Extreme Storms and Flood Events Cause Damage Worth Billions to Ports – and They Are Most Disruptive to Small Island Developing States
These ports are located in regions prone to natural hazards. But, as some of the world’s largest ports, they contain a high concentration of valuable assets and are important centers for international trade. Our research revealed that port closures and reconstruction following natural hazards puts US$67 billion of trade at risk every year.
The Port of Houston, for example, is the second largest port in the US. But as the port is located in the Gulf of Mexico, it experiences frequent extreme weather. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey disrupted the Port of Houston’s operations for around 10 days.
Port closures are a particular issue for small island developing states. These economies are often highly dependent on maritime trade as their limited land mass and resources require that they import virtually everything.
These states also often have lower hazard protection standards and their ports rely on outdated infrastructure. Natural hazards therefore cause severe disruption.
In 2018, Typhoon Yutu forced port operations to close for almost a week at all ports in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The port closures disrupted trade flows and prevented humanitarian supplies from entering the islands.
Preparing for Extreme Weather
Ports in all countries require infrastructure upgrades that will improve their resilience to hazards and allow them to remain operational all year. This includes upgrading structures like breakwaters to shelter ports from higher waves and installing port equipment that can function under higher wind speeds.
The Asian Development Bank is financing a range of initiatives to improve outdated and inefficient port infrastructure across the Pacific.
A project is underway to install stronger foundations and raise the deck level of Papua New Guinea’s Alotau port. And Apia Port, the only international gateway for freight in and out of Samoa, has received finance to reconstruct its breakwater and terminal infrastructure.
But given the large size, and value, of ports in richer countries, greater investments will be required to reduce the threat of natural hazards in these areas. Previous research suggests that up to US$63 billion will be required overall by the end of the century to raise the height of the world’s existing port terminals. Measures such as these are technically challenging and can be prohibitively expensive.
Many port authorities also fail to consider climate change in their long-term planning at present. But climate change will contribute to increasingly severe weather and rising sea levels in the future. One study estimates that if an event the size of Hurricane Katrina were to affect Alabama’s Port of Mobile in 2100, the damage to infrastructure could be up to seven times higher.
Ports are at the forefront of extreme weather and adaptation is urgently needed. Quantifying this risk will guide investment to the ports that need it most.
Jasper Verschuur is D.Phil. student, University of Oxford. This article is published courtesy of The Conversation.
