Friday, 04 June 2010 13:48

Port Strategy: Dryport article published

Today saw the publication of an article entitled "Ticking the E Boxes" in the online publication Port Strategy. The artilce focuses on the operation and potential impacts of dryports on the shipping industry, and the maritime field more generally.

TRI's Dr Jason Monios, who works on the Interreg IVb funded project "Dryport", was quoted in the article:

"The primary motive of shippers is to reduce cost, whereas governments want to encourage modal shift, so projects like Dryport are needed to bridge the gap, bringing together shippers, transport operators, infrastructure providers and funding sources to support and manage project development," says Jason Monios, research assistant at TRI. "There is a bit of a chicken and egg problem, because shippers are reluctant to reorder their transport chains unless they have a secure and cost-effective option already in place, but operators will not provide this option unless they have shippers ready to use it.

TRI is working in partnership with SEStran, the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership, on the Dryport project. The full article can be accessed by following this link.

For further information on the Dryport project:

• Contact Gordon Wilmsmeier or Jason Monios;
• See our Projects section for news on the Dryport project;
• Visit the official website of the Dryport project.

Wednesday, 02 June 2010 12:59

Royal Society: Facing up to Climate Change

TRI Director Professor Kevin Cullinane sat on the panel for the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 'Facing up to Climate Change' meeting in Edinburgh last week, with great debate sparked about moving to a low-carbon economy.

The event formed part of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's major new 'Facing up to Climate Change' inquiry into the opportunities and problems associated with a move to a low-carbon economy in Scotland. It was chaired by Professor Alan Werritty, Research Director of the UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science at the University of Dundee, in collaboration with the Chair of the Inquiry and eminent glaciologist, Professor David Sugden.

With the help of wireless voting technology, audience opinions on a range of issues were canvassed, with Professor Cullinane fielding a number of questions related to transport.

TRI also had the opportunity to present its marketing materials at a small exhibition which accompanied the public event.

Professor Cullinane said: "The event proved to be extremely lively. The specific topics addressed were very eclectic; ranging from energy generation, Scottish politics and policies, economic incentives, behavioral change, construction, planning and through to transport. No doubt prompted by the recent story concerning leaked e-mails from UEA [University of East Anglia], the debate eventually focused on the veracity of the climate change phenomenon itself."

More information can be found in Edinburgh Napier University's Environmental Expertise guide - click here to download the guide (PDF).

For more information, please contact Professor Kevin Cullinane.

Wednesday, 02 June 2010 10:50

Presentation at Young Professionals' Conference 2010

TRI was represented by two speakers at this year's Young Professionals Conference (3rd June 2010, Carlton Hotel, Edinburgh). Professor Alfred Baird and Gordon Wilmsmeier outlined the range of ferry services of relevance to Scotland today and in the future. Their presentation highlighted some of the key challenges and opportunities for ferry services. They suggested that there is a need for more partnership between the public and private sector, to strengthen existing ferry services, and to help facilitate and develop various new services.

The conference itself included workshops and had the dual designation as a full day training and CPD event.

To download the programme, please click here. (PDF)

For a copy of the TRI presentation, please click here. (PDF)

Tuesday, 01 June 2010 10:34

Visiting Professorship at Gothenburg University: Prof Kevin Cullinane

TRI Director Professor Kevin

Cullinane has recently been appointed as a Visiting Professor at the University of Gothenburg.

Professor Cullinane's appointment is not only an international recognition of the prowess and reputation of TRI in maritime logistics, it also provides a significant and meaningful opportunity for academic collaboration. Over a period of two weeks in May, Professor Cullinane delivered a series of lectures on 'Bulk Shipping Economics' to Gothenburg University students undertaking an MSc in International Business and MSc in International Trade and Logistics. The feedback was very positive and the students were lively and interested in the material presented. The lectures were delivered as part of an academic exchange under the auspices of the Northern Maritime University project.

In future, Professor Cullinane will deliver lectures on Gothenburg University's Executive MBA programme and will become involved in their Executive Education and Seminar programme. This will enable him to become more familiar and involved with the shipping and logistics industries in Sweden and the wider Scandinavian area. In turn this will allow TRI to access commercial funding from Swedish and Scandinavian sources, and also provide industrial partners (including possible financial support) for EU and other funding bids.

The role of Visiting Professor is also intended to stimulate joint research applications between Professor Cullinane and colleagues in Gothenburg to funding sources in Sweden, Scandinavia and Europe and will also involve the joint supervision of PhD students.

For further information about the Northern Maritime University project, please either contact Professor Kevin Cullinane or Gordon Wilmsmeier, read about the project in our Projects section, or visit the NMU website.

Wednesday, 12 May 2010 13:21

Call for Papers: Special Issue in Maritime Policy & Management

TRI's Gordon Wilmsmeier and Adolf Ng from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have the great pleasure of inviting submissions of research paper(s) for publication in a Special Issue hosted by Maritime Policy and Management (MPM) in 2011. The topic of the Special Issue will be "The Geography of Maritime Transport: Space as a Perspective in Maritime Research and Development". Maritime transport is closely interconnected with the development of intra-regional and global trade flows. In this respect, maritime transport is not only a tool to bridge space, but also an indirect driver of economic development processes with possibilities to consolidate, induce and interpose. Hence, this special issue is based on the understanding that geography/spatial theories and concepts offer important contributions to maritime research and development, and that experiences from the maritime sector can play a significant role in progressing the current and future discussions and debates in contemporary issues within the discipline of geography.

 

For further information about the call for paper and the Special Issue, please download the full text of the call by clicking here.

Wednesday, 12 May 2010 13:00

Article published in Container Management

TRI's Professor Alf Baird has published an article in the June 2010 edition of Container Management. As the article explains, the EU's Motorways of the Sea (MoS) initiative aims to achieve a modal shift from land to sea transport. However, as Professor Baird argues, the first step is to establish a clear definition of what constitutes maritime transport infrastructure – which implies a shift of emphasis from ports to shipping.

The full article, entitled "Redefining maritime transport infrastructure", can be downloaded by clicking here (pdf).

For further information about the article and its contents, and more about the Strategic Motorways of the Sea Project, contact either Alf Baird or see the StraMoS website: the TRI page and official StratMoS website.