Maritime Transport’s Influence to the Coast

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Maritime transport system deals with the transportation of goods as well as passengers by water. It is among the most influential transport system globally and has dramatically influenced the United States coastal region. The New York-new Jersey Port has intimately touched the Eastern Pennsylvania and the Southern New Jersey regions which are the localities of the primary distribution centers and warehouses. The port plays a significant role not only in the region’s economic development but also political and social development. The maritime transport has eased accessibility of the region to the outside world hence attracting a large number of tourists, exportation, and importation of goods among other beneficial activities. The port transportation system has greatly influenced the land, water, and air in the region. However, the positive the positive impacts exceed the negative ones regarding the development it has facilitated in the area. In this paper, the effects of maritime shipping on the coast area regarding the water, land and air influence are discussed to a more in-depth extent.

Since the colonial time, the port industry has been of significant advantage to the nation as well as a central business that makes the area joined to the international transport network. It is also an essential worldwide commerce center that plays a vital role in supporting the states’ economic stability. The New York-New Jersey port industry composes more than the terminals, railroads, vessels, warehouses, and trucks that set up the maritime transportation system. The port transport system involves the land around the region, the impacts it postulates to the people living around and how it is influential to the air and water itself (King, et.al 2014). To some extent, the maritime industry is a source of pollution both air and water and also results in degrading effects on the human well-being.

To begin with, what are the effects of the maritime transport system to the land which dramatically includes the jersey and Pennsylvania regions? The New York-New Jersey port has significantly led to the development of the transport infrastructures in the region, facilitates the social life and enhances stability both politically and economically. The Port industry majorly deals with the transportation of cargos and human beings. Therefore, it facilitates the advancement of other transport networks such as the road and railway facilities. It is evident that in the regions touched by the port the transport industry has been dramatically advanced including highways and modern railway lines to ease the transportation of commodities to and from the maritime. There are some agricultural products among other goods that are highly perishable, hence the urge of fast and convenient transport facilities in the region.

Also, there is economic development in the states that are located in the maritime region. There are some private and public investments in the area which tends to benefit from the services offered by the port industry. It is evident that in there is a high population of people in the area who seek various services such as accommodation, banking, and recreation among many others. With this, the innovators have a background to establish their business which enormously grows with time boosting the living standards and the economy of these states. The significant private investments found along the New York-New Jersey region include banks, law firms, investment groups, insurance companies and other business facilities regarding terminal development and vessels construction. Additionally, there is a large number of private sectors dealing with the facilitation of transaction vital to the global trade (Phillips, et.al 2016).

The coastal port industry sector contributes a high percentage of the gross domestic product of the states where it is located. It is also a dependable source of employment with a considerable diversification that involves almost all another sector. For instance, it dramatically influences the tourism and hospitality industry among many other parts. All around the Jersey and Pennsylvania regions, there are adequate restaurants and tourism sites that have clients throughout the year. There is a significant effect regarding the social life of the inhabitants as during the accommodation and interactions with the tourists they learn different cultures and customs. It is not at all the times that these customs are morally upright and in many instances, the residents are exposed to unethical behaviors such as drug abuse among many others. Among the other degrading effects of the maritime transport is an increase of terrorism, bribery and other related crimes. It is through the same port that terrorists from outside the country get access to the states where the port is located leading to insecurity and increase of criminal activities.

On the other hand, the New York-New Jersey maritime shipping has significantly affected the coastal region. Due to high marine facilities the shipping emissions increases and it is more like to continue growing due to the global trade advancement. These emissions include Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which are hazardous to the environment and the residents in the coastal region. To a greater extent, the emissions from the port industry contribute to global air pollution which is a threat to the states. There is the solution to deal with the challenge as the maritime industry has to adopt advanced technology in curbing the solution. It includes the impact on the harbor loading and offloading operations where appropriate mechanization should be applied and dealing with the fuel used during shipping (Schwab, et.al 2014). Use of quality fuel which has minimal gaseous pollution is a sound solution to the matter.

Furthermore, the maritime shipping also affects the water itself has positive and negative effects. The shipping emissions dissolve in the water leading to water pollution which is degrading to the aquatic living organisms and other creatures that uses the contaminated water. The effects can lead to health effects to human beings and to a more significant extent death of the animals that live in water. It is inevitable for the shipping objects to move on water hence the best solution is adopting ways that will reduce water pollution. The same techniques used in curbing air pollution are also applicable in dealing with water pollution. For instance, the best solution makes use of high-quality fuel and proper maintenance of the maritime facilities (Dooms,et.al 2015).In relevance to the discussion above, the New York-New Jersey maritime is significant to the states along the coastal region and has more positive impacts compared to the negative influences. Shipping is vital to the development of the state as it enhances the global connection of the transportation system. The maritime transport in the region has created many opportunities for the residents and makes people have exposure to the international trade. It is through the port that the states in the coastal region have achieved economic stability as well as the development of social customs and political grounds.

References

Dooms, M., Haezendonck, E., & Verbeke, A. (2015). Towards a meta-analysis and toolkit for port-related socio-economic impacts: a review of socio-economic impact studies conducted for seaports. Maritime Policy & Management, 42(5), 459-480.

King, D. A., Gordon, C. E., & Peters, J. R. (2014). Does road pricing affect port freight activity: Recent evidence from the port of New York and New Jersey. Research in Transportation Economics, 44, 2-11.

Phillips, P. J., Gibson, C. A., Fisher, S. C., Fisher, I. J., Reilly, T. J., Smalling, K. L., … & Jones, D. K. (2016). Regional variability in bed-sediment concentrations of wastewater compounds, hormones and PAHs for portions of coastal New York and New Jersey impacted by hurricane Sandy. Marine pollution bulletin, 107(2), 489-498.

Schwab, W. C., Baldwin, W. E., Denny, J. F., Hapke, C. J., Gayes, P. T., List, J. H., & Warner, J. C. (2014). Modification of the Quaternary stratigraphic framework of the inner-continental shelf by Holocene marine transgression: an example offshore of Fire Island, New York. Marine Geology, 355, 346-360.