Container Carrier Research Articles

Simulation of LNG tank container leakage and dispersion on anchoring inland carrying vessel

Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is becoming an important energy source as clean energy. In cities with inland waterways, LNG tank containers transported by inland vessels will be the primary mode of transportation. However, the night sailing of LNG carriers is typically prohibited considering the safety of the vessels and surroundings. Inland LNG tank container carriers have to wait at specific anchorages during the prohibition period and complete the full voyage in segments. During the anchoring phase, the vessels pose significant risks with LNG leakage and dispersion as the primary ones. In this study, taking the anchoring LNG tank container carrier in the Yangtze River in China as a case study, a comparative simulation study is performed using the computational fluid dynamics model to investigate the influencing risk factors. The leakage and dispersion of LNG under extremely unfavorable conditions are also analyzed to calculate the safety area and provide the corresponding safety management suggestions. The comparative analysis results indicate that the leakage aperture is the primary influential factor, followed by wind speed and temperature. The simulations under extremely unfavorable conditions reveal a maximum dispersion range of 190 m and a safety zone radius of 310 m. These results provide important technical guidance and reference values for the case of leakage and dispersion on inland waterways.

Variability in airborne noise emissions of container ships approaching ports

Container ships emit airborne noise that can vary significantly due to diverse vessel characteristics and operating conditions. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing noise emission from container ships moving in ports to enhance our understanding and improve noise prediction models. Using a dataset comprising long-term sound pressure level measurements, video recordings, and weather station data, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to assess the impact of static (ship-specific) and dynamic (pass-by specific) variables on noise emission. Static variables included ship dimensions and age, while dynamic variables encompassed distance from the microphone, speed, and draught. A k-means unsupervised clustering analysis was performed using 1/3rd octave band spectra to identify subcategories of container carriers based on sound emission characteristics. Significant correlations between emissions and both static and dynamic variables were found. The k-means clustering analysis yielded distinct subcategories of container carriers based on their sound emission profiles. This study highlights the importance of considering various factors, including ship characteristics and operating conditions, when assessing noise emission from container ships. By better understanding the factors contributing to noise emission, we can effectively mitigate noise pollution and minimize the impact on surrounding communities.

International Practice of Liner Container Shipping Regulation in the Transport System

Effective regulatory and legal framework in this field has several positive advantages for the transportation participants. A significant place in the article is given to ensuring the principle of “common carrier” for access of a wide range of consumers to the container carriers service. In connection with the transformation both of supply chains and logistics flows under conditions of new foreign economic factors along with the emergence of new shipping lines on the Russian container market the relevance of this topic will continue to increase.Aim. To consider the aspects of normative and legal regulation of liner container shipping in the USA, EU, PRC and the Russian Federation.Tasks. To analyze the strategies of shipping lines on the Russian and global markets, to identify key regulatory legal acts of foreign countries in the sphere of liner container shipping, to identify the features of the Russian legislation in this sphere and the ways of its development.Methods. Regulatory legal acts of the USA, EU, PRC and the Russian Federation were collected, which play an extremely important role in the development of international container transportation and increasing the competitiveness of foreign economic activity.Results. The research of relevant legal frameworks and instruments of state regulation of sea container lines activity to ensure non-discriminatory access of consumers of transportation services, public availability of information about liner container services, high quality of transportation services for foreign economic relations was carried out.Conclusions. In modern foreign economic conditions, alliances and various forms of carrier cooperation are the subject of state regulation of liner container shipping in order to protect competition on the market. The legislation of the USA and the Russian Federation establishes compulsory publication of shipping line tariffs, while according to the provisions of the PRC legislation shipping lines provide their tariffs to the freight exchange, which is authorized by the competent state body. In addition, international experience shows that sea lines “Common carriers” are subject to a number of other requirements. In the Russian Federation, sea container transportation is carried out by both liner and tramp vessels due to the fact that the certain carriers are not registered as shipping line operators and information about some regular container services is limited.

Analysis of Flettner Rotor to Reduce Carbon Emissions in Container and Bulk Carriers

One thousand seventy-six million tonnes, or 2,89% of world carbon emissions, result from maritime transportation annually. One of the solutions to tapering down this trend is to create fossil-free renewable energy. Due to weather conditions, wind energy is the potential energy to achieve significant fuel savings. Flettner rotor is feasible for several container carriers with various deadweight tonnage (DWT), rotor dimensions, and efficiency results. This research conducted in the Indonesian Sea uses a parametric calculation to analyze the application of the Flettner rotor in several types of bulk and container carriers with six rotor specifications to minimize carbon emission and optimize the load. This study shows the optimal efficiency of ships after using the Flettner rotor. Flettner rotor can reduce 330.15 kg of fuel in 251,667 DWT of bulk carrier and 559,22 kg on 94,727 DWT container carrier. This study also proves the decrease of carbon emission to 288.86 kg in the bulk carrier and 488.98 kg of carbon emission from the container carrier after using the Flettner rotor. This result of efficiencies can be modified and raised according to the number of installed rotors.

Global Maritime Container Carriers' Mid-term Strategies as a Tool for Change Management in the Post-Covid Era

Global Maritime Container Carriers' Mid-term Strategies as a Tool for Change Management in the Post-Covid Era

Appraising the impact of COVID-19 on trading volume of selected vessel types in sub-Saharan Africa

The emergence and diffusion of coronavirus (COVID-19) have brought a lot of impacts on various spheres of human endeavours including maritime trading. This paper explores the effect of the lockdown on maritime port calls for selected vessels in the sub-Saharan African (SSA) regions (East, Middle, South, and West Africa). The study utilizes port calls data of the maritime profile of the global economies obtained from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Statistics between 2018 and 2021. Data include port calls for liquid bulk carrier, liquefied petroleum gas, dry bulk carrier, dry break bulk carrier, roll-on-roll-off, and container carrier. The analysis of data involves the use of exploratory technique to reveal dimensions of performance by various carriers across the regions. The results picture the kind of response of port calls in all the regions akin to the response from other regions of the world. However, the study observes that though responses to COVID-19 lockdown across the globe were similar, SSA regions were slow in recovering from the decline in port calls when compared to the developed and some rapidly developing economies of the world due to the region’s lack of economic resilience. Thus, since ports have been identified as vulnerable to economic, social, institutional, and environmental shocks, and to dynamic and highly unpredictable demand for port services, policymakers of various nationals in the SSA may need to examine the patterns of performance of vessels in the regions to manage trade flows more effectively as a way of responding to future dynamics in maritime trade in the region.

A Study on the Fuel Reduction Effect on a Hybrid Vessel using Operation Data on a Large Container Carrier

A Study on the Fuel Reduction Effect on a Hybrid Vessel using Operation Data on a Large Container Carrier

Impact of Carbon Intensity Indicator on the Vessels’ Operation and Analysis of Onboard Operational Measures

The new carbon intensity indicator (CII) is an operational tool that is part of SEEMP III and came into force on 1 January 2023. It is a measure of a vessel’s efficiency in CO2 emitted per deadweight nautical mile and is aimed at supporting the decarbonization of maritime transportation. There are studies indicating that no matter which CII option is applied, the overall CO2 emissions can increase, and maybe the proposal of a new CII is required. It has been suggested that an average CII could be calculated for an entire company rather than for each individual ship. This case study analyzed the 1-year calendar routes of four vessels (one container carrier, two bulk carriers, and one tanker vessel); the CII results were evaluated, and further operational measures were applied to improve the CII rating. It was observed that CII is highly dependent on idle and laden voyages, and very good cooperation between shipowners and charterers is a must. The anchor/drifting and port times must be reduced to the minimum, and vessels’ schedules should be adjusted for just-in-time arrival to optimize the speed between ports. That requires the voyage planning to be evaluated and adjusted based on port operations.

Optimization of container transportation between multi terminals based on carrier cooperation

To optimize the inter-terminal transportation (ITT) problem, trucks transporting containers from one terminal to another are likely to have the situation of "Full load to empty vehicle return" or "empty vehicle to full load return", a container transportation method proposed in which container carriers. Taking the maximization of the carrier's profit as the goal, considering the terminal operation’s busy degree, the task volume between terminals, and the carrier’s number, a container transportation task allocation model based on carrier cooperation is established. The analysis and comparison between the carrier's "cooperation" strategy and the "non-cooperation" strategy show that if multiple container truck carriers cooperate by sharing trucks and orders, The total profit will increase by 32.3% and the number of trucks will decrease by 25.7%.

항적 데이터에 기반한 하이브리드 추진 연료전지 선박의 효율 평가

Efforts have been made to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from ships by limiting the energy efficiency index, and net zero CO2 emission was proposed recently. The most ideal measure to achieve zero emission ship is electrification, and fuel cells are considered as a practical power source of the electrified propulsion system. The electric efficiency in the electrochemical reaction of fuel cells can be achieved up to 60% practically. The remaining energy is converted to heat energy but most of them are dissipated by cooling. In the author’s previous research, a hybrid propulsion system utilizing not only electricity but also heat was introduced by combining electric motor and steam turbine. In this article, long term efficiency is evaluated for the introduced hybrid propulsion system by considering a virtual 24,000 TEU class container carrier model. To reflect a more practical operating condition, the actual navigation data of a similar real ship in the real world were collected from automatic identification system data and applied. From the result, the overall efficiency of the hybrid propulsion system is expected to be higher than a conventional electric propulsion fuel cell ship by 30%.

Measurement-based relationships between container ship operating parameters and fuel consumption

Increases in fuel prices and the need to decrease emissions have made the optimization of fuel consumption on ships more critical. Developing a method to accurately estimate fuel consumption in ship operations is crucial for this reason. This article determined the mathematical relationships between fuel consumption and operation parameters, such as rotational speed, draught, trim, hull fouling time, wind speed, wave height, and seawater temperature, as well as the hierarchical impact of these parameters on fuel consumption. The study used a dataset of 105,790 measurements taken on a 4,800 TEU container carrier that was in operation for 1,187 days after hull cleaning. Data-driven approaches such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and a Multiple Nonlinear Regression (MNR) with Random Search were used to develop a relationship between the ship operating parameters and fuel consumption. A comparison of statistics between the two methods showed that both ANN and MNR provided highly accurate fuel consumption estimations, with MAPE of 6.1/6.41%, RMSE of 5.01/4.98 t/day, RRMSE of 7.22/7.12%, PCC of 0.964, and R2 of 0.93. The relationships presented here could be invaluable for ship route optimization, as well as transport and air pollution studies for similarly sized container carriers.

Assessment of key risk factors in the cold chain logistics operations of container carriers using best worst method

Given that reefer containers are highly dependent on their temperature control function, container carriers must pay particular attention to the risks occurring during cold chain logistics. Assessment of cold chain safety risks can therefore reduce chance of accidents and concern for product damage. The goal of this study was to use the best worst method (BWM) to assess key risk factors in container carriers' cold chain logistics operations. After gathering relevant information from the literature and conducting expert interviews, this study preliminarily determined risk factors affecting container carriers' cold chain logistics operations, and obtained 15 risk factors in 3 risk assessment aspects. A BWM model was then developed and tested using empirical data from a questionnaire survey of experts. The results indicated that (1) the “shipper risk” aspect is the most important risk link for container carriers' cold chain logistics; (2) the 6 key risk factors with the greatest effect on container carriers' cold chain logistics are “excessively long container loading time,” “insufficient pre-cooling of goods,” “poor or improper product packaging,” “dockside or shipboard power supply system malfunction,” “improper cargo stacking,” and “human error affecting temperature settings.” As a reference for container carriers engaging in cold chain logistics, this study also suggests risk management strategies intended to enhance cold chain safety and performance.

Quantitative Analysis of Leakage Consequences of LNG Ship-to-Ship Bunkering Based on CFD

Leakage incidents on LNG bunker vessels will result in a serious degree of hazard. This paper investigates typical high-risk scenarios such as hose ruptures and valve joint leakages. The consequences of an LNG leakage accident during the simultaneous operation of a bunker vessel and a container carrier are simulated using the FLACS software, and the dispersion range of the combustible vapor cloud is quantitatively analyzed under both ballast and laden conditions. Under the ballast condition, the diffusion range of the combustible vapor cloud on the side of the bunker vessel is 58 × 15.5 m from the front wall of the cargo equipment room to the bow of the vessel, and 35 × 9.5 m between the cargo equipment room and the transom of the vessel. Under the laden condition, the diffusion range on the side of the bunker vessel is 58 × 15.5 m from the front wall of the cargo equipment room to the bow of the vessel, and 15 × 4 m between the rear end wall of the cargo equipment room and the front wall of the stern of the vessel. These results provide important technical guidance and reference values for the safe operation of LNG bunker vessels.

KCS 선형의 모형시험 및 CFD 해석을 통한 Newman-Sharma 파형저항 추정법의 검토

The present study aims to review the wave pattern resistance analysis method suggested by the International Towing Tank Conference. From the experimental database of a container carrier ship model, the wave pattern measurement and resistance test results are utilized. The wave pattern resistance at the design Froude number is obtained to be compared with the wave making resistance of experiments. Wave pattern resistance is lower than wave making resistance by 1978 ITTC and uniform regardless of transverse location of wave cut. The method is also applied to the wave height field by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses with Froude number variation. Although numerical damping suppressed waves in downstream, waves around the hull and wave pattern resistance are properly predicted.

Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on container carrier performance

Examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on container carrier performance

Cost Advantages of Far East/Europe Trunk Route Deployment With Port Selection in East Asia

To cater to the gradually increasing sizes of ships, several traditional container ports in East Asia built deep-water wharves to attract shipping carriers to berth, a decision that is considered highly reasonable because it allows for shipping carriers to gain a cost advantage. For traditional Far East/Europe (F/E) trunk routes, shipping carriers must deploy vessels that are large enough at hub ports to maintain low transshipment costs. However, for a port to attract shipping carriers, it should be able to first meet the cargo demand of these carriers. The port would also need to improve the loading ratio to enjoy the cost advantage. Simultaneously, the port should leverage the loading and unloading efficiency of the terminal to gain a competitive advantage. Although the port congestion observed at the F/E trunk during COVID-19 was not as serious as that in North American ports, it was sufficient to affect the route deployment and port selection decisions of shipping carriers. Currently, because the size of container carriers is the most critical factor in the reduction of shipping costs, as demonstrated in this study, the upsizing trend of container ships is regarded as a highly relevant aspect in the deployment of trunk routes and the selection of hub ports.

Local response estimation of a seagoing vessel using onboard measurement data

Structural integrity management is gaining popularity because of the wide-spreading application of the digital twin concept, which is based on the fusion of the real-world measurement data and digital model used for the design. Data fusion between the measurement data and design model makes structural integrity management a feasible solution with a limited number of sensors, provided a reliable and robust local response estimation algorithm can be provided. This paper presents a methodology through which a local stress response at an arbitrary location within a seagoing vessel can be estimated using onboard measurement data. For the response transfer from the measured location A to the unmeasured location B, the relative RAO, which defines the ratio of response amplitude between location A to B, was introduced. The relative RAO concept was applied by decomposing the response spectrum at measured location A into its comprising directional components using the least square method with non-parametric modeling. The proposed method was validated using the numerically generated pseudo measurement data, where some noises were introduced artificially to imitate the actual measurement. Finally, the full-scale measurement data of the 13,000TEU container carrier was analyzed and used to verify the proposed method.

The impact of globalization on Mediterranean container terminals

The Mediterranean basin has always played an important role in the global maritime scenario due to its key positioning along the main East- West trading routes and its centrality with respect to the Atlantic and North European markets, on the one hand, and to those of Asia and Africa on the other. The growth of container traffic has led to the emergence of new routes and the construction of ever-larger ships and ports. These factors have increased the competitiveness among the Mediterranean ports, which must improve their functionality and productivity to meet new needs and acquire ever-higher market rates. It is estimated that in 2020 Mediterranean ports handled almost 40% of worldwide containerized trade flows. The total throughput of Mediterranean ports has risen from 40,5 million TEUs in 2010 to about 59 million TEUs in 2020, with a 46% increase (UNCTAD). The establishment of a limited number of multi-trade strategic alliances in container shipping is concentrating the demand on a few players. Currently, all major container carriers are involved in one of the three global alliances: 2M (Maersk, MSC; capacity 8,475,700 TEU, share 33.8%, 1,363 ships), Ocean Alliance (Cosco-OOCL, CMA CGM, Evergreen; capacity 7,541,341 TEU, share 30.1%, 1,248 ships), THE Alliance (Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Yang Ming, HMM, capacity 4,799,815 TEU, share 19.2%, 633 ships). These big players often enter terminal operations, mostly investing in pure transshipment hubs along main shipping services, in order to control multiple supply chain phases. Some companies have their own ‘terminal operating holding’ such as Maersk (APM Terminals) and COSCO Group (COSCO Shipping Ports). The increase of naval gigantism and the reduction of vessel calls due to strategic choices of carriers could influence the competitiveness of smaller container ports that are cut out from the main market trades (e.g. Cagliari) or that have physical limits on their terminals. This paper focuses on the specific case of Mediterranean container ports, analyzing the evolution of the containerized traffic and how the strategies of the main carriers are affecting container terminal policies.

Logistics integration strategies in container shipping: A multiple case-study on Maersk Line, MSC and CMA CGM

Shipping lines have recently been reshaping their operations to include more logistics integration, which could indicate a change in business strategy. This paper analyses recent developments in the strategic paths of Maersk Line, CMA CGM and MSC in the context of logistics integration and presents empirical findings on their strategic positions and associated drivers. By applying a conceptual framework highlighting and exploring various key strategic, tactical, and operational issues, the study provides an in-depth overview of logistics integration in liner shipping. First, we perform a literature review to figure out how the literature on logistics integration has changed over time in response to economic cycles and corporate interests. Second, we present a conceptual research framework exploring the ways in which logistics integration takes place among Maersk Line, CMA CGM and MSC. Third, we empirically demonstrate that different facets, building blocks and attributes shape the strategic path of these three shipping lines. A summary reading grid facilitates the concluding analysis of logistics integration developments at work within the three container carriers. The multi-case study provides empirical findings on intra- and inter-carrier differences in the temporal paths of logistics integration, the spatial coverage when rolling out integration initiatives and the implementation methods.

Alternative approaches to measuring concentration in liner shipping

Shipping has always had a special relationship with competition law and economics. Even if special competition law regimes for the shipping industry continue to exist, most countries nowadays accept the notion that shipping markets should be more competitive. Competition authorities monitor this in a more or less regular fashion, with various market concentration indexes. The liner shipping industry is peculiar in its widespread cooperation schemes between carriers, in the form of vessel sharing agreements, also known as consortia. Carriers engage in cooperation with all of their major competitors in a system of consortia that is highly interlinked. This brings considerable risks of abuse of market power. Yet, the system of inter-linked consortia has never been systematically mapped, nor do competition authorities appear to monitor them. This article addresses this gap, by proposing alternative indicators, in addition to the traditional industry concentration indexes such as the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), that take the reality of consortia into account. Here, five possible alternative indicators are considered: the market share of consortia and independent operators; the share of consortia exceeding market share thresholds; the industry market concentration of consortia; a modified HHI that takes consortia into account; and interlinkages between consortia. We analyse the current state of concentration of liner shipping on the basis of these indicators using a new and unique database that contains deployed ship capacity of container carriers on all of their liner services. Based on this dataset we provide an overview of differences in industry concentration across world regions and developments over time. Traditional indicators show an increase in industry concentration. For example, over the trade corridors to and from Northern Europe, the HHI scores in 2006 ranged from 604 to 2463, and from 1164 to 4882 in 2021. The alternative criteria show additional industry concentration. We show that in 2021, 704 out of more than 1500 agreements among carrier consortia had a combined market share of at least 30%, and 102 of them had a combined market share of at least 50%. We also observe that in 2021, the carriers active in alliances operated 85% of the consortia capacity. Although carriers that are in the same alliance operate most of these consortia, it is also noteworthy that carriers that are not in the same alliance operate a considerable part (24%) of the consortia. Our calculations of modified Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (MHHI)indexes that take consortia into account show that industry concentration is higher when consortia are taken into account: for example on the trade corridor Northern Europe-North America East Coast, the MHHI has reached the threshold of 2500 points, despite an HHI score of around 1500. In the conclusion of the article, we put forward ways in which these alternative indicators could be used by competition authorities.