African shippers' organizations: the Ghanaian experience

This paper looks at how the Shippers' Council could operate to make shipping cost-effective and to play its role as a servant of trade a servant of the shippers. It looks at the key problems that confront the shipper requiring intervention by a Shippers' Council and surveys how the organization of the Shippers' Council effectively handles problems. The final sections draw conclusions which could contribute to increasing the efficiency of Shippers' Councils, as well as improving the understanding of the Councils as managers of the demand side of shipping.     

Themes and tools of maritime transport research during 2000-2014

This study examines how maritime transport has been researched through a comprehensive review of papers published in 19 transportation journals over the period 2000–2014. Systematic investigation shows that Maritime Policy & Management plays a prominent role in publishing maritime transport research. At the same time, ‘shipping’ is a dominant research area, with ‘port management, service, performance, efficiency and competitiveness’; ‘shipping market, industry, freight rate and economic impact’; and ‘terminal studies’ as the most popular topics. Nevertheless, few efforts have investigated ‘shipping finance’; ‘shipping service’; or ‘port risk and security.’ Since 2000, the use of quantitative analysis techniques has steadily increased in maritime transport to help participants make decisions scientifically. We here present the major data analysis techniques and highlight some limitations regarding their application. Thus, we provide a better understanding of how maritime transport research has been undertaken in a quantitative manner.     

Short-term liner shipping bunker procurement with swap contracts

The bunker price fluctuations in recent years have severely threatened the stability of liner shipping companies’ operations. As an efficient countermeasure, the swap contract is widely adopted throughout the liner shipping industry to hedge the procurement risk resulting from the bunker price fluctuation. This paper looks at the short-term liner shipping bunker procurement problem with swap contracts (BPPSC), aiming to optimally plan the amount of bunker purchased from the spot market and the amount hedged by the swap contract for several months ahead. This BPPSC is first formulated as a bunker procurement cost mean-variance minimization (MVM) model, and is subsequently solved using a tangible two-step approach developed in this study. In the first step, the movements of the swap contract price and the spot market price of the bunker are described using a calibrated multivariate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (mGARCH) time series model. In the second step, the MVM model is approximated and solved by a price scenario tree constructed from the mGARCH time series model. A numerical example shows that the risk hedging strategy obtained can simultaneously control the bunker procurement cost as well as the procurement risk from price fluctuations. This article is a revised and expanded version of the abridged eight-page paper entitled ‘Optimal hedging for liner bunker procurement’ presented at ‘2015 International Conference on Logistics and Maritime Systems (LOGMS 2015)’, Hong Kong, 27–29 August 2015.     

Key criteria influencing the choice of Arctic shipping: a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process model

As Arctic sea ice shrinks due to global warming, the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and the Northwest Passage (NWP) offer a substantial reduction in shipping distance between Asia and the European and North American continents, respectively, when compared to conventional routes through the Suez and Panama Canals. However, Arctic shipping routes have many problems associated with their use. The main objective of this paper is to identify the key criteria that influence the decisions of shipping operators with respect to using Arctic shipping routes. A multi-criteria decision-making methodology, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process, is applied to rank four potential categories of criteria (‘economic’, ‘technical’, ‘political’ and ‘safety’ factors) and their sub-criteria.

The results of the analysis suggest that, on aggregate, ‘economic’ is the most important category of influential factors, followed by ‘safety’, ‘technical’ and ‘political’ factors. The paper concludes, however, that the most influential specific sub-criteria relate to risks that lie mainly within the ‘safety’ and ‘political’ domains and that, especially in combination, these overwhelm the importance which is attached to ‘economic’ factors such as reduced fuel use. Finally, the implications of these findings for the future development of Arctic shipping are addressed at a strategic level.     

Maritime piracy in the Indo-Pacific region – ship vulnerability issues

This paper describes the current situation with piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly off the Horn of Africa and in Southeast Asia. This situation may be aggravated due to the downturn in international shipping following the global financial crisis. This has led to surplus shipping capacity, crews paid off, lower profits, and ship owners seeking to cut costs. Many ships are laid up in anchorages prone to sea robbery, and there is a risk that ships might be less well maintained and operated. This paper also explains how some ships are more vulnerable to attack than others. Sub-standard ships are more likely to be successfully attacked than quality vessels. Issues are identified that might be addressed by the shipping industry and ship owners, as well as by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In addition to being a victim of piracy, the shipping industry could be adding to the problem by laying up ships in vulnerable areas, reducing wages and sizes of crew and employing sub-standard ships. This situation could be symptomatic of wider problems in international shipping that throw doubt on the effectiveness of current regimes for ship safety, security and marine environmental protection.     

绿色航运发展趋势及燃料电池船舶的应用前景

船舶与港口排放带来了日益严重的环境污染问题,燃料电池作为船舶新能源技术之一,因其效率高、排放清洁、噪声和震动小等优异特性,在船舶节能减排和绿色航运发展中倍受关注。本文分析了我国绿色航运发展趋势,进而介绍了船舶新能源技术和燃料电池技术及特性。综述了燃料电池船舶在国内外的研究与应用进展,重点讨论了燃料电池船舶应用前景,展望了燃料电池船舶的未来发展方向。     

Marketing management at the world's major ports

Recent technological developments in maritime transport, particularly in container shipping and larger vessels, are having major repercussions at ports the world over. The latest wave of innovations has increased the level of competition in maritime transport, in particular in port activities. Shippers have many more alternatives available, something that tends to increase the hinterland of each port, precisely by reducing captive hinterlands. Ports are now generally moving towards formulas in which private initiative has a bigger role to play. Increases in competition combined with growth in private initiatives highlight the usefulness of marketing tools in two ways. Externally, because they help to achieve throughputs from remote points of origin and destination, and internally, by aiding the proper coordination of business and organizational activity at a commercial port. The present paper is a transversal study of the current situation of marketing and quality tools at major ports, including the opinions of a range of port commercial and marketing managers. We have also tried to describe the differentiated groups to be found at ports, as a useful methodology for identifying the nearest competition or ports with similar characteristics.     

Regional fishery management councils and the display of scientific authority

Abstract

Natural resource management entities such as the Regional Fishery Management Councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 depend heavily on science to inform policymakers and to legitimate the policy process. This paper discusses the importance of fishery science to the council system, contrasts the functions of Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSCs) serving the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the New England Fishery Management Council, and remarks on the implications of differences in the display of scientific authority by these SSCs.     

Strategic re-thinking in shipping companies

This article proposes a framework for how successful shipping companies can develop strategies for growth and take advantage of business opportunities. It is essential to strengthen strategy implementation to trigger faster, internallygenerated and profitable business growth. Formal planning and control systems, as they traditionally exist in shipping companies, need to be modified to allow for such growth. The forward-thinkers, the truly dynamic companies, will be able to perceive business opportunities before anyone else, mobilize their people, and implement the necessary strategies. In doing so, a balance must be struck between the everyday and visionary focus, between the top-down and bottom-up focus, between the business and corporate portfolio focus. Shipping companies can learn from the example of the progressive business leaders in other fields, capitalizing on their way to succeed and grow, by developing a dual capability to ‘see’ new opportunities and to ‘mobilize’ the relevant organizational resources to implement these. Examples from successful shipping companies are provided.     

Marketing management at the world's major ports

Recent technological developments in maritime transport, particularly in container shipping and larger vessels, are having major repercussions at ports the world over. The latest wave of innovations has increased the level of competition in maritime transport, in particular in port activities. Shippers have many more alternatives available, something that tends to increase the hinterland of each port, precisely by reducing captive hinterlands. Ports are now generally moving towards formulas in which private initiative has a bigger role to play. Increases in competition combined with growth in private initiatives highlight the usefulness of marketing tools in two ways. Externally, because they help to achieve throughputs from remote points of origin and destination, and internally, by aiding the proper coordination of business and organizational activity at a commercial port. The present paper is a transversal study of the current situation of marketing and quality tools at major ports, including the opinions of a range of port commercial and marketing managers. We have also tried to describe the differentiated groups to be found at ports, as a useful methodology for identifying the nearest competition or ports with similar characteristics.     

港口建设费征稽问题分析与对策的研究

港口建设费作为国务院批准征收的一项国家政府性基金,为对我国海上经济发展和港口基础建设提供了重要保障。文中通过实践调研与对比研究,对当前港口建设费征稽工作的现状和存在的问题进行多角度分析,提出港口建设费征稽工作的完善方向和解决对策,以期提高海事部门港口建设费征管能力,使我国港建费征收工作更加法制化、规范化、科学化。     

洋山深水港水域实施船舶定线制分析

文中拟就在上海洋山深水港建立船舶定线制的必要性、可行性,以及定线制方案进行初步探讨,通过在洋山深水港实施船舶定线制为上海国际航运中心建设提供安全畅通有序的通航环境。     

The potential for British coastal shipping in a multimodal chain

A strategy to revitalize coastal shipping within Great Britain is investigated. An examination of the regulatory environment shows government, at both the EU and British levels, aware of the environmental benefits of coastal shipping compared to road freight transport, if only mildly supportive in tangible terms. The geography of Great Britain and the modern preference for just-in-time deliveries have severely restricted the ability of coastal shipping to compete effectively with road freight transport. The primary objective of the paper is to investigate whether coastal shipping could be integrated into a multimodal door-to-door supply chain, where it is currently hampered by high costs of transhipment, slow transport speeds, and the incongruity of load sizes between land and sea modes. Integration requires the co-operation of all organizations within the multi-modal supply chain. However, coastal shipping companies have been known to be individualistic and mistrusting of alliances. Therefore, a Delphi study is undertaken to investigate the standpoint of leading managers in such companies towards multimodal integration. The results of the Delphi study indicate that managers are in favour of multimodal developments, in particular cooperation between coastal shipping and road haulage. However, there was agreement that the business is highly competitive, and this may prevent the forms of collaboration required for multimodal systems. The secretive nature of the coastal shipping sector could impede joint marketing to promote a mode of transport that is often ‘invisible’ to shippers. There was little consensus on the relationship that should exist between coastal shipping and ports, a topic worthy of further investigation.     

OPA 90

The Donaldson Report has been published and we are entitled to ask 'where do we go from here?' The majority of the shipping world, recognizing the international nature of the business moves by consensus such that rules applicable in Europe are also applicable in, say, Asia or South America. By its very nature this method takes time to bring rules into effect. By contrast the United Stated of America takes the unilateral approach to transport regulations and because it is such an important trading nation, particularly with regard to shipping, those wishing to participate in the trade must comply with the U.S. rules. One such example is the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) passed just four year ago. The shipping industry in general and the tanker industry in particular has had to adapt if it wishes to trade within the United States' navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the exclusive economic zone (200 miles). This paper looks at those sections of the Act that, from the standpoint of the tanker industry, have had the biggest impact when trading to the United States. We therefore look at how OPA 90 addresses the issues of prevention, clean up and who will pay?     

海南自由贸易港背景下航运新特征对海事管理的要求及对策研究

随着海南自由贸易港建设的深入推进,我国将在海南实施更加开放的航运政策,建立与国际接轨的国际船舶登记制度,海南航运业将呈现新的特征.作者对海南自由贸易港建设背景下海南航运进行了展望,分析了未来海事管理工作面临的新考验,并提出海事部门要强化自身建设,不断推进海事治理能力和治理体系现代化,以适应高速发展的航运经济.     

Slow steaming of liner trade: its economic and environmental impacts

From 2000s, there have been three forces provoking slow steaming practice in the liner industry: (1) oversupply of shipping capacity, (2) increase of bunker price and (3) environmental pressure. This paper analyses the background and the recent application of slow steaming in liner shipping. The research looks into the questions of how slow steaming can save bunker consumption and bring benefits to the environment. On the other hand, solutions are also examined to the adverse side of slow steaming practice, i.e., how it affects the container transit time. For which, a cost model is developed to demonstrate the impact of slow steaming on the revenue change, with application to the North Europe—Far East Trade as a case study. The final result shows that the optimal speed for the shipowner is correlated with the designed speed, bunker price and the price of CO₂. With the increase of the bunker price and the price of CO_2, the optimal speed will also increase, which means that slow steaming practice has a positive impact on the environmental protection.     

关于长江水路货运发展的思考

近年来长江水路货运增长势头快,货运成为了长江航运的主体。对于货运业来说,长江作为黄金水道的意义更加明显,因而研究长江货运建设思路具有十分重大的意义。该文先分析了长江水系货运市场的现状,在挖掘长江货运所存在问题的基础之上,提出了长江货运建设的思路。     

国际海事组织A类理事国提交提案情况统计分析

向国际组织会议提交提案是表达一个国家立场主张和利益诉求的基本手段,提案也反映出一个国家科技术水平和软实力。当选国际海事组织理事国,特别是A类理事国,是一个国家在国际航运界影响力的重要体现。文中通过对国际海事组织A类理事国近年来提交到各次会议的提案统计数据的比较和分析,揭示了A类理事国参与国际海事组织工作的现状,并进一步提出今后加强我提交提案工作的建议。     

A qualitative analysis of reintroducing cabotage onto New Zealand's coasts

This paper provides a qualitative analysis of the proposal to ‘reintroduce cabotage’ onto New Zealand's coasts. New Zealand's coastal shipping trade was opened up to international competition in 1995. The analysis is principally based on a stakeholder analysis of the 83 submissions received by the Shipping Industry Review team, as part of the Government's study to identify ways to increase participation in New Zealand's shipping industry. The stakeholders included New Zealand and international shipping companies, unions, industry associations, freight service providers, manufacturers and producers. The main conclusion drawn from the stakeholder analysis was that to reintroduce cabotage onto New Zealand's coasts would appear to have an overall net negative impact on the New Zealand economy at this stage. However, the Shipping Industry Review team ‘was divided on the implementation of cabotage’, and a force-field analysis was undertaken subsequently based on the author's stakeholder impact analysis and the Review team's list of pros and cons of reintroducing cabotage. This force-field analysis also supported the author's earlier conclusion. However, the almost ‘complete absence of statistics’ relating to the commercial activities of the shipping industry in New Zealand places severe limits on the analysis.     

The Nigerian shipping industry and indigenous shipping companies

The shipping industry in Nigeria since the early 1990s has been experiencing a continuous disastrous downturn. Nigerian shipping companies' participation in international shipping has continued to be very limited. Their presence and impact is hardly felt in the world's shipping industry. Both the national carriers (that is shipping companies with national carrier status) and other indigenous private shipping companies have vessel as well as management problems. These problems have led to the poor performance of the Nigerian shipping industry for over a decade now. The carriers in the industry are not attaining for the country the gains that are supposed to emanate from shipping. This paper points out the importance of shipping to a nation, identifies the problems the country's shipping companies are facing and proffers solutions that include merging of the companies to have strong financial standing and a competitive edge.