Aqilah Rahman

Global seaborne trade has grown immensely in the last 25 years, now accounting for about 80 per cent of the annual total volume of global trade. With the growth of international shipping, the industry has become a major source of greenhouse gases, contributing to about 20 per cent of global emissions from transportation, according to a report by RTI International.

Titled Act Now or Pay Later, the report highlights that effects of climate change put the shipping infrastructure and operations at risk due to increasing sea levels, storms and inland flooding. Globally, the average annual storm damage to port is approximately USD3 billion.

The report noted that damages to port infrastructure could reach nearly USD18 billion by 2100, while storm-related port disruptions could add another USD7.5 billion each year.

In total, the future additional costs due to climate change would be almost equal to the container port sector’s total annual net earnings in 2019 which amounted to USD25 billion.

Given that ports play a major role in global supply chain networks, it is important that port operations run smoothly to ensure a smooth flow of the supply chain. Disruption in port operations in one location can affect other ports and the rest of the global supply chain.

The ports and maritime shipping networks are highly vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, as shown by the six-day blockage of the Suez Canal due to the Ever Given vessel which significantly disrupted the global maritime trade.

As climate change continues to accelerate, global sea levels are expected to rise and storms are expected to intensify. This will damage port infrastructure, disrupt port operations and cause incidents at sea.

According to the report, at least one-fifth of vessel losses from 2015 to 2019 were related to weather conditions. Many of the incidents took place in the South China, Indochina, Indonesia, and Philippines maritime region, partly due to its high levels of traffic and bad weather compared to other regions.

During storms, ships will have to adapt by re-routing which can lead to delays and increase in operating costs, depending on the containership and amount of fuel consumed. A containership which consumes 150 tonnes of fuel per day could cost about USD75,000 for each additional day at sea.

The report cited a recent analysis of port disruptions due to tropical cyclones from 2011 to 2019 which evaluated 141 incidents across 74 ports in 12 countries. The analysis found a median disruption of six days, and almost half of the incidents led to complete shutdown of port operations.

In addition to storms, flooding and drought can also indirectly impact the maritime sector through supply chain effects. Extreme heat can damage shipping vessels and port infrastructure, inflicting stress on cooling systems and metal port structures such as cranes and warehouses.

Also discussed in the report is the estimated cost of preventing port damage and disruptions, focussing on port elevation as the adaptation approach, which typically involves raising the port surfaces and infrastructure using fill materials and reconstructing facilities at a higher level.

Elevating all ports to protect against the rising sea level and store surge is projected to require an investment of up to USD176 billion by 2050. For 2100 projections, the costs are estimated to reach up to USD205 billion.

Assuming an 80-year lifespan and three per cent discount rate, this is equivalent to USD4 – 6.8 billion per year. For comparison, the report uses the Port of Los Angeles (California) with an area of 17.4km2 as an example, for which the adaptations costs would be equivalent to 31-44 per cent of the port’s net available revenue in 2020.

The report concluded that climate change is likely to cost billions in additional costs each year without the appropriate countermeasures. In addition, the actual cost is likely to be higher than estimated if future growth of the port industry and global trade volume is taken into account, along with cost estimates for “soft” adaptation measures such as port defence or re-routing.

The report highlights several steps the industry can take to transition to green shipping and reduce the impact of climate change, such as full decarbonisation by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement as well as investing in zero-emission fuels and technology.

A number of leaders from the shipping industry have endorsed a Call to Action through the Getting to Zero Coalition, which aims for commercially viable deep sea zero-emission vessels by 2030.

TIRANA (AFP) – After years of sniffing out illicit cash in Albanian airports, German shepherd Konti has a lot to look forward to in retirement. He will enjoy it by the side of his partner in fighting crime, his handler Ilir Balla.

The 10-year-old canine is lucky.

Unable to part ways with the dog, Balla officially adopted him following his retirement from the police force, vowing to take care of it “until the last days of his life”.

“The relationship with the animal is special for everyone but our attachment is different,” Balla told AFP, speaking at the Institute of Police Dog Training in the capital Tirana.

“We are a team and the bond between us is very strong, very special.”

The institute has over 80 dogs working with police, including German shepherds and Malinois.

Different dogs have different skills, from detecting drugs, weapons or banknotes.

Among the best-known is Brandi, a German shepherd who rose to prominence during the search-and-rescue efforts following an earthquake in Albania that killed around 50 people in late 2019.

Konti – who was pulled from the force due to his failing vision – still has an “exceptional nose”, said Balla. During the course of his career, he helped detect large volumes of undeclared cash at Tirana airport.

Konti is one of nearly 20 dogs that have recently retired from a career with the Albanian police due to advancing age or performance issues.

Once retired, the dogs are officially open to adoption to the public, with prices ranging from EUR60 to EUR170 or sometimes even higher.

The meticulously trained dogs offer obvious advantages to prospective owners.

Saimir Hasmataj, looking for a retired police dog for his family, eventually adopted Osra. He chose Osra, who is already nine years old, because she had “quite the story” compared to the average dog, he said, having saved lives during the course of her duties.

But for many of the police officers who worked so closely with them over the years, leaving behind their trusted companions when they are retired is difficult.

Narcotics officer Dritan Zela does not have the option of taking home his partner Diksi because he does not have the space. But he will remember the 11-year-old German shepherd as an “excellent” partner who saved his life on multiple occasions.

One time, he recalled, Diksi threw himself on top of him when they came under fire.

“Diksi had a real instinct to protect me, which pushed him to face the worst,” he said, visibly moved at the memory.

But with age, his capacity to sniff out drugs waned, so he could not continue.

“I regret his departure, we have been together for years, we are like a family,” said the 51-year-old officer.

“I will miss him but wherever he is, I will go to visit him. They are all our heroes.”

WARSAW, POLAND (AP) – Hoping to restore some normalcy after fleeing the war in Ukraine, thousands of refugees waited in long lines on Saturday in the Polish capital of Warsaw to get identification cards that will allow them to get on with their lives – at least for now.

Refugees started queuing by Warsaw’s National Stadium overnight to get the coveted PESEL identity cards that will allow them to work, live, go to school and get medical care or social benefits for the next 18 months.

Still, by mid-morning, many were told to come back another day, the demand was too high even though Polish authorities had simplified the process.

“We are looking for a job now,” said 30-year-old Kateryna Lohvyn, who was standing in the line with her mother, adding it took a bit of time to recover from the shock of the Russian invasion.

“We don’t yet know (what to do),” she added. “But we are thankful to the Poles. They fantastically welcome us.”

Maryna Liashuk said the warm welcome from Poland has made her feel at home already. If the situation worsens, Liashuk said she would like to stay permanently in Poland with her family. “If the war ends and if there is someplace to return to, we will do that. And if not, then we simply will remain here,” said Liashuk.

Poland has so far taken in more than two million refugees from Ukraine – the bulk of more than 3.3 million people that the United Nations (UN) said have fled since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Hundreds of thousands more have also streamed into Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania.

Most of the refugees fleeing Ukraine have been women and children, because men aged 18 to 60 are forbidden from leaving the country and have stayed to fight.

Polish authorities said more than 123,000 refugees have been given the ID numbers – including more than 1,000 each day in Warsaw – since the programme was launched last Wednesday.

Svetlana, a Ukrainian woman from Ivano-Frankivsk who has lived and worked in Poland for over 10 years, has had relatives come now to Poland.

She said receiving the Polish ID numbers will make a huge difference for everyone from Ukraine.

“This is really so important to us that we can officially look for work, send children to school and be active here,” Svetlana said. “It really changes the way we feel here.”

Refugees can receive one-time benefit of PLN300 (USD70) per person and a monthly benefit for each child under 18 of PLN500 (USD117). Those who find jobs will have to pay taxes just like Polish workers.

Pavlo Masechko, a 17-year-old from Novovolynsk in the Volyn region of western Ukraine, has been trying to rebuild his life in the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszow. Before the war, Masechko had plans to come to Poland to study when he finished high school, but he says being forced out of his country by war is something completely different.

“This is so stressful to leave your country in this moment like this,” said Masechko, who has joined a local school in Poland since arriving. Now, Masechko’s Ukrainian teacher is seeking to organise classes online that were suspended when Russia attacked.

“When the situation started, it was very difficult for me to focus on other things. But time passed and now the situation is more stable and stable in my head also,” he said. “I have started to focus again on other things in my life.”

Many of the refugees from Ukraine have since moved on to other countries in Europe, mostly to stay with friends and family. Some, however, have chosen to go back home even as the end of the conflict is nowhere in sight.

Among them was 41-year-old Viktoria, who was waiting on Saturday with her teenage daughter Alisa to board a train back to Zhitomyr in central Ukraine.

“For the last five days it has been quiet,” said Viktoria. “Our local authorities are good. They prepared everything for us there so we can go back to work, have normal life and children can have online education.”

Alisa said she is not afraid to return and wants to reunite with the rest of the family who are still in Ukraine.

“My relatives are there,” she said.