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Vessel logistics and shipping operations management
Published in Dong-Ping Song, Container Logistics and Maritime Transport, 2021
Within the CSSC, shipping lines (ocean carriers) are the focal players as the operators of the global shipping networks. A shipping line is a business organisation that transports containerised cargo aboard ships on regular basis. It adds maritime logistics values by either performing shipping activities more efficiently than its competitors or differentiating its service. Shipping lines can limit their role to the seaborne transport segment (i.e. port to port service), which is also called merchant haulage, or they can provide door-to-door transport service, which is termed as carriage haulage. In the intermodal transport chain, each mode retains its distinct identity and importance, but the role of each transport mode is determined by the objectives of the system as a whole. Intermodality allows shipping lines to develop hub-and-spoke networks on a global scale. Moreover, shipping lines may go beyond the transport provision in the strict sense and expand to logistical services.
Supply – integrators, post offices and forwarders
Published in Peter S. Morrell, Thomas Klein, Moving Boxes by Air, 2018
Peter S. Morrell, Thomas Klein
A freight forwarder is an intermediary who acts on behalf of importers, exporters or other companies or persons involved in shipping goods, organising the safe, efficient and cost-effective transportation of goods. Freight forwarders arrange the best means of transport, using the services of shipping lines, airlines, and road and rail freight operators. In some cases, the freight forwarding company itself provides the service, considering the type of goods and the customer’s delivery requirements. Forwarders vary in size and type, from those operating on a national and international basis to smaller, more specialised firms who deal with particular types of goods or operate within particular geographical areas. The international market, however, is dominated by large global companies such as Deutsche Post DHL, Kuehne + Nagel and DB Schenker.
A multi-agent framework for container booking and slot allocation in maritime shipping
Published in International Journal of Production Research, 2022
Jasashwi Mandal, Adrijit Goswami, Sushma Kumari, Nishikant Mishra
The shipping line agent sends the booking request from the first-tier freight forwarder to the shipping line or company which is also selected by the agent. A shipping line is a company that owns or leases the ships that transport the containers and freight from the loading port to the discharge port. The container booking information such as the type of cargo, loading port, destination port, cargo volume, cargo weight, container type, number of containers is received by the shipping line through the agent. The booking is processed by the shipping line, and the booking information is exchanged amongst all of the organisations. The booking confirmation contains shipper name, consignee name, vessel name, container size and quantity, expected time of departure or expected time of arrival, port of loading/port of discharge, CY(Container Yard) Date, CY cut-off date (the date by which a container must be checked-in at the container yard before its scheduled sailing), shipping line name. The agent will help to make decisions concerning the acceptance/rejection of booking requests using a decision support system to maximise the possible revenue for the shipping line. When a booking request comes, the shipping line agent can find the remaining space for the concerned booking type and approve the request if there is space. Otherwise, the request has to be refused in order to maximise the company’s revenue.
Addressing some of bill of lading issues using the Internet of Things and blockchain technologies: a digitalized conceptual framework
Published in Maritime Policy & Management, 2023
Elnaz Irannezhad, Hamed Faroqi
While blockchain is said to eliminate middlemen, it is subject to scepticism. Middlemen such as freight forwarders facilitate the relationship between two or more contracting partners (e.g. land carriers, shipping lines, port, warehouses, and terminals). Nowadays, some big shipping lines have in-house freight forwarder and offer door-to-door services. The proposed conceptual architecture may facilitate this further too. Nevertheless, it is expected that new kinds of middlemen emerge but with different roles, such as those who set up and maintain the blockchain platform, create governance model and act as a contact entity for the network participants.