Application of a Sustainability Model for Assessing the Relocation of a Container Terminal: A Case Study of Kristiansand Port

Mariia Dushenko, Clemet Thærie Bjorbæk and Kenn Steger-Jensen
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Mariia Dushenko: Department of Maritime Operations, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg 3603, Norway
Clemet Thærie Bjorbæk: Department of Maritime Operations, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg 3603, Norway
Kenn Steger-Jensen: Department of Maritime Operations, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg 3603, Norway

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Sustainable development, a new interdisciplinary paradigm, is attracting increasing attention from the global research community. It is an enhancement of sustainability principles. This study documents the findings from applying a sustainability assessment model framework by Koo and Ariaratnam (2008) for decision support in connection with the projection of major infrastructure investment in a port. The objective of this study is to support the decision-making process in a port development project and to verify the applicability of sustainability assessment using a sustainability assessment model for a terminal development project in an urban area of Scandinavia. The sustainability assessment model is based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). A literature review of sustainability assessment models was conducted to find indicators for the AHP approach. Subsequently, a questionnaire was compiled and six decision-makers for projects in Scandinavian Ports in urban areas were selected for the case study. The hypothesis is that decision-makers of major infrastructure investment projects in publicly owned ports must adhere to sustainable development principles and support the United Nations sustainable development goals that are a call for action by all countries. When documenting a sustainable design of port projects, decision-makers use theoretical sustainability models to conceptualize features of a sustainable society. However, a major challenge for the decision-makers was that the sustainability assessment results did not show, as expected, the same results as those of three existing theoretical sustainability models. The results of the sustainability assessment model were scrutinised and benchmarked against existing theoretical sustainability models, namely: a sustainability stool, a 3-overlappingcircles model, and a 3-nesteddependencies model. The benchmark results indicate a disparity between the importance of what sustainability models describe and what is important in practice.

Keywords: sustainability; sustainability assessment model; Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP); development project; container terminal; port (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2018:i:1:p:87-:d:192887

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