A cost-benefit study of the Suez Canal large-scale dredging project

The choices faced by shippers are generally complex. Typically, the shipper is presented with a range of alternative carriers, each of which has its individual strengths and weaknesses. A survey of companies purchasing shipping services in an overnight RO/RO ferry trade was conducted to identify their priorities and to help understand and the decision-making process. The shippers were found to be conservative decision makers with a strong emphasis on quality of service.     

渤海湾与欧盟地区客滚运输安全的比较与启示

客滚运输发展迅猛并将继续保持良好的态势。近年来,客滚船舶安全工作取得了长足的进步,如何实现客滚运输安全的长期稳定、不断探索客滚船安全管理空间显得更加迫切。本文结合欧盟地区我渤海湾在区关于客滚船安全管理的简要历程,提出了引进智力,开展渤海湾和欧盟地区客滚船安全营运比较研究及客滚船安全评估等建议。     

令人注目的12 300t RO/RO船

12 30 0t货物滚装船是一艘被船东称之为具有 2 1世纪先进水平的“未来型”出口船舶。该船在设计中突出高速化、自动化和重型化等特点 ,代表了当今现代技术和机动灵活的设计思想 ,具有很强的超前意识。该船不仅可用于民用 ,而且军用价值也比较明显 ,其市场前景十分看好。     

Carrier selection in a RO/RO ferry trade Part 2. Conceptual framework for the decision process

The way that users select a shipping service from the range of available options is a complex and poorly understood process. It is difficult, if not impossible, to reduce all the attributes to a single dimesion—such as cost—and in reality no-one tries to do so. Using the results of a survey of shippers, a behavioural framework has been constructed to represent the stages in the decision process and the interaction of factors that influence the shipping manager. Previous models have tended to isolate and examine individual components of the process and have not linked these components together to form an integrated explanation. The proposed framework is a multi-stage process with elements of both compensatory and non-compensatory behaviour and a strong emphasis on risk avoidance.     

海口—海安航线客滚船轮机设计

介绍了海口—海安航线客滚船轮机设计的特点。通过调整机舱及辅助设备间布置方案,增加车道,提高了运能。对主推进系统布置中出现的问题提出了解决方法。针对航线特点合理配置应急/停泊发电机组,并介绍了该船消防系统布置特点及居住舱室和车辆舱排水能力计算方法及计算结果。设计中对货舱通风布置方案进行多次调整及优化。     

The effects of marine cargo delays in law and commerce

With the development of door-to-door intermodal services and the advent of just-in-time supply systems, punctual delivery of cargoes is more than ever a priority both for shippers and for shipowners. This paper is about the incidence of delay in transportation, particularly in the marine mode, and its legal and commercial consequences.

The fundamental legal obligations of marine carriers have always included delivery with dispatch. Thus the law would seem to support the commercial expectations of shippers for reliable performance. The authors discuss the nature of these obligations, investigate their adequacy under modern conditions of trade and report on a survey of Canadian shippers and consignees.

The authors conclude that there appears to be a divergence in the toleration of delay, but that few of the Canadian companies suffering unacceptable delays received, or even sought, financial compensation and none of them planned to do more. The authors speculate about their reasons for absorbing the losses incurred through unacceptable delays. The evidence from the survey is that shippers, in spite of their dissatisfaction with the resolution or outcome of incidents of unacceptable delay, are loath to seek compensation through legal means, but instead prefer to resort to a range of commercial actions.     

Port Specialization and Efficiency—The Case of Ghana

The US Shipping Act of 1984 permits ocean liner vessel operators and shippers to make use of service contracts to further their mutual interests. However, starting from the very day this novel provision was incorporated into the Act, it has remained as a bone of contention between shippers and carriers serving US trade routes. This article highlights the major issues that have sprouted subsequent to the introduction of service contracts in ocean liner shipping. The author concludes with some logical suggestions to fine-tune the Act, without interfering with its legislative framework.     

Service contracts: a case study of unfulfilled promises

The US Shipping Act of 1984 permits ocean liner vessel operators and shippers to make use of service contracts to further their mutual interests. However, starting from the very day this novel provision was incorporated into the Act, it has remained as a bone of contention between shippers and carriers serving US trade routes. This article highlights the major issues that have sprouted subsequent to the introduction of service contracts in ocean liner shipping. The author concludes with some logical suggestions to fine-tune the Act, without interfering with its legislative framework.     

Optimal container ship size: a global cost minimization approach

ABSTRACT

Currently, the best container ship size in a service is determined mainly by the liner operator, considering only the economies of scale of ships. Its external diseconomies to the ports and shippers are usually not considered in the decision-making process, which may reduce the overall efficiency and lead to global nonoptimality. This study incorporates the cost to the shipping companies at the main lines, ports, and feeder services, as well as the external costs to shippers and ports in a hub-and-spoke network, and determines the best ship size and the number of weekly services to minimize the overall costs. The external cost to the shippers in the feeder ports is assumed to be proportional to the feeder cost, and a sensitivity analysis is provided. The maximum container ship size is estimated according to different levels of freight demand. A numerical analysis shows that the optimal size should be smaller than the current biggest container ships in service.     

Short sea shipping in North America: understanding the requirements of Atlantic Canadian shippers

This research examines the potential for short sea shipping services on the east coast of North America, and focuses on the factors that freight shippers use to choose a transport mode. While there is significant literature available on modal choice and carrier selection, very little examines the effect of splitting the business on the choice that shippers specifically make between short sea and trucking options. Contrary to existing literature, we find that shippers' perceptions of short sea are favourable in this market. We also identify a new method of collecting data on how companies split business in these decisions.     

Benefit segmentation of the container shipping market in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Marketing policies have gained more importance in container shipping as the industry experiences challenges arising from commoditization. Market segmentation is fundamental to marketing policies, yet it needs a detailed analysis in container shipping. Accordingly, this paper aims to explore homogenous customer groups in container shipping by conducting a segmentation analysis, which can help container lines apply more efficient marketing policies. A survey study is conducted on 356 shippers in Turkey. The study develops five reliable and valid selection criteria factors and applies cluster analysis based on the selection criteria factors. The cluster analysis produces a total of six benefit segments which are differentiable. The segments are significantly identified by the demographic characteristics of shippers. The paper suggests several implications for the marketing policies of container lines.     

基于MNL模型的托运人港口选择分析

运用Multinomial Logit(MNL)模型,以长江三角洲港口为例,从港口和承运人两方面综合考虑,提出由港口和承运人不同组合而形成的各种选择方案,计算了托运人对各种方案的选择概率和各个港口的市场份额,并进一步分析各个因素的影响程度以及港口市场份额对这些因素变化的弹性程度。旨在为托运人合理选择港口和降低运输成本、为港口正确制定经营策略和合理明确自身定位提供一定的参考依据。     

Shipper's councils: role and responsibility—a western view

Traditionally, liner markets have been seen as dominated by conferences on the seller side, facing small, unorganized shippers onn the buyers' side. This perceived asymmetry has greatly influenced conference legislation in North America (and more recently in the E.U.) and it has been deemed essential that government should regulate conference activities in order to curb any abuse of 'conference power'. In this view, shipowners and shippers are adversaries engaged in a zero-sum battle over transport costs rather than potential or actual partners in global distribution systems. This paper suggests that in today's global markets much can be achieved by cooperationn in the development of logistics systems and that shipowners and shippers may have much to gain from such cooperative alliances. A survey of shippers' councils in 1991-1992 demonstrates the diversity and increasing sophistication of many national shippers' councils, which devote themselves to the task of improving markets through education and the legislative process. The situation in the U.S.A. is different: for legal reasons, conventional shippers' councils do not exist. Instead, 'shippers' associations' play a commercial role in liner markets. It is suggested that European style shippers' councils can and should play an important role in the development and formulation of policies for internatinal liner markets. Such participation requires a cooperative industry environment quite different from the traditional adversarial approach, which is ill suited to global trade and logistics alliances.     

航运市场呼唤中国的航运运价指数期货

随着全球一体化与世界经济的迅猛发展，世界范围内的贸易不断扩大，2000年海运物流量达到58．8亿t^[1]。由于航运价格受到许多因素的影响而变化，它的变化对货主、船东与雇船者带来许多不确定的风险，通过航运运价指数期货可以降低航运业的风险，从而保障航运市场的稳定持续发展。     

Intermodal land transportation systems and port choice,an analysis of stated choices among shippers in the Rhine–Scheldt delta

ABSTRACT

In this paper, the research concentrates on the intermodal land transportation systems which link Antwerp and Rotterdam with a shared hinterland in the long and medium distance range. It uses a choice-based experiment which has been calibrated on the basis of real case studies to understand shipper’s choices between end-to-end chains. The stated choices reveal shippers’ preferences when needing to choose between two logistic pathways, which employ a similar multimodal composition of transport modes to bring the container from door-to-door, but which route the container differently through alternative maritime gateways. The study therefore touches upon the topic of port competition applying a value-driven supply chain approach. Despite narrow differences on the main performance criteria of the door-to-door chains, the empirical analysis proves that shippers are not loyal to one of the ports, but give preference to the lowest cost solution. Enhancing the frequency levels of the inland transportation solution is only at the benefit of the more costly chain. The findings reiterate the importance of intermodal land transport systems in the competition between load centres.     

Mandatory independent action: a legislative paradox

The US penchant for competition in ocean liner shipping, coupled with the might of lobbyists in Washington, D.C.,led to the introduction of intraconference competition in the form of mandatory independent action. The author analysis this controversial provision and its ramifications, and suggests pragmatic modifications to quell the war of attrition between shippers and carriers.     

Equality of bargaining power in contracts for international liner shipping

Mandatory rules exist in contracts for international liner shipping primarily because of imbalances and non-equity in the allocation of contract responsibilities. The superior bargaining position owned by the carriers depends largely upon liner market monopoly levels, the supply and demand balance between the shipper and carrier, and the cargo volume size of the shippers. With the development of shipping technologies, mode of transport, and shipping competition policy, the unequal comparison of bargaining forces between shippers and carriers changes. When the existing mandatory rule was deemed no longer necessary due to changing circumstances, legislation requirements to restore freedom to contract became apparent. When both sides have equal bargaining power, adoption of the principle of freedom of contract for their business relationships is suitable. The Rotterdam Rules concerning freedom of volume contract construction is based on equal bargaining powers between both sides and responds to the evolving situation of the industry. The Rules represent the development trend of today’s theory of contracts for international liner shipping and the demand for legal and institutional changes.     

Structural relationships among shipper’s perception,value, and choice intention of Korea–China train ferry service

ABSTRACT

The logistics environment between China and Korea has been changing rapidly in line with the ‘Go West’ policy of international trade and logistics area. The policy includes the BRI, Western Development Strategy, and Korea–China FTA. Against this background, the Korea–China train ferry (KCTF) is being newly illuminated as an alternative mode to cope with the logistics environment between Korea and China. One of the key success factors of the KCTF depends on, among others, shippers’ perception, which will affect the choice and the successful operation of the KCTF. From this perspective, this paper develops seven hypotheses based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). We test these hypotheses using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to explore the structural relationship between shippers’ behavioral beliefs influencing the perceived usefulness, the attitude toward and intention to choose the KCTF. The test results confirm that among the behavioral beliefs, transport accessibility in association with an efficient network of inland roads and railway networks is an important prerequisite. In addition, we verified a high statistical significance in the structural relationships among perceived usefulness, the attitude toward and the intention to choose the KCTF.     

对国际贸易中"鬼船"欺诈的分析

鬼船欺诈主要系船东所为,鬼船欺诈属于国际海事欺诈之一,在国际贸易中托运人或收货人应该积极进行防范。本文对国际贸易中鬼船欺诈问题进行探讨分析和提出防范措施。     

托运人对于托运危险货物的义务和责任

在海上货物运输中,托运人对于危险货物承担的义务和责任具有特殊性,而我国法律的规定又相对简单,理论研究也相对不足;因此,结合英国法下的判例,对于“危险货物”的理解,托运人是否承担绝对责任,以及托运人责任是否转移等问题做出分析。