An Exploration of Key Challenges in Maritime Transport: Perceived Barriers and Their Impact on Global Supply Chain Efficiency

Abstract

The maritime transport sector plays a critical role in global trade by facilitating the movement of goods across continents. However, several challenges hinder its efficacy, thereby affecting the performance of global supply chains. This study investigates key maritime challenges, such as cyber security risk, technological barriers, high operational cost, geographical disruptions, environmental regulations, and port congestion and assesses their impact on supply chain efficiency, measured through lead time. Data for the study was only secondary data, analysis was done using descriptive and regression, the results from the reveal that each of these challenges contributes positively to increased lead time, highlighting their detrimental effect on supply chain performance. Technological barriers, port congestion, and geographical disruptions emerged as particularly significant bottlenecks. Furthermore, environmental regulations and cyber security risks, through necessary, introduce additional delays and inefficiencies. The study concludes that coordinated efforts are required to mitigate these challenges through enhanced risk management, technology adoption, and operational efficiency. Addressing these issues proactively will improve supply chain resilience and sustain global trade flows in an increasingly complex maritime environment.