Abstract
Some Environmental Challenges and Solutions in the Nigerian ports systems with emphasis on the publicly-owned and private ports in Ontario, Canada example were reviewed to improve the Nigerian ports systems. The meanings of ports and systems and considered problems associated with the Nigerian ports system. Malfunctioning port systems, Government’s interventions and interferences, Inadequate infrastructural materials for efficient and fast services, Complicated Traffic Structure and Implementation, Misunderstanding of the usage and current functions of ports, Proliferation of Government Agencies operating at the ports, Cumbersome Documentation and Delivery Procedure, Insecurity of Cargo and Lives, Manpower and Labor Problems, NPA’S Lack of Financial Autonomy and Port Environmental Pollution Problems are some environmental challenges faced by the Nigerian Ports system; which solutions were proffered.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page
Approval page
Dedication
Acknowledgment
Abstract
Table of content
CHAPETR ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
1.2 Statement of problem
1.3 Objective of the study
1.4 Research Hypotheses
1.5 Significance of the study
1.6 Scope and limitation of the study
1.7 Definition of terms
1.8 Organization of the study
CHAPETR TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
CHAPETR THREE
3.0 Research methodology
3.1 sources of data collection
3.3 Population of the study
3.4 Sampling and sampling distribution
3.5 Validation of research instrument
3.6 Method of data analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.1 Introductions
4.2 Data analysis
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Recommendation
Appendix
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Ship transport is watercraft carrying people (passengers) or goods (cargo). Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises. Transport by water is cheaper than transport by air. Ship transport can be over any distance by boat, ship, sailboat or barge, over oceans and lakes, through canals or along rivers (David et al., 2004). Shipping may be for commerce, recreation or the military. Virtually any material that can be moved, can be moved by water, however water transport becomes impractical when material delivery is highly time-critical. “General cargo” is goods packaged in boxes, cases, pallets and barrels. Containerization revolutionized ship transport in the 1960s. When a cargo is carried in more than one mode, it is intermodal or co-modal. A nation's shipping fleet (merchant navy, merchant marine, merchant fleet) consists of the ships operated by civilian crews to transport passengers or cargo. Professionals are merchant seaman, merchant sailor and merchant mariner, or simply seaman, sailor, or mariner. The terms “seaman” or “sailor” may refer to a member of a country's navy (Surumi, 2000). A seaport has been simply described by transport experts as a geographic nodal point along a given shore line where the mode of transportation changes from land to sea or water, or vice versa and involves the provision and presence of geographical opportunities and merits, socio-economic potentialities and endowments, state of technological advancement and political considerations (Patrick, 1999). An author also stated that a port provides for the transfer of cargo from one mode of transportation to another. A port is comprised of three elements:
- Physical structure: This includes wharves, dock, storage, space and cranes
- Port Authority: The management of business entity
- Service providers: Such as longshoreman and terminal operators.
The port authority acts as a centralized planning board, provides quasi-public goods and attempts to control competition in ways that may be destructive. A port is described by the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, 1982 for the purpose of delimiting the territorial sea, as the outermost permanent harbor works which form an integral part of the harbor system and forming part of the cost but excluding offshore installations and artificial islands. A port can also be defined as an area where there are facilities for berthing and anchoring of ships and where there is the equipment for the transfer of goods from ship to shore or from ship to ship and includes the unusual places where the ships wait for their turn or are ordered or obliged to wait for their turn no matter the distance from that area. In modern parlance, a port is known as a ship/shore interface or a maritime intermodal interface (Bello, 2001) For each port, we will provide information on its location, facilities in the port area, major industries using the port and data on commodities handled at the port, which will also provide insight into the types of carriers servicing the port. We have attempted to provide information that is comparable from port to port but not necessarily identical, as each port is subject to sensitivities such as competitiveness with other ports. In 1998, the federal government commenced a major restructuring of the Canadian port system. At that time it was intended to roll former Harbor Commissions and CPC ports into new organizations called Canada Port Authorities (CPA). These are the major commercial ports in Canada. At the same time a major program was instituted to devolve many of the smaller operations from federal ownership and operation to ownership and operation by others-Goderich was devolved to the Town of Goderich and federal facilities at Sault Ste Marie were sold to Purvis Marine. The Canada Port Corporation was eliminated with the larger ports becoming CPA’s and the smaller ports in Ontario (Prescott and Port Colborne) being devolved to the local municipality. The facilities at Meldrum Bay and Nanticoke are privately owned and operated (Copeland, 2008). The structure we have adopted in this study follows from the way in which port ownership and administration is structured. Most of the ports being reviewed, fall within the purview of federal statutes either the Canada Marine Act or the Harbor Commission Act while others are either devolved federal (public harbor or Canada Ports Corporation) facilities or continuing private facilities. It should be noted that, even within federal ports, many of the facilities are privately owned and operated (e.g., steel company docks in the Port of Hamilton). Accordingly, the classification of ports is somewhat less than precise (Surumi, 2000). fact, the fast growth of containerization has created problems for ports in the region (e.g., higher requirements on terminal infrastructure with more post-Panamax vessels being used in the shipping routes covering West African coasts). Without appropriate investments to upgrade facilities and technologies, many container terminals are reaching their capacity limits, which is undoubtedly causing increasing traffic and port congestion and thus reducing the attractiveness of the ports in the region. Furthermore, the recent civil wars and pirate activities in the region have also influenced shipping lines decisions when choosing their ports of call. Unlike the most important criteria (e.g., cost, quality, and logistics service) influencing port attractiveness and selection in the other regions, those relating to West Africa have not been intensively researched, requiring a careful investigation in order to minimise the total transport costs and optimise the sustainability and reliability of shipping lines’ service. In addition, ports also need to understand the important criteria and the lines’ decision-making process for improving their service quality and rationalising resource management to enhance their attractiveness. However, the task of identifying important factors and developing a rational port selection decision making tool is not straightforward because it is essentially a process of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) under uncertainty requiring analysts to derive rational decisions from ambiguous and incomplete data contained in different quantitative and qualitative forms (Yang et al. 2009). This paper aims at developing a container shipping line’s decision making methodology on port selection in West Africa, in which the important criteria are identified and the attractiveness of the top five container ports in the region are evaluated with respect to the criteria individually and wholly in a case study. Following the port selection literature review, the third section describes the methodology using an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) approach, including the identification and estimation of the important port selection criteria in West Africa and the evaluation and analysis of the attractiveness of the top five container ports in the region. The results from the third section are analyzed and discussed in the next.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Ports always play a strategic role in the development of domestic and international trade of a country whether it is a developing or developed country. However, in a globalized world where distances are becoming squeezed, ports play an active role in sustaining the economic growth of a country. In the modern world of a fast growing technological era, ports are playing the role of an industry, not just passive actor in transportation but also in complete supply chain management. This is why it is said that “ports are more than piers” that is, more than just infrastructure or a complex infrastructure (Prakash, 2005). Today in any context and in any country, it is essential that ports provide efficient, adequate and competitive services. If they fail, ship-owners who find them too costly or too slow will go elsewhere. Hence if ports do not provide cost-effective services, imports will cost more for consumers and exports will not be competitive on world markets, national revenue will decline as well the standard of living of all people. Nigeria has a total of eleven ports and eight oil terminals organised in three zones of Western, Central and Eastern zones. The central zone with its headquarters in Warri and the Eastern zone with its headquarters in Port Harcourt are predominantly oil terminals, although Warri, Sample, Koko, Port Harcourt, Calabar and the Federal ocean terminal are important general cargoes. (Chioma, 2011). Ports not only a chain in transportation for inter-change, but they function as self-sustaining industry that is linked with domestic and international trade. At some places, ports also act as a foreign exchange earner not only in the form of transshipment or hub port but as part of supply chain management by providing logistics services to the industry. That is why a port needs to be treated as an industry. The management of a port should not only be concerned with the demand and supply of throughput but with institutional framework, application of technology, marketing strategy and ultimately economic impact of the development and implementation of projects or programmes (Prakash , 2005).
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of the study is to ascertain the draught level in selected ports and its influence on ship traffic size; but to aid the completion of the study, the researcher intends to achieve the following specific objective;
- To examine the effect of draught level in selected Nigerian ports
- To examine the relationship between draught level and ship traffic size in Nigeria.
- To ascertain the influence of draught level on marine transportation
- To examine the role of government for effective management and operation of Nigeria ports
1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;
H0: there is no significant relationship between draught level and ship traffic size in Nigeria
H1: there is a significant relationship between draught level and ship traffic size in Nigeria.
H0: draught level does not have any impact on marine transportation
H2: draught level does have an impact on marine transportation
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
It is believed that at the completion of the study the findings will be of great importance to the management of marine transport and Nigeria maritime sector as the study seek to explore the challenges of draught and it effect on ship traffic size in Nigeria water ways, the study will also be of importance to marine transport operators as the study seek to explore the causes of ship traffic size and it effect on the Nigerian economy. the study will also be of importance to researchers who intend to embark on a study in a similar topic as the study will serve as a reference point to further research. Finally the study will be of importance to student, teachers, lecturers and the general public as the study will add to the pool of existing literature on the subject matter and also contribute to knowledge.
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study covers a survey of draught level in selected Nigeria ports and its influence on ship traffic size; but in the cause of the study, there were some factors that hinders the scope of the study;
- a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study
- b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
- c) Finance: Limited Access to the required finance makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information concerning the activities.
1.7 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Draught
a current of unpleasantly cold air blowing through a room
Ports
A port is a maritime commercial facility which may comprise one or more wharves where ships may dock to load and discharge passengers and cargo
Ship
A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying passengers or goods, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing
Maritime transport
Maritime transport is the transport of people (passengers) or goods (cargo) by water. Freight transport has been achieved widely by sea throughout recorded history
1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows. Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (background of the study), statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope of the study etc. Chapter two being the review of the related literature presents the theoretical framework, conceptual framework and other areas concerning the subject matter. Chapter three is a research methodology covers deals on the research design and methods adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study.
