Article citation information:
Drozhzhyn, O. International liner shipping: current challenges and threats. Scientific Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series Transport. 2024, 125, 51-68. ISSN: 0209-3324. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20858/sjsutst.2024.125.4.
Oleksii
DROZHZHYN[1]
INTERNATIONAL
LINER SHIPPING: CURRENT CHALLENGES AND THREATS
Summary. The article considers
modern challenges and threats to the operation of ships in the liner form of
traffic organization. Taking into account the dynamics of liner shipping
development and its exceptional importance in ensuring international trade, it
is proposed to analyze the main trends that are recorded both by statistical
and analytical publications and by scientists from different fields of
knowledge. Since any accident, under certain conditions, can be legally
recognized as force majeure, maritime practice provides the widest range of
challenges and threats to the commercial activities of enterprises. The
originality of the review lies in the fact that the whole range of potential
challenges is applied to the liner shipping sector. In this article, the
analysis is done in several steps: 1) incidents that may have consequences
of different nature (for human life and health, material losses, environmental
damage) were grouped into 6 main groups; 2) articles indexed in Scopus Web of
Science databases of the period 2020-2024 were investigated to substantiate the
importance of these challenges specifically on international liner shipping; 3)
the link between the challenges in ICC and BIMCO terminology and articles in
relation to each of the proposed groups was established; 4) statistical
material and individual cases for the same study period (2020-2024) for each
group of challenges were provided to substantiate the importance of the
impact on liner shipping. The study showed causal relationships between the challenges
to liner shipping (such as geopolitics-economics link or forces of nature and
economics/operational, etc.), correlation of scientific publications and recent
challenges. In general, the article gives an idea of the content of modern
threats to liner shipping in terms of source, interconnection of these threats
and nature of consequences.
Keywords: liner shipping, shipping challenges, shipping
treats, container carrier container ship, intermodal transport, risk
1. INTRODUCTION
Thanks to ensuring the preservation of goods during transportation, the
shortest delivery times over long distances, the breadth of geography, the
variability of batch volumes, the nomenclature of goods that can be presented
for sea transportation, the rhythm of shipments and the established schedule,
container transportation technology from the moment of its introduction in the
1950s to today is considered the most dynamic. The main idea that was laid by
containerization ‒ the immutability of transport containers at all
delivery points forces us to take into account not only "purely sea"
challenges that the container industry experiences, but also those that are
related to adjacent transport modes (rail, road), the operation of transport
hubs, etc. Thus, the efficiency of liner transportation, which is achieved by
“non-transshipment movement” of transport units through multiple modes,
requires an organization to anticipate potential risks and obstacles at the
intermodal level.
The main share of containerized cargo in the structure of liner shipping
gives reason to consider the challenges faced by containerization as typical
for the entire liner fleet. It is known that the nature of the process of
transportation of any goods is stochastic. In addition to general transport
factors that are difficult to predict, the system of container transportation
has a significant impact on a number of specific factors that are related to
the peculiarities of such transportation. Mainly, the sensitivity of small
consignments to external factors is explained by the nature of liner shipping:
predetermined transportation schedules, container flows consist of many small
parties, increased requirements for cargo preservation (due to the high value
of the transported goods), etc. It should be noted that additional challenges
are created by the presence on one ship during the voyage of cargoes of the
most diverse nature (IMO and IMDG classes, physical and chemical, transport
properties), which is not observed during transportation by the tramp form of
shipping. It is the consignor's responsibility to provide full information on
the nature and nature of the cargo, and as a result of the diversity of the
nomenclature, it cannot be controlled or rechecked by the carrier before
acceptance on the ship. Thus, on most liner ships there is always a risk of
undeclared hazards in relation to the IMO/IMDG class, exact weight, specific
properties of the cargo or handling instructions.
Thus, the liner shipping industry is affected by the cargo, the sea
vessel, the crew, the participants of the transportation due to the
circumstances that occurred during the transportation onboard (or at port), as
well as due to those that are the result of the influence of the external
environment: military operations, pandemics, strikes, natural disasters etc.
2. academic LITERATURE REvIeW
The comprehensiveness of the sources, the manifestations and consequences
of the challenges faced by international liner shipping is of interest to
scientists from various fields of knowledge: lawyers, economists, management
researchers, engineers, etc.
The basis for the research was statistical and analytical papers of the
last years, which highlighted the problems of liner shipping and scientific
articles indexed in the international databases Scopus and Web of Science
during 2020-2024.
Despite the diversity of the fields that study the challenges of liner
shipping, the types of scientific articles, the aspects they touch on and their
focus according to their tasks, their analysis is proposed according to the 5
main groups (A-E) given at tab. 1.
-
Geopolitical;
-
Social;
-
Forces
of Nature;
-
Market
and Economic;
-
Operational.
It should be noted that this distribution is quite conditional, since
some of the social and economic and market challenges have their source in
geopolitical changes, as well as some operational threats occur due to the
forces of nature, etc.
Tab. 1
Scientific articles on liner shipping challenges
(2020-2024)
|
Challenge |
Author(s) |
Key words |
Subject area |
|
A. |
Friedman Sh. |
law
of the sea; naval warfare; blockades; Ukraine; Russia |
Maritime Law |
|
Ilyas M., et al. |
maritime security; maritime containers; Delphi expert survey; maritime supply chains |
Maritime containers supply chain |
|
|
Stanivuk T., et al. |
parametric methods; shipping
companies; impact of war; stocks |
Maritime Studies |
|
|
Irtyshcheva
I., et al. |
war
economy; world economic growth; post-war economic development; war in Ukraine |
Business
& Economics |
|
|
Oral
F., Paker S. |
transportation
security; risk assessment; Delphi; SWOT; AHP |
Risk Management |
|
|
B. |
Nwokedi T., et al. |
maritime;
security; governance; piracy; ship types; ship’s crew |
Maritime Management |
|
Yıldız
R.O., et al. |
talent
management; resource-based view; RBV; systematic literature review; SLR;
content analysis; container shipping |
Human Resources Management |
|
|
Sandkamp A., et al. |
trade;
transport; China; piracy; container shipping |
Maritime Management |
|
C. |
Troch C.,
et al. |
long-period waves; infra-gravity waves;
seiching; numerical modelling; Surfbeat; extreme storm; measured data;
forecast system; moored ship response; surge; non-intrusive |
Engineering & Oceanography |
|
Charłampowicz J. |
COVID-19;
service quality; maritime container terminal; container shipping; maritime
container supply chains |
Service quality |
|
|
Yazir D., et al. |
COVID-19;
coronavirus; cruise; shipping industry; tanker |
Maritime Studies |
|
|
du
Plessis F., et al. |
bibliometric
analysis; climate change; cold chain logistics; marine cargo insurance; port
operations; systematic literature review |
Marine Cargo Insurance |
|
|
Notteboom T., et al. |
ports
maritime shipping; supply chains; shocks; resilience;·pandemics; COVID-19 |
Maritime Studies |
|
|
D. |
Matsuda T., et al. |
container
shipping market; monopoly; oligopoly; H-statistic; non-structural test;
competition |
Business & Economics |
|
Lixian F.R.,
et al. |
shipping industry; container ship; ship investment; ship demolition; simultaneous equations model (SEM) |
Maritime Policy & Management |
|
|
liner
shipping; vertical integration; container terminals; competition; European
Commission |
Business & Economics |
||
|
Saeed N. et al. |
prophet
forecasting; COVID-19; machine learning; natural language processing;
container freight |
Business & Economics |
|
|
Rožić T., et al. |
supply
chain; volatile freight rates; maritime container industry; crises |
Economics & Business |
|
|
E. |
Sunaryo
M., Hamka A. |
container
terminal; loading unloading; risks assessment; safety |
Risk and Safety Management |
|
Melnyk
O., Onyshchenko S. |
ship
operational condition; navigation complex; navigational safety; Markov chain
model; safety assessment |
Safety,
Navigation |
|
|
Nguyen S., et al. |
risk
assessment; risk analysis; container supply chain; operational risk;
container shipping |
Risk analysis and assessment |
|
|
Erdem P., et al. |
human
error; risk analysis, IT2Fs; SLIM; FTA; container loss |
Risk Analysis |
|
|
Longo F., et al. |
ergonomics;
working postures; containers cargo; lashing/de-lashing operations;
simulation; safety; security |
Human Ergonomic Simulation |
|
|
Prabowo A., et al. |
impact
loading; ship structure; freight container; internal energy; displacement
tendency |
Engineering |
Obviously,
among the geopolitical upheavals that have affected international shipping and
global economics and security in general, the Ukrainian war takes center stage
among recent publications. Thus, the article [1] addresses the impact of
geopolitics in the context of the legal status of the suspension of navigation
by the Russian Federation and the legal status of the Azov Sea under
international humanitarian law. Also related to the impact of the invasion of
Ukraine is the article [4], which is a study on the general evaluation of
parametric methods that focuses on the impact of the conflict between Russia
and Ukraine on shipping companies. The overview [5] examines the impact of the
war in Ukraine on world economic growth, analyzing the war economy and post-war
economic development in Ukraine. In addition to the Ukrainian war in the
context of the geopolitical instability of liner shipping, the article [6] considers
incidents arising from the Yemeni civil war (attacks on ships off the coast of
Yemen), the conflict between Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf, and the
tensions between China and the US in the Southern China Sea, the Taiwan coastal
area, and the Eastern Mediterranean after the Israeli-Hamas war. The authors
used to assess the situation using SWOT analysis.
The
article [7] on maritime piracy determines empirical probability coefficients
for pirate attacks across maritime zones, measures probabilities of death,
kidnapping for ransom, and injury, and estimates an empirical probability
coefficient taking into account the likelihood of pirate attacks on ship’s
types on the main shipping lines (used empirical statistical method with the
MATLAB-soft). The research paper [3] centered on 64 risks factors through the
following three indexes: the likelihood index, severity index, and average risk
index. The authors assess the risks using the Delphi expert survey, and
emphasize the importance of the impact of the war factor on the maritime
container industry. An important finding in the research paper [9] was the
rationale for the decrease in the number of container ships passing through
regions that had previously experienced a surge in pirate activity. The results
prove that liner ships respond to areas of pirate activity by changing their
routes. Innovative in terms of subject matter is the paper [8], where the
authors study novel and developing social research area ‒ ”Talent
Management” in container shipping industry. The researchers resorted to
systematic literature review and combined method of in-depth interviews and
qualitative content analysis to investigate the most common talent management
practices in shipping industry.
The
“forces of nature” group includes articles from the last five years that dealt
with natural challenges: epidemics, natural disasters or extreme natural
events. It is clear that COVID-19, which had a catastrophic impact on shipping,
is in the spotlight, and articles dedicated to mitigation of the pandemic
continue to be published. An example of such a scientific article is [11],
which substantiates the connection between the impact of COVID-19 on container
shipping and the of container terminal services quality. The review [12]
examining the effects of COVID-19 examines maritime transportation in four
groups, including container shipping. The authors concluded that transportation
participants faced operational losses and inconvenience due to health and
safety issues. Secondly, they believe that effective port state inspections
based on IMO conventions can significantly reduce potential risks and provide
opportunities for a successful turnaround.
Extreme
weather conditions have been a serious challenge to shipping since ancient times,
and are a typical example of the challenges of the forces of nature. Thus, the
article [10] deals with modeling and measurement of low-frequency wave motions
associated with extreme storm events (Post-Panamax container vessels were
observed, measured and modelled during the extreme storm event). Another
example of nature's challenges are changes in climatic conditions that affect
shipping and supply chains, among others. The aim of the study [13] was to
identify trends, gaps in published scientific papers on the impact of climate
change risks on marine cargo insurance in cold chains through a systematic
literature review.
Economic
and market challenges (as shown in fig. 1) can be caused by external
environmental factors, or can be influenced by competition, global or sectoral
economic problems, or problems within the individual shipping company itself.
Sometimes the authors' economic-market studies touch on more than one of the
groups we have identified, so the focus of the article [24] is on the changes
in freight rates in the maritime container industry due to the COVID-19
pandemic (the “force of nature” group) and Russia's invasion of Ukraine (the
“geopolitics” group), as well as the effects of these crises on changes in
consumer goods prices in the European Union. The value of the paper [14] is
that it is based not at the level of the container ship route, but at the level
of the shipping company. This is important in view of the fact that the same
vessel can carry cargo from several companies. The article aims to investigate
the extent of market competition. In the focus [15] - decisions on investment
activities for fleet development of shipping companies based on the analysis of
market factors, operating conditions, and shipping alliances. Another research
[16] is a critical review of the European practice of vertical integration of
liner shipping companies and container terminals, and examines its impact on
competition. [17] proposes a new combined methodology for forecasting container
transportation rates, including taking into account the impact of COVID-19, it
assists container market participants in developing and implementing strategies
to reduce losses when transportation rates fluctuate.
The
breadth and ambiguity of definitions of “operational risks” is noted in the
article [20]. The operational challenges faced by liner shipping are
multifaceted. The most common are the consequences of risks during operations
on board (both at sea and in port). The study [18] aims to provide a safety
assessment that can be further used to minimize occupational accidents at the
port (during loading/unloading operations). The study [19] proposes to
investigate the change in the safe state of a ship based on a Markov’s model
considering safety from 3 components: motion and handling control system;
navigation and motion parameters indicating system, ship's communication and
safety system. The paper [21] proposes a hybrid approach to highlight the
paramount importance of the human factor in container shipping operations.
Also, the influence of human factors in lashing/de-lashing operations is
investigated in paper [22]. The article [25] is also related to the behavior of
crew members on board ship and the impact of maritime situational awareness on
safe ship operation. The work [23] evaluates the strengths of structures at the
contact between a ship and a container at the moment when these objects come in
contact with each other and create an impact load on both structures.
3. LINER SHIPPING CHALLENGES SURVEY
While the literature review provides a first impression of the challenges
in the liner shipping industry, we will consider the challenges faced by
maritime transport participants in the context of the definitions given by the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the Baltic and International
Maritime Council (BIMCO).
ICC [25] lists the 7 groups of challenges:
1.
war
(whether declared or not), hostilities, invasion, act of foreign enemies,
extensive military mobilization;
2.
civil
war, riot, rebellion and revolution, military or usurped power, insurrection,
act of terrorism, sabotage, or piracy;
3.
currency
and trade restriction, embargo, sanction;
4.
act
of authority whether lawful or unlawful, compliance with any law or governmental
order, expropriation, seizure of works, requisition, nationalization;
5.
plague,
epidemic, natural disaster or extreme natural event;
6.
explosion,
fire, destruction of equipment, prolonged break-down of transport,
telecommunication, information system or energy;
7.
general
labor disturbances such as boycotts, strikes and lock-outs, go-slows,
occupation of factories and premises.
In 2022, BIMCO [26] defined a list of events (circumstances) that prevent
the parties to the transportation from fulfilling one or more of their
contractual obligations, provided they prove:
1.
actual,
threatened or reported war, act of war, civil war or hostilities; revolution;
rebellion; civil commotion; warlike operations; laying of mines;
2.
act
of piracy and/or violent robbery and/or capture/seizure; act of terrorists; act
of hostility or malicious damage;
3.
blockade,
generally imposed trade restriction, embargo;
4.
act
of government or public authority whether lawful or unlawful, compliance with
any law or governmental order, expropriation, seizure of works, requisition,
nationalization;
5.
plague,
epidemic, pandemic;
6.
act
of God, natural disaster or extreme natural event such as earthquake,
landslide, flood, or extraordinary weather condition;
7.
explosion;
fire; destruction of equipment; destruction of port facilities; obstruction of
waterways; cybersecurity incident; break-down of transport, communication,
information system or power supply; in each case unless caused by negligence of
the Affected Party;
8.
ionizing
radiation or contamination by radioactivity, chemical or biological
contamination;
9.
general
labor disturbance such as boycott, strike and lock-out, occupation of factories
and premises; in each case unless limited to the employees of the Affected
Party or a third party engaged by it; or
10. any other
similar event or circumstance, unless caused by negligence of the Affected
Party.
According to the factors causing the challenges of liner shipping, the
totality of all presented threats can be attributed to one of the following
groups:
A. caused by politics and geopolitical factors;
B. occurred as a result of social phenomena;
C. occurred as a result of an irresistible force of nature;
D. consequences of economic and market changes;
E. operational (occurred during operations with the person/vessel/cargo/equipment).
Tab. 2
Events/circumstance types according to group of challenges
|
Source |
А |
В |
С |
D |
E |
|
ICC |
1, 2, 4 |
7 |
5 |
3 |
6 |
|
BIMCO |
1, 2, 4, 10 |
9, 10 |
5, 6, 10 |
3, 10 |
7, 8, 10 |
Due
to the heterogeneity of the origins, nature, and consequences of liner shipping
challenges, they should be considered from both an intermodality and an
environmental perspective (fig. 1).
Fig. 1. Impact areas on liner shipping
3.1. Geopolitics
Geopolitical threats in the context of this article can be defined as any
events that affect the domestic and/or foreign policy of certain
geographical areas with consequences that determine the level of favorability
for container transportation. Such threats may result in financial losses of
transportation participants due to disruptions, delays, damage to the vessel,
cargo, and those that pose a threat to health and human life.
Global
geopolitical threats are not limited to a particular sector of the maritime
business, but have an impact on international shipping in general.
A
recent example is Russia's military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The
event resulted not only in the closure of all container services involving
Ukrainian ports, but also in changes at the macroeconomic level. UNCTAD notes
that the war in Ukraine and other related shocks have affected global economic
performance, leading to a cost-of-living crisis. Growing poverty, hunger, and
debt difficulties have reversed progress on a number of sustainable development
goals midway to their 2030 deadline. In 2022, the world's domestic product grew
by 3.2%, which is half the 6.1% recorded in 2021 [27].
Another
case of a geopolitical challenge is the threat of missile attacks in the
southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which have been reported by liner
container operators since mid-December 2023. Rocket attacks on the merchant
fleet led to tragic incidents with the deaths of crew members of the bulker
“True Confidence” (06.03.2024) and the sinking of the m/v “Rubymar”
(02.03.2024), which caused serious environmental threats. These and other
incidents have caused an increased risk for shipping in the region, which has
led to a complete revision of routes by liner carriers. Most container
operators are now determined to replace the Red Sea by sailing through the Cape
of Good Hope, bypassing Africa [28], which is reflected in a significant
increase in rates on the main routes.
3.2.
Social challenges
Piracy
has long been a significant threat to global merchant shipping. Pirate attacks
have consequences for the crew, vessel, and cargo. For the crew, the threats
are: abduction, hostage-taking, death, injury, and disappearance; for the
vessel ‒ damage, especially as a result of the use of weapons or in cases
where pirates deliberately damage ship machinery, equipment, and property; for
cargo ‒ theft or cargo damage.
During
the period 01.01.2024-30.06.2024, container ships were attacked by pirates in
the waters of Southeast Asia (excluding the Strait of Malacca): m/v “Nordpuma”
(01.02.2024), “ESL Dachan Bay” (09.05.2024), Indian Subcontinent “Name
Withheld” (03.02.2024), “Maersk Hai Phong” (16.02.2024), “Maersk Chattogram”
(07.04.2024), in the American region: “Asian Trader” (12.04.2024), in the
Africa region (excluding Somalia, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea): “Lodur” (05/14/2024),
“Maersk Sarnia” (06/20/2024).
Fig. 2. Pirate attacks by vessel type, January - June 2024
Source: IMB piracy [29]
A
strike announced by the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) on
October 1, 2024, is a vivid example of a social origin challenge. The Union has
85 thousand members compared to the previous year. Workers were concerned about
the automation of processes introduced by APM Terminals and Maersk Line, which
threatens to cut jobs. Thus, cargo owners are already concerned about the possibility
of downtime in the ports of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Coast [30].
Fig. 3. Incidents of pirate attacks on container ships 2020-2024
Source: own research based on data presented by the IMB piracy [29]
3.3.
Challenges due to a Nature's irresistible force
In
the context of this article, Nature force challenges are those caused by the
external environment: plague, epidemic, natural disaster or extreme natural
event, etc.
Fig. 4. Causes of ship losses in
2023
Source: own research based on data presented by the Safety
and Shipping Review l [31]
In
2023, the main cause of ship loss was sinking (13 incidents). The second place
is occupied by an accident/grounding (4 incidents), and the third place is
occupied by fire/explosion (3 incidents). Fire activity decreased during 2023,
but in the last five years alone, a total loss of 55 ships due to fires was
recorded. It is specified that extreme weather conditions caused at least 8
losses in 2023. 2 collision incidents resulted in ship losses in 2023 [31].
The
drought caused significant obstacles to global shipping, which slowed the
transit of ships through the Panama Canal. The lack of rain and the El
Niño climate phenomenon contributed to the year becoming the second driest
in the 110-year history of the Canal.
In
May 2023, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced draft restrictions for
transit vessels and reduced the number of transits per day. Restrictions
continued in 2024. According to Clarkson’s Research, restrictions on transit
through the Panama Canal, which accounts for 2.5% of world trade, led to a
reduction in transit tonnage by one third [32].
Fig. 5. Changes in transit time in accordance with the new route
as a result of the Panama crisis
Source: McKinsey & Company [32]
Container
operators recover additional costs by introducing a basic freight surcharge for
routes that involve crossing the Panama Canal. Thus, Maersk introduced and
revised the Panama Canal Surcharge (PCC) for all cargoes transiting the Panama
Canal in August 03.08.2023 (175 USD/20', 305 USD/40') [33].
3.4.
Economic and market
The
economic and market impacts experienced by liner companies in individual
countries can be caused by the external environment (global impacts of wars, epidemics,
and other factors), processes taking place in the countries themselves (the
level of containerization of ports, the development of economies, the strength
of foreign trade links), or come from influences that occur within the company
itself.
A striking
example of global market impact is the rise in fuel prices, which liner
carriers compensate for by adding a corresponding BAF (bunker adjustment
factor) to freight rates. Such rate adjustments allow carriers to compensate
for unexpected impacts on transportation costs. For example, the rise in crude
oil prices that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine was significantly
reflected in bunker prices. Across all trade routes, average fuel charges
increased by almost 50%, reaching almost 600 USD /FEU. For example, bunker
surcharges for transportation between the ports of the Far East and the US West
Coast increased from 540 USD /FEU in January 2022 to 1150 USD/FEU in mid-May
2022 [36].
It
should be added that container shipping rates continued to rise in 2023-2024.
The latest Drewry WCI of 5551 USD/FEU is 47% lower than the one recorded at the
peak of the pandemic at 10377 USD (September 2021), but 291% higher than the
2019 average (before the pandemic) of 1420 USD.
The
average composite index for 2023 was 3996 USD/FEU, which is 1204 USD
higher than the 10-year average of 2791 USD (which was inflated by the
exceptional period of Covid 2020-22).
Fig. 6. Drewry WCI composite index (September
2023 - July 2024)
Source: Drewry [35]
Fig. 7. Drewry WCI composite index:
Trades from Shanghai September 2023 - July 2024
Source: Drewry [35]
It
is impossible to ignore the impact on the economy and the market that the
Russian transportation industry has experienced as a result of the invasion of
Ukraine: transportation sanctions by the EU, the US, and the UK. Most of the
world's shipping lines have left the Russian market after the invasion of
Ukraine, with the exception of MSC, whose volumes have continued to grow since
2022. This vacuum was quickly filled by Turkish and Asian carriers, as well as
new Russian carriers formed from various domestic logistics companies.
3.5.
Operational
Regrettably,
the threats arising during the operation of ships, containers and cargo, ship
and port technical equipment are the most frequent. Investigating accidents on
container ships (as the largest group of liners), the following factors can be
identified among the factors that cause accidents in operation:
- human error: this is the most common cause of accidents
at sea. Human error may include (errors in navigation, among other things),
cargo handling and ship maintenance;
- technical failures (ship's machinery, equipment, defects
in the ship's design);
- fire hazards (spontaneous combustion, chemical reactions
and electrical);
- collisions with other vessels or objects: this may occur
on (due to congestion of shipping routes, in poor visibility conditions).
Fig. 8. Statistics of liner vessel loss (container ships and ro-ro) in
2014-2023
Source: own research based on data presented by the Safety
and Shipping Review l [31]
It
is specific that in liner shipping accidents occur to a greater extent during
berthing and exceed the number of those that occurred at sea ‒ 48% of
accidents occurred in port areas, 19% in the high seas (in/outside the EEZ,
exclusive (maritime) economic zone) and 18% within the territorial sea (fig.
9).
It
is interesting to note the share of voyages where incidents occurred according
to the distribution: “ship-related” and “person-related”. For “ship-related”
incidents, the most frequent event was contact with port infrastructure or
obstacles upon arrival at the port. The vast majority of “person-related”
accidents involved a vessel at anchor or nearside while in port.
Among
the accidents of 2024, we highlight the following:
On
26.03.2024, the container ship “Dali” instantly lost control and collided with
the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore, USA. At the time of the incident, the
vessel was under pilotage. Based on records, the Maritime and Port Authority of
Singapore confirms that the vessel's classification society and statutory
certificates were in compliance. According to the results of the investigation,
the cause of the accident was a technical malfunction that caused a loss of
power to the ship's equipment [37].
On
09.07.2024, during a voyage from Asia to Europe, the container ship “CMA CGM
Benjamin Franklin” got into a storm off the coast of South Africa and suffered
the loss of 44 containers, another 30 containers were damaged [38].
Fig. 9. Distribution of maritime accidents with container ships
according to areas
Source: EMSA [36]
Fig.
10. Container vessel accidents: ship and persons
Source: EMSA [36]
On
19.07.2024, it became known about the fire on the “Maersk Frankfurt” (built in
2024, operated by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement). The fire on the container
ship became known when the vessel was 50 miles from Karwar, India. The vessel
was carrying dangerous cargo. The fire, caused by a short circuit, led to
explosions and the death of a crew member [39].
On
09.08.2024, the liner carrier Yang Ming reported a fire on the container ship
“YM Mobility” in the port of Ningbo. The causes of the incident are still under
investigation. According to preliminary data, the explosion occurred in a
container with dangerous goods. According to the shipper's declaration, the
refrigerated container was used as a substitute for a dv-container and did
not require an electrical connection [40].
4.
CONCLUSION
The
dynamics of maritime trade growth in general and the high involvement of liner
shipping in ensuring trade relations inevitably lead to an expansion of the
range of problems faced by managers of shipping companies, cargo owners, ship
crews, and port and terminal workers. Taking into account the participation of
liner shipping in the shipment and receipt of consumer goods for the
population, all of these challenges ultimately affect every consumer in
general. Certain manifestations of threats to liner shipping are not specific,
but have a global scale (military invasions, pandemics, piracy at sea), cannot
be attributed to a specific field of knowledge, and require an interdisciplinary
and integrated approach to solving. Such solutions are possible with the
involvement of specialists at all levels: from international interdisciplinary
expert groups to develop or revise international regulations and conventions in
accordance with the current situation to standardizing provisions to combat
shipping challenges at the level of shipping companies, on ships and in ports.
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Received 22.08.2024; accepted in revised form 30.10.2024
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Journal of Silesian University of Technology. Series Transport is licensed
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