Managing disruptions in the maritime industry – a systematic literature review

PurposeThis paper presents a systematic review of the literature in the domain of maritime disruption management, upon which future research framework and agenda are proposed. Two review questions, i.e. the measures that are employed to manage disruptions and how these contribute to resilience performance, were pursued.Design/methodology/approachThe systematic literature review procedure was strictly followed, including identification and planning, execution, selection and synthesis and analysis. A review protocol was developed, including scope, databases and criteria guiding the review. Following this, 47 articles were eventually extracted for the systematic review to identify themes for not only addressing the review questions but also highlighting future research opportunities.FindingsIt was found that earlier studies mainly focused on measures, which are designed using mathematical models, management frameworks and other technical support systems, to analyse and evaluate risks, and their impacts on maritime players at the levels of organisation, transport system and region in which the organisation is embedded. There is, however, a lack of research that empirically examines how these measures would contribute to enhancing the resilience performance of maritime firms and their organisational performance as a whole. Subsequently, a Digitally Embedded and Technically Support Maritime Disruption Management (DEST-MDM) model is proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThis review is constrained by studies recorded by the Web of Science only. Nevertheless, the proposed research model would expectedly contribute to enhancing knowledge building in the specific domain of maritime disruption management and supply chain management overall while providing meaningful managerial implications to policymakers and managers in the maritime industry.Originality/valueThis research is perhaps one of the first studies which presents a systematic review of literature in maritime disruption management and proposes a future research framework that establishes the link between disruption management and resilience and organisational performance for empirical validation.

Editorial: Post-COVID-19 global trade and business environment and maritime supply chain

Since January 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread impacts on virtually every sector of the global economy, including world trade and global supply chains. [...]it has been argued that the existing globalised economies might require to be restructured in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic when governments and firms start to re-strategize their critical supply chains through various disruption and resilience management strategies. [...]other shipping intermediaries, i.e. freight forwarders and logistics service providers, who play crucial roles in connecting demand and supply of maritime supply chains also suffered due to reduced business transactions. [...]the focus of this special issue is on understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various players in the maritime supply chain, as well as possible trends of global trade and maritime supply chains and strategies and policies in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Impact of Disruption on Ship Emissions in Port: Case of Pandemic in Long Beach

To achieve environmental sustainability on ships, stakeholders should make efforts to reduce emissions. Port authorities are crucial to attain this goal by introducing new policies. This study takes the Port of Long Beach as an example to assess port-wide ship emissions and explain the significance of shore power policy. Additionally, the study considers the impact of disruptions, such as the COVID pandemic, on ship emissions. The analysis compares data from three years before and after the pandemic to examine the relationship between ship waiting times, quantities, and emissions. The findings indicate that the majority of port-wide ship emissions are generated by berthing or anchoring vessels, from ship auxiliary engines and boilers. Furthermore, ship congestion due to reduced port productivity during the pandemic significantly increased emissions from berthing and anchoring vessels, with the emission proportion increasing from 68% to 86%. Adopting the shore power policy has effectively reduced ship emissions in port areas, and increasing the number of ships utilising shore power will be instrumental in tackling excessive ship emissions.

Update on Risk Criteria for Crude Oil Tanker Fleet

In recent years, the maritime trade of crude oil has suffered notable perturbations caused by the unbalanced relationship between supply and demand. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a drop in oil consumption in 2019, followed by a reduction in production in 2020. The seaborne transport of oil accounts for approximately 50–60% of all crude oil in world production. The crude oil market is a crucial regulator of the global economy and instabilities in this market have noticeable effects on collective risks. The immediate risks that the society see are the changes in the cost of living, which are followed by political uncertainties. Less visible are the risks that these uncertainties have on shipping companies and the level of management stability they have to maintain in order to keep seagoing safe. This paper presents an update on the overall state of risk management for the crude oil tanker fleet, evidenced by EMSA and other international marine organisations. The previous paper, entitled Safety Assessment of Crude Oil Tankers, which applied the methodology of the Formal Safety Assessment (FSA), was published in 2018 and covered the historical data related to the fleet size, accident reports, amount of oil spilled on sea and the economic value of the crude oil transport business. The particular focus of this paper is on the evolution of the risk acceptance criteria over the years and the difference in the predictions from 2018 to the present day. The effects of the pandemic on crude oil shipping are discussed through the changes in the risks. Three of them are analysed: PLL (potential loss of lives), PLC (potential loss of containment) and PLP (potential loss of property). The representation of the risk applies the F-N curves among the risk acceptance criteria lines observed for different tanker sizes. Among the three risks, the paper exposes the vulnerability of the loss of containment risk, where the strong economic impact of the oil trade outweighs the environmental concerns. In relation to the PLC, the paper proposes the approach of relating the oil spill acceptability with the spill quantity and ship revenue instead of to the cost of cleaning or the cost of environment recovery.

Maritime Disruption Impact Evaluation Using Simulation and Big Data Analytics

Disruptions in maritime networks may cause significant financial burden and damage to business. Recently, some international ports have been experiencing unprecedented congestions due to the COVID19 pandemic and other disruptions. It is paramount for the maritime industry to further enhance the capability to assess and predict impacts of disruptions. With more data available from industrial digitization and more advanced technologies developed for big data analytics and simulation, it is possible to build up such capability. In this study, we developed a discrete event simulation model backed with big data analytics for realistic and valid inputs to assess impacts of the Suez Canal blockage to the Port of Singapore. The simulation results reveal an interesting finding that, the blockage occurred in the Suez Canal can hardly cause significant congestion in the Port of Singapore. The work can be extended to evaluate impacts of other types of disruptions, even occurring concurrently. © 2022 IEEE.

Maritime Labour Market Dynamics (MLMD) and Futuristic Approach in Developing Skilled Global Maritime Labour (SGML)

Oceans are very vital for humans because holding 97% of water, 70% of the oxygen we breathe, ecosystem, food, energy, trade and leisure. The globalized maritime industry with more than 74,000 merchant ships transporting 90% of the world's cargo with around 1.89 million seafarers. The world will be experiencing a few megatrends demanding high skilled workforce. Sustainable development is impossible without upskilled force. LMD is always changing, attributable to demand and supply, matching efficiency, innovations, high-tech systems, education level, productivity, unemployment etc. Maritime labour market data shows a decline in job offers. Supply and demand affected during recent times due to Covid -19 pandemic and the Russian/Ukraine conflict. This paper highlights MLMD and SGML and suggests a futuristic approach for remodeling maritime labour skills. A survey through IAMU member universities will present a very clear picture of the issue. Paper suggests approaching IMO/IAMU to introduce MLMS Course in collaboration with the ILO and other maritime stakeholders. It also suggests IAMU Maritime Skilled Labour Data Program (MSLDP), IAMU Maritime Labour Market Data Program (MLMDP), and IAMU Maritime Skilled Labour Standards (MSLS) according to maritime industry requirements. © 2022 IAMUC. All Rights Reserved.

Digital platforms as factor transforming maritime education and industry

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many discussions arose about how digitalization is crucial for maintaining supply chains and ensuring the continuity of transport networks, especially shipping. At this stage, one of the most promising ways to improve efficiency is by introducing digitalization in the maritime industry. After all, the main goals in the information age are the digitalization of information and its proper use. Today, the business world expects faster service, simpler processes, and better efficiency from all companies and individuals. The transition of modern society to the information age challenges one of the main tasks of education to be the formation of the foundations of the information culture of the future specialist. However, all stakeholders are connected through a network, and illustrating the maritime transport process and the roles of its participants can elucidate the special features that are unique to the industry. Advances in information transfer, data analysis, and encryption techniques can reshape the business landscape and allow for managerial innovation, as well as new or complementary forms of learning to achieve it. But the pandemic has also led to a complete reorganization of the provision of education around the world. In practice, the learning process has been continued through a combination of different approaches. One of them is the implementation of web-based software for the shipping industry. Its products help make accurate and efficient business decisions and are designed for brokers, operators, shipowners, research firms, and financial institutions. The purpose of the article is to consider the presented software as a tool that may support maritime education and industry. © 2022 IAMUC. All Rights Reserved.

Impacts of Shipping Carbon Tax on Dry Bulk Shipping Costs and Maritime Trades—The Case of China

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in shipping have been receiving growing concerns in the maritime industry. Recently, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is considering the introduction of a global shipping carbon tax, which has become the most talked-about topic in both industry and academia. To assess the potential impact of the carbon tax on maritime trades, a trade-volume-based model of shipping carbon emissions was developed. Considering that bulk shipping is the second-largest carbon emitter in the maritime industry and the low value-to-weight nature of bulk cargoes, the model was applied to analyze the dry bulk trade in China, one of the leading countries in the global dry bulk trade. The results show that the introduction of the carbon tax could have significant impacts on freight rates and commodity prices. Depending on the trading regions and the carbon charges, shipping freight rates would increase by 10–30%, which is equivalent to 1–4% of the trading prices. Additionally, since shorter shipping distances may have less emission per trading tonnage, the shipping carbon tax may significantly change the dry bulk trade patterns, resulting in China’s increasing reliance on nearby countries, e.g., India and Australia, for the import of key commodities. These findings can help shipping companies and sectors make better carbon reduction responses, such as redeploying their fleets, promoting the development of low-carbon shipping technologies, and increasing investments in Australia, as well as South and Southeast Asia.

The concept of the cruise supply chain and its characteristics: an empirical study of China's cruise industry

Purpose>The cruise industry has witnessed steady growth, with passenger volume increasing from 17.8 million in 2009 to 30 million in 2019. In the context of global competition and an uncertain business environment, competition in business has changed dramatically from battles of “firm versus firm” to “supply chain versus supply chain”. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to understand the cruise industry from a chain perspective, which has not drawn widespread research attention.Design/methodology/approach>This paper brings together the insights, opinions, concepts and frameworks from a literature review of different disciplines (maritime shipping, tourism management, logistics management, operations management and supply chain management) and analysis results from 22 semi-structured interviews to make an early attempt to conceptualise the cruise supply chain (CSC).Findings>The cruise supply chain is elaborated on the process, the role of each entity and its characteristics by comparing with the maritime supply chain and tourism supply chain. Based on the understanding of the CSC, two specific characteristics of the Chinese CSC are examined, which need further investigation.Originality/value>The CSC is articulated with detailed processes and characteristics based on the literature review and empirical study. The findings of this paper not only advance the knowledge of the supply chain in the cruise industry but also highlight the importance of further research on the CSC.

Supply Chain Sustainability Management Through Blockchain Technology in Maritime Industry

Nowadays, integrating new technology into all management processes leads to significant evolution, particularly in the logistics business, which is one of the fourth industrial of Industry 4.0. Blockchain, an emerging idea, provides for the decentralized and unchangeable storing of verified data as integrated technology. The shipping industry has had to look for innovative ways to keep the accelerated growth of the planet on track, in the face of development threats and vulnerabilities from the mild development of foreign markets, expanding protectionism, correcting natural guidance, the current episode of COVID-19 pandemics. One of the successful innovations in blockchain technologies was to promote a computerized market change. It is also making the utilization of blockchain innovation in the maritime industry will empower quicker, more secure and more productive businesses. The objective of this study is to review sustainable in supply chain management through blockchain technology in the maritime industry. This work was done by discussion of literature by classifying the application according to the operation in the shipping process. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Implementation of an onboard COVID-19 vaccination programme: a university partnership to vaccinate seafarers.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused many seafarers to be stranded on their ships due to lack of access to a vaccine and fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus limiting their ability to work on the ship. Once COVID-19 vaccinations were available, a lack of access to the vaccine continued to exist in the underserved seafarer population. This lack of access to the COVID-19 vaccine meant that seafarers were sometimes unable to leave their ships for months beyond their original contracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The University of South Florida (USF) College of Nursing collaborated with the USF Morsani Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy in the development and implementation of an onboard COVID-19 vaccination programme at the request of the Port of Tampa Ministries. RESULTS: In 6 months, 1237 seafarers from 30 countries and 5 continents received the COVID-19 vaccination as a result of this programme. CONCLUSIONS: Partnership between a commercial port and a College of Nursing at a local university enabled hundreds of seafarers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This programme serves as a model for industry and academic partnerships that can have a global impact on health and wellness.

Inherent paradoxes in the shift to autonomous solutions provision: a multilevel investigation of the shipping industry

Transforming a traditional industry by adopting autonomous solutions is complex, generating paradoxical tensions on multiple aggregate levels. We undertake an in-depth case study of a leading maritime autonomous solutions provider and its ecosystem partners. We apply the paradox lens using thematic analysis. Our research contributes to the digital servitization literature by identifying six paradoxes inherent in the shift to autonomous solutions, nested in the micro, meso, and macro levels. We develop a multilevel framework of organizational paradoxes, delineating cascading effects of paradoxes across levels. We offer valuable insights for providers to integrate multilevel perspectives into the shift to autonomous solutions.

Building social support: The impact of workgroup characteristics, the COVID-19 pandemic and informal interactions.

BACKGROUND: Social support from colleagues is a key resource for employees and organizations, with beneficial effects on performance, employee well-being and resilience. Although the importance of social support is well-known, the factors that help to build and maintain social support are not equally well understood. OBJECTIVE: This study analyzes the impact of workgroup characteristics (i.e., workgroup composition regarding national diversity and tenure; workload) and the COVID-19 pandemic on employees' perceptions of instrumental and emotional support, and examines the mediating role of informal interactions. METHODS: The study is based on responses from 382 seafarers to a cross-sectional online survey. Hypotheses were tested using OLS regression and mediation analysis using PROCESS. RESULTS: Workgroup composition regarding national diversity had indirect effects on social support through informal interactions around social foci (here: joint leisure activities). High workload and pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic reduced interactions around social foci, thus contributing to the erosion of perceived social support. CONCLUSION: The findings provide insights on the development of social support, suggesting that informal interactions provide an important mechanism for the development of social support at work. From a theoretical perspective, this highlights the value of a relational perspective on the development of social support, a perspective that is based on the insight that social support is embedded in social relationships. From a practical point of view, this indicates that organizations can proactively foster the development of social support through practices that shape workgroup characteristics and social foci.

Shore Power Deployment Problem—A Case Study of a Chinese Container Shipping Network

Shipping emissions, especially those in port areas, have become one of the main concerns of the maritime industry. Shore power has been recognized as a promising way to alleviate the problem. However, shore power has not been extensively adopted in China. Therefore, from the government’s point of view, this paper conducts a case study of the shore power deployment problem based on the real container shipping network of China, including the Port of Hong Kong. In addition to the basic case, we, also, conduct numerical experiments with different budgets, to analyze its influence on the optimal subsidy plan and cost–benefit analysis. The results give two useful managerial insights: (i) it might be unnecessary to spend a large amount of the budget on subsidization, and (ii) the subsidy expenditure needs to be considered together with the final bunker reduction, while creating the budget.

A Cross-Country European Efficiency Measurement of Maritime Transport: A Data Envelopment Analysis Approach

Maritime transport, which includes shipping and port operations, is the fundamental basis of international trade and globalization. In transportation management, efficiency is critical for verifying performance and proposing the best countermeasure to meet predetermined goals. Various efforts in this field have been made to solve this problem satisfactorily. However, the significant proportion of conventional approaches are based on long-term observations and professional expertise, with only a few exceptions based on practice-based historical data. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a non-parametric technique for analyzing various output and input variables parallelly. The efficiency of maritime transport in European countries is explored using a two-stage DEA approach based on Malmquist and Epsilon-Based Measure (EBM). First, the Malmquist model analyses countries’ total productivity growth rates and their breakdown into technical efficiency (catch-up) and technology change (frontier-shift). Second, the EBM model is used to determine the efficiency and inefficiency of the maritime transportation systems in each European country. Apart from identifying the best-performing countries in specific areas over the study period (2016–2019), the results highlight that the gap in applying the EBM method to maritime transport has been successfully closed and that the emerging paradigm, when combined with the Malmquist model, can be a sustainable and appropriate evaluation model for other research areas.

Maritime workers and their global health: Need to improve scientific knowledge and prevention

Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared seafarers as essential workers and recommended they have priority access to COVID-19 vaccination [6]. [...]maritime workers have a high rate of occupational accidents. Most of them are linked to human factors and work performance [9]. [...]depression, boredom and fatigue have been described as risk factors [9-11]. Improving and building of Cohort studies, creating Exposure assessment and Prevention measures, improving Equity, Health, and Education. 1 ORPHY Laboratory, University Brest, Brest, France 2 Occupational and Environmental Diseases Center, Teaching Hospital, Brest, France 3 French Society of Maritime Medicine Brest, Brest, France 4 Centre for Maritime Health and Society, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark 5 Universidad Metropolitana de Educación Ciencia y Tecnología.

Application of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to Recognize Ship Structures

The purpose of this paper is to study the recognition of ships and their structures to improve the safety of drone operations engaged in shore-to-ship drone delivery service. This study has developed a system that can distinguish between ships and their structures by using a convolutional neural network (CNN). First, the dataset of the Marine Traffic Management Net is described and CNN’s object sensing based on the Detectron2 platform is discussed. There will also be a description of the experiment and performance. In addition, this study has been conducted based on actual drone delivery operations—the first air delivery service by drones in Korea.

Distributionally Robust Model and Metaheuristic Frame for Liner Ships Fleet Deployment

The container shipping industry market is very dynamic and demanding, economically, politically, legally, and financially. Considering the high cost of core assets, ever rising operating costs, and the volatility of demand and supply of cargo space, the result is an industry under enormous pressure to remain profitable and competitive. To maximize profits while maintaining service levels and ensuring the smooth flow of cargo, it is essential to make strategic decisions in a timely and optimal manner. Fleet deployment selection, which includes the profile of vessel hire, as well as their capacity and port rotation, is one of the most important strategic and tactical decisions container shipping operators must make. Bearing in mind that maritime business is inherently stochastic and uncertain, the key aims of this paper are to address the problem of fleet deployment under uncertain operating conditions, and to provide an integrated and optimized tool in the form of a mathematical model, metaheuristic algorithm, and computer program. Furthermore, this paper will show that the properties of the provided solutions exceed those offered in the literature so far. Such a solution will provide the shipping operator with a decision tool to best deploy its fleet in a way that responds more closely to real life situations and to meet the maximum demand for cargo space with minimal expense. The final goal is to minimize the operating costs while managing cargo flows and reducing the risks of unfulfilled customer demands.

Maritime resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic: impacts and solutions

Purpose>This study aims to study the resilience of the maritime industry by analyzing the impacts of COVID-19 on the maritime industry, in particular, on the shipping management aspect and offshore sector, investigate the effectiveness of current solutions and recommend future solutions for the industry to reduce or mitigate the negative impacts.Design/methodology/approach>In order to better appreciate resilience in the maritime industry, the study conducted secondary research and semi-structured online interviews to (1) identify the impacts of COVID-19 on the shipping management and offshore sector, (2) analyze the effectiveness of current solutions and (3) provide some strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the current measures.Findings>he results are congruent with existing literature which indicate that the pandemic has negatively affected the global economy, changed the global trade network and contributed to the sharp decline in demand for oil. In response to the pandemic, governments have implemented safety and health-related measures such as lockdown, safe-distancing and travel restrictions. Often, measures differ from countries to countries and these non-standardized and changing regulations further increase the challenges faced by the industry. From the shipping management perspective, the industry experienced issues such as crew changing, trade contraction and the expiration of shipping certificates, which supported and validated current research. Meanwhile, the offshore industry is challenged by the increasing market volatility and uncertainty, increasing need to source for alternative fuels and the declining oil exploration activities. Current strategies adopted by shipping management companies include crew change management, capacity management and the extension of ship certificates, whereas offshore industry chose to collaborate with oil majors.Research limitations/implications>By identifying the impacts and challenges and studying the effectiveness of solutions adopted by the maritime industry, this paper allows maritime industry stakeholders and policymakers to develop strategies to mitigate the effects of the global health crisis and strengthen the resilience of the industry. However, as the pandemic continues to develop and evolve, strategies need to be reviewed continuously in response to the changing situations.Originality/value>This research analyses the impacts and solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributes to the development and formulation of strategies to strengthen the resilience of maritime transport.