Evi Baxevani | University of the Aegean (original) (raw)
Papers by Evi Baxevani
The natural configuration of our planet can offer significant comparative advantages to regions, ... more The natural configuration of our planet can offer significant comparative advantages to regions, providing them with the potential to become hubs of economic exchange and political interest or on the contrary, it may push them to the margins. Geography has played a crucial role in every aspect of History and has been a catalyst for the political and cultural evolution of mankind. At the same time, the effort to find means and goods that a region may be lacking, has constituted a motive for the communication of peoples dispersed across the globe. Technological advancements offered the possibility to interfere to geography to the benefit of the most globalized sector of the modern economy: shipping.
Maritime transport takes up the majority of the transport sector, thanks to the advantages it offers (reduced cost per transferred unit, access to every region) vis-à-vis the other principal means of transport (road, rail). As revealed by the tracing of the vessels’ movement worldwide, there is a convergence of the main routes in certain geographical areas. The countries which find themselves near them or that have under their control passages, they possess critical means of (geo)political influence, since these ways of “obligatory” crossing have increased strategic interest.
In the paper in hand, there is going to be an overview of the most fundamental passages, regarding maritime traffic, namely the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal. Each of them has radically transformed the transportation landscape and consequently global economy, by cutting thousands of nautical miles off routes, reducing cost as a result. Nevertheless, in order for them to stay in use, it is necessary to constantly undertake projects for their improvement so as to be able to follow the ship building trend of ever bigger vessels (widening and deepening of the crossings).
At the last section, the planned Istanbul Canal is presented, which can potentially -if actually realized- transform the geopolitical map of our neighborhood, upset-ting the existing balances. Despite the ardent support of its construction during the past elections, the recent electoral result may overthrow the plans in place. Moreover, as revealed by the study of the Suez and Panama Canals, critical factors for the realization of such “mega projects” is to ensure a flow of funds, the necessity of the construction itself and the ability to have solid economic and political support as much domestically as abroad.
Numerous studies have highlighted the various adverse consequences related to the already scienti... more Numerous studies have highlighted the various adverse consequences related to the already scientifically recorded increase of Earth’s temperature, more widely known as “global warming phenomenon”. To name just a few, there are repeated observations of extreme weather patterns, occurrences of droughts (and the associated increased possibility of “water-related conflicts”), rise of the sea level, reduction on flora and fauna and so forth. Global economy cannot remain unaffected; the cost to deal with any of the aforementioned environmental degradations, all obviously interrelated to the climate change that is taking place in recent years, will be extremely high to bear. On the other hand, shipping, a sector intertwined with both the environment and the economy, lies before significant opportunities because of the opening of the arctic passages. Nevertheless, plans to use these passages should take into account developments within the domain of geopolitics. As this drastic change of the physical environment is progressing, there are also emerging complications expected to affect not only the neighboring coastal states of the Arctic, but potentially the whole international relations system. The ice-pact of the Arctic is continuously losing size and the possibility for shipping crossing through the region is gaining ground. But, the introduction of these new maritime routes is also associated with contradicting geopolitical aims for many actors within the international setting. The purpose of the current analysis is to approach the very intricate region of the Arctic by focusing simultaneously upon the environmental, the economic, as well as the interstate-relations aspect. This inhospitable part of the world is an epicenter of contradictions: a promising field for economic growth, but also a new chess-board for interstate rivalries. Depending on the “grand-strategies” of the actors involved, a possible outcome might be escalating tensions leading even to completely blocking the freedom of navigation. With climate change impacting negatively upon international relations, only a cooperative management approach for the whole Arctic region could pave the way towards the easy integration of these new routes within the contemporary global maritime transport system.
The notorious “global-warming” phenomenon is clearly impacting negatively upon the Arctic environ... more The notorious “global-warming” phenomenon is clearly impacting negatively upon the Arctic environment. On the other hand, it is also creating significant new business opportunities: As Earth’s temperature maintains its rising trend, new maritime routes that were previously covered with ice-pacts are -slowly, but steadily- becoming available for shipping. Additionally, great interest is more openly expressed for the extraction of the estimated natural resources available in all those isolated areas and the seabed, another possible task for maritime transport. The IMO has already taken a very significant step to ensure a safer and cleaner shipping industry in the region under discussion through the adoption of the Polar Code, which strongly promotes maritime safety in these challenging waters. Issues such as uncharted areas, ice that is drifting and harsh environmental conditions are just a few examples of challenges for shipping. Strengthening the necessary technical infrastructure in order to support the expected increase of maritime traffic in the Arctic routes, with emphasis on facilitating timely response to emergencies and search and rescue (SAR) activities should be added to the equation. Even though there is encouraging institutional progress when it comes to ship building standards and the STCW provisions are continuously improved, due to the current occasional-limited use of polar waters for seaborne trade, there is obviously a lack of crews with the necessary experience. New preparatory training courses, some type of “field” activities, improved simulator capabilities and a new more proactive emergency response procedure that involves cooperation of all Arctic countries are needed to mitigate the high risks.
The natural configuration of our planet can offer significant comparative advantages to regions, ... more The natural configuration of our planet can offer significant comparative advantages to regions, providing them with the potential to become hubs of economic exchange and political interest or on the contrary, it may push them to the margins. Geography has played a crucial role in every aspect of History and has been a catalyst for the political and cultural evolution of mankind. At the same time, the effort to find means and goods that a region may be lacking, has constituted a motive for the communication of peoples dispersed across the globe. Technological advancements offered the possibility to interfere to geography to the benefit of the most globalized sector of the modern economy: shipping.
Maritime transport takes up the majority of the transport sector, thanks to the advantages it offers (reduced cost per transferred unit, access to every region) vis-à-vis the other principal means of transport (road, rail). As revealed by the tracing of the vessels’ movement worldwide, there is a convergence of the main routes in certain geographical areas. The countries which find themselves near them or that have under their control passages, they possess critical means of (geo)political influence, since these ways of “obligatory” crossing have increased strategic interest.
In the paper in hand, there is going to be an overview of the most fundamental passages, regarding maritime traffic, namely the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal. Each of them has radically transformed the transportation landscape and consequently global economy, by cutting thousands of nautical miles off routes, reducing cost as a result. Nevertheless, in order for them to stay in use, it is necessary to constantly undertake projects for their improvement so as to be able to follow the ship building trend of ever bigger vessels (widening and deepening of the crossings).
At the last section, the planned Istanbul Canal is presented, which can potentially -if actually realized- transform the geopolitical map of our neighborhood, upset-ting the existing balances. Despite the ardent support of its construction during the past elections, the recent electoral result may overthrow the plans in place. Moreover, as revealed by the study of the Suez and Panama Canals, critical factors for the realization of such “mega projects” is to ensure a flow of funds, the necessity of the construction itself and the ability to have solid economic and political support as much domestically as abroad.
Numerous studies have highlighted the various adverse consequences related to the already scienti... more Numerous studies have highlighted the various adverse consequences related to the already scientifically recorded increase of Earth’s temperature, more widely known as “global warming phenomenon”. To name just a few, there are repeated observations of extreme weather patterns, occurrences of droughts (and the associated increased possibility of “water-related conflicts”), rise of the sea level, reduction on flora and fauna and so forth. Global economy cannot remain unaffected; the cost to deal with any of the aforementioned environmental degradations, all obviously interrelated to the climate change that is taking place in recent years, will be extremely high to bear. On the other hand, shipping, a sector intertwined with both the environment and the economy, lies before significant opportunities because of the opening of the arctic passages. Nevertheless, plans to use these passages should take into account developments within the domain of geopolitics. As this drastic change of the physical environment is progressing, there are also emerging complications expected to affect not only the neighboring coastal states of the Arctic, but potentially the whole international relations system. The ice-pact of the Arctic is continuously losing size and the possibility for shipping crossing through the region is gaining ground. But, the introduction of these new maritime routes is also associated with contradicting geopolitical aims for many actors within the international setting. The purpose of the current analysis is to approach the very intricate region of the Arctic by focusing simultaneously upon the environmental, the economic, as well as the interstate-relations aspect. This inhospitable part of the world is an epicenter of contradictions: a promising field for economic growth, but also a new chess-board for interstate rivalries. Depending on the “grand-strategies” of the actors involved, a possible outcome might be escalating tensions leading even to completely blocking the freedom of navigation. With climate change impacting negatively upon international relations, only a cooperative management approach for the whole Arctic region could pave the way towards the easy integration of these new routes within the contemporary global maritime transport system.
The notorious “global-warming” phenomenon is clearly impacting negatively upon the Arctic environ... more The notorious “global-warming” phenomenon is clearly impacting negatively upon the Arctic environment. On the other hand, it is also creating significant new business opportunities: As Earth’s temperature maintains its rising trend, new maritime routes that were previously covered with ice-pacts are -slowly, but steadily- becoming available for shipping. Additionally, great interest is more openly expressed for the extraction of the estimated natural resources available in all those isolated areas and the seabed, another possible task for maritime transport. The IMO has already taken a very significant step to ensure a safer and cleaner shipping industry in the region under discussion through the adoption of the Polar Code, which strongly promotes maritime safety in these challenging waters. Issues such as uncharted areas, ice that is drifting and harsh environmental conditions are just a few examples of challenges for shipping. Strengthening the necessary technical infrastructure in order to support the expected increase of maritime traffic in the Arctic routes, with emphasis on facilitating timely response to emergencies and search and rescue (SAR) activities should be added to the equation. Even though there is encouraging institutional progress when it comes to ship building standards and the STCW provisions are continuously improved, due to the current occasional-limited use of polar waters for seaborne trade, there is obviously a lack of crews with the necessary experience. New preparatory training courses, some type of “field” activities, improved simulator capabilities and a new more proactive emergency response procedure that involves cooperation of all Arctic countries are needed to mitigate the high risks.