil spills, plastic pollution, nuclearization, Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF), domestic waste, agricultural waste, and heavy metal pollution as reasons towards environmental degradation and negative impacts on marine ecosystems. Analytical study of international efforts for ecological protection highlights certain limitations to implementing international agreements and protocols. Parties’ non-compliance to surrender their sovereignty before international organizations is a serious matter. Such a situation needs revisiting the international attitude towards environmental protection not for the current population but for generations to come. Descriptive research with comparative analysis of international efforts to counter hazards proposes region-specific recommendations with the consent of all participating states to make concrete efforts to save Earth's ecosystem. Regularly revised international regulations and protocols as per circumstantial needs will help to secure seas and maritime environment.

Realization of Vessel Productivity Enhancement via Comparative Analysis of Liner Services: A case of Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT) DP World, Karachi

2023-12-29T05:22:51+00:00

The landscape of the shipping industry is constantly evolving. The key aspect point among numerous issues is the efficiency of container loading and offloading on the quayside. This research aims to analyze the performance of Qasim International Container Terminal (QICT) DP World Karachi, Pakistan via Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) evaluation, based on data gathered from QICT, and to find the critical factors affecting the overall productivity of QICT. Comparative analysis of liner services of Maersk between Mawingu (MWG) Express and Jade Express was performed via KPI’s data collection from the Operation Department of QICT. This research concludes that vessel Productivity is reliant upon several factors. The most significant among all is the competence of the operator, number of quay cranes utilized at the terminal, number of transfer vehicles, berth allocation, and yard utilization. The study recommends to the terminal regarding optimum number of crane allocation and appropriate yard management to enhance the productivity of the JADE liner service via proactive maintenance of the ship-to-shore cranes.

Sino-US Escalating Competition in Indo-Pacific Ocean: Challenges and Choices for Pakistan

2023-12-29T05:26:58+00:00

The Indo-Pacific Ocean has gained significant international focus in the 21st century. It plays a crucial role as a habitat for many countries and enables more than 80% of global trade through its sea routes. The region's abundant energy resources make it extremely important, leading great powers to compete for dominance. The rise of China in the region, together with the declining power of the United States, has forced the United States to assertively cultivate new alliances with regional states and strengthen existing partnerships. Simultaneously, China is making significant investments in neighbouring states to create and strengthen diplomatic relations. The ongoing power struggle between the US and China is having a negative impact on the neighbouring states in the region. The United States and India's strategic cooperation has prompted the area to indulge in an arms race, due to the longstanding hostilities with Pakistan. Due to Pakistan's crucial involvement in China's vital initiative, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the country is unable to disengage from the complexities of intense competition among major powers.

Usage of Term' Maritime'' and its Impacts on the Literature on China-Pakistan Economic (Maritime) Corridor (CPEC)

2023-12-29T05:31:22+00:00

This paper aims to construe literature-based research to highlight the significance of the relevant terminology in the 'maritime' domain: usage and utilisation. It intends to create a harmony-based information delivery within the literature for information to the stakeholders to understand the global maritime issues, concerns, updates, policies, and laws. Given that, fifty articles are selected from various journals to review the usage of the term ''maritime'' in the literature in different contexts, including oceans, ports, shipping and coasts. Results will be based upon the selected literature following the right path in translating the term 'maritime.' The research will analyse the future options for social, political and natural (behavioural) sciences' discourses in the 'maritime' domain under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The idea presented through this paper is that CPEC is a maritime corridor connecting China with Pakistan, Kashgar Port, and Gwadar Port.

ANALYSIS OF KARACHI COAST THROUGH GEO SPATIAL TECHNIQUE FROM 2013-2022

2023-12-29T05:35:19+00:00

Climate change is a burning issue at present time. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates global mean sea levels to upsurge from 0.43 m to 0.84 m by the 21st century’s end. In the world, Pakistan is more likely to experience coastal hazards due to uncertain hydrodynamics in the Arabian Sea. Coastline erosion is one of the phenomena which are directly linked with increase in sea level rise. Karachi coastline has been delineated by the action of waves, winds, currents and tides which are the consequences of sea level rise causing immense shoreline changes. Remote Sensing techniques play a crucial role in spatio-temporal analysis. In this study, medium spatial resolution of 30m multi sensor Landsat images from 2013-2022 along the 100m coast of Karachi are providing data. For the estimation of changing coast line, a digital shoreline analysis system (DSAS) tool is utilized. From Cape Monz to Hawksbay in western coast, the rate of erosion and deposition are not indicating an alarming situation. It means anthropogenic activities are negligible in these areas. In contrast, eastern coast of Karachi like Keemari, Korangi and Port Qasim show an imbalance of sediment budget.South of Karachi depicted high accretion. In DSAS technique, out of 567 transects, 41% reported as erosional while 58% are accretional. This research will not only assist in providing data for coastal engineering but also recognition of coastal vegetation in order to maintain marine habitat .and minimize the incident and intensity of the catastrophic hazards.