Supply Chain Risk Management in the Container Liner Shipping Industry from a Strategic Point of View

Abstract

One of the most significant current discussions in the container liner shipping industry (CLSI) is supply chain risk management (SCRM). In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in managing risk and reliability in the container supply chain from many viewpoints. This paper reviews the significant literature related to SCRM in the CLSI from a strategic point of view. By integrating the concept of the CLSI, the planning levels of container liner shipping and the concept of SCRM, questions have been raised about risk and uncertainty arising from the external environments (i.e. country-limited scope) and how can these factors influence the organisational reliability and capability of liner shipping operators (LSOs). Another question concerns how uncertain environments can influence the punctuality of containerships. So far, however, no research has been found that answered these questions which make further research is meaningful. For future research, this paper recommends an extensive assessment of a business environment-based risk and an evaluation of organizational reliability and capability of LSOs from the strategic point of view. Finally, it is worth mentioning that there is a research gap in both industry and academia on how to analyse and predict the punctuality of containerships (i.e. arrival and departure) under uncertain environments.

Keywords: supply chain risk management, container liner shipping industry, business-environment based risk, organisational reliability and capability, punctuality.