Global liner shipping companies experienced a huge fluctuation of freight rate and lost billions consecutively in recent years and the industry became very volatile and unsustainable. At this critical time, this dissertation aims to evaluate what extent the marketing strategies can optimize the overall sustainable competitive advantage of top ten liner shipping companies and contribute to the recovery and the sustainable development of liner shipping industry in the next five years. This dissertation met this objective through a study of literatures and the application of research. The research was conducted through an interview survey with seventeen executives of eight liner shipping companies and a questionnaire survey with twelve senior executives of logistics companies. This study produced the following key findings. First, six core competencies and two generic competitive advantages of top ten carriers are selected and evaluated. Financial strength is concluded from the interview discussion as the most important core competency to the overall sustainability and competitiveness of carriers, meanwhile, most of carriers concentrate on rate competitiveness rather than service differentiation competitiveness currently. Secondly, three key challenges in the current liner shipping industry are identified and analyzed: weak demand growth and sharp hikes in bunker fuel price which are the major challenges in the macro environment and out of the direct control of carriers’ management, therefore, leading carriers should concentrate on addressing the major challenge in the micro environment –structural oversupply and homogenous service. Thirdly, carriers are impatient to improve their unhealthy financial position by increasing freight rate and reducing costs due to billions financing needs. However, inferior reliability of liner service due to cost-cutting and the consecutive jump of freight rate cause a deeper contradictory relation between carriers and shippers. Lastly, leading carriers have to make their best efforts to be survived currently, but need to find the right ways to attain sustainable competitive advantages in the future. In short term, the main target of leading carriers’ marketing strategies is to ensure sustainable freight rate and rational capacity growth. Because leading carriers are involved in a “prisoner dilemma” situation in major tradelanes, they should be close with each other with the support of financial investors and government regulatory bodies to build a stable and reliable global sea trade infrastructure. Long-term agree-ment with shippers fixed ocean freight rate at sustainable level can contribute the sta-bility of the market and help carriers be capable to offer reliable service. In the long term, the main target of marketing strategies is to find the best balance between better service and lower costs. One important way is to differentiate carriers’ service by offering more value to shippers and to ease the fierce competition on freight rate. It needs carriers to collaborate with logistics partners to improve the cost-efficiency and reliability of global supply chain. Another way is to cooperate with R&D organizations to enhance operational efficiency and offer eco-friendly liner service by advanced and innovative technologies. / published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

O século XIX testemunhou o aumento exponencial dos movimentos migratórios de europeus para as Américas, que se prolongaram até o início da Primeira Guerra Mundial, abrindo caminho para o negócio de recrutamento e transporte de braços. Este trabalho analisa o fluxo estabelecido entre dois lados do Atlântico, mais especificamente Itália e Brasil, discutindo fatores condicionantes, reflexos internos e externos, contradições e particularidades. Na Itália, o foco está direcionado para os interesses conflitantes dos grupos envolvidos: companhias de navegação, agentes e subagentes. Analisa-se a experiência imigratória no Brasil e, em especial, São Paulo, caracterizado pela política de subsídio. Se o financiamento promovido pelo governo paulista era essencial para a criação de um grande fluxo que atendesse a demanda da cafeicultura, por outro lado, constituiu-se em fonte de rendimentos para indivíduos e empresas ligadas à execução dos serviços de recrutamento e transporte. A análise dos balanços financeiros e relatórios dos conselhos administrativos das companhias de navegação italianas evidencia a importância da emigração como fonte consistente para sua saúde financeira. Ainda dentro das engrenagens responsáveis pelo fluxo, o enfoque recai sobre as agências de introdução de imigrantes que celebraram contratos com o governo paulista. Em suma, uma rede de negócios estabelecida nos dois lados do Atlântico, cujos objetivos eram claros: auferir lucros com a emigração. / The XIX century witnessed the exponential increase of the migratory movements of Europeans to Americas, which were extended up to the beggining of the First World War, opening way for the business of recruitment and transport of arms. This work analyses the flow established between two sides of the Atlantic, more specifically Italy and Brazil, discussing restrective factors, internal and external reflexes, contradictions and peculiarities. In Italy, the focus is on the conflicting interests of the involved groups: shipping companies, agents and subagents. The immigratory experience is analised in Brazil, and specially in São Paulo, characterized by the politics of subsidy. If the financing promoted by the government of São Paulo was essential for the creation of a big flow that was attending the demand of the coffee growing, on the other side it was constituted in source of profits for individuals and enterprises connected with the services of recruitment and transport. The analysis from the balances in cash and reports from the administrative councils from the Italian shipping companies makes clear the importance of emigration as a consistent source for her financial health. Still inside the gears responsible for the flow, the approach falls on the agencies of immigrants\' introduction that celebrated contracts with the government of São Paulo. Summing up, a business net established in two sides of the Atlantic, which objectives were clear: to derive profits with the emigration.

The world shipping freight market for the transportation of bulk cargo - liquid and dry - is characterised by the somewhat erratic and extreme fluctuations exhibited by many of the measures that can be used to describe the "state" of the market. Such 'measures' include the spot freight rates - the cost to the shipper of chartering a unit of shipping capacity 'on the spot' (that is, not reserving the vessel in advance), - the proportion of chartered tonnage at any time taken on a period (time) basis as opposed to a voyage (single) basis, and the rate at which orders for new vessels reach the shipyards. These factors are extremely variable, and have exhibited a similar form of behaviour for a large number of years. This present thesis describes an attempt to investigate the behaviour of the freight market (bulk cargo); the aim of the investigation being to identify the structure of the market system and to construct a System Dynamics model which describes the complex relationships in the market and which can be used to explore questions relating to present or future market behaviour. The construction of such a model is described, together with an exhaustive chapter on the analysis of the model, covering loop-analysis, the behaviour of the model under various test inputs, and the senstivity of the model to significant changes in parameter values. The final chapter considers the use of the model, and, in particular, describes its use in an investigation of the feasibility or desirability of introducing tonnagestabilization schemes into the market. Such schemes aim to prevent the freight rates from falling to unacceptably low values, by implementing a scheme whereby tonnage is withdrawn from operation and laid-up: the decrease in the supply of tonnage then has a positive influence on the freight rates. It is concluded that the problems involved in designing such schemes preclude the schemes from implementation. The appendices cover the various data used in the determination of market relationships, as well as the computer listing, in Fortran, of the market model. Also included in an appendix is a description of the application of System Dynamics to a hypothetical company. The tcompany model' allows for the examination of chartering policies and lay-up policies under a variety of conditions of market demand.

O século XIX testemunhou o aumento exponencial dos movimentos migratórios de europeus para as Américas, que se prolongaram até o início da Primeira Guerra Mundial, abrindo caminho para o negócio de recrutamento e transporte de braços. Este trabalho analisa o fluxo estabelecido entre dois lados do Atlântico, mais especificamente Itália e Brasil, discutindo fatores condicionantes, reflexos internos e externos, contradições e particularidades. Na Itália, o foco está direcionado para os interesses conflitantes dos grupos envolvidos: companhias de navegação, agentes e subagentes. Analisa-se a experiência imigratória no Brasil e, em especial, São Paulo, caracterizado pela política de subsídio. Se o financiamento promovido pelo governo paulista era essencial para a criação de um grande fluxo que atendesse a demanda da cafeicultura, por outro lado, constituiu-se em fonte de rendimentos para indivíduos e empresas ligadas à execução dos serviços de recrutamento e transporte. A análise dos balanços financeiros e relatórios dos conselhos administrativos das companhias de navegação italianas evidencia a importância da emigração como fonte consistente para sua saúde financeira. Ainda dentro das engrenagens responsáveis pelo fluxo, o enfoque recai sobre as agências de introdução de imigrantes que celebraram contratos com o governo paulista. Em suma, uma rede de negócios estabelecida nos dois lados do Atlântico, cujos objetivos eram claros: auferir lucros com a emigração. / The XIX century witnessed the exponential increase of the migratory movements of Europeans to Americas, which were extended up to the beggining of the First World War, opening way for the business of recruitment and transport of arms. This work analyses the flow established between two sides of the Atlantic, more specifically Italy and Brazil, discussing restrective factors, internal and external reflexes, contradictions and peculiarities. In Italy, the focus is on the conflicting interests of the involved groups: shipping companies, agents and subagents. The immigratory experience is analised in Brazil, and specially in São Paulo, characterized by the politics of subsidy. If the financing promoted by the government of São Paulo was essential for the creation of a big flow that was attending the demand of the coffee growing, on the other side it was constituted in source of profits for individuals and enterprises connected with the services of recruitment and transport. The analysis from the balances in cash and reports from the administrative councils from the Italian shipping companies makes clear the importance of emigration as a consistent source for her financial health. Still inside the gears responsible for the flow, the approach falls on the agencies of immigrants\' introduction that celebrated contracts with the government of São Paulo. Summing up, a business net established in two sides of the Atlantic, which objectives were clear: to derive profits with the emigration.

The world shipping freight market for the transportation of bulk cargo - liquid and dry - is characterised by the somewhat erratic and extreme fluctuations exhibited by many of the measures that can be used to describe the "state" of the market. Such 'measures' include the spot freight rates - the cost to the shipper of chartering a unit of shipping capacity 'on the spot' (that is, not reserving the vessel in advance), - the proportion of chartered tonnage at any time taken on a period (time) basis as opposed to a voyage (single) basis, and the rate at which orders for new vessels reach the shipyards. These factors are extremely variable, and have exhibited a similar form of behaviour for a large number of years. This present thesis describes an attempt to investigate the behaviour of the freight market (bulk cargo); the aim of the investigation being to identify the structure of the market system and to construct a System Dynamics model which describes the complex relationships in the market and which can be used to explore questions relating to present or future market behaviour. The construction of such a model is described, together with an exhaustive chapter on the analysis of the model, covering loop-analysis, the behaviour of the model under various test inputs, and the senstivity of the model to significant changes in parameter values. The final chapter considers the use of the model, and, in particular, describes its use in an investigation of the feasibility or desirability of introducing tonnagestabilization schemes into the market. Such schemes aim to prevent the freight rates from falling to unacceptably low values, by implementing a scheme whereby tonnage is withdrawn from operation and laid-up: the decrease in the supply of tonnage then has a positive influence on the freight rates. It is concluded that the problems involved in designing such schemes preclude the schemes from implementation. The appendices cover the various data used in the determination of market relationships, as well as the computer listing, in Fortran, of the market model. Also included in an appendix is a description of the application of System Dynamics to a hypothetical company. The tcompany model' allows for the examination of chartering policies and lay-up policies under a variety of conditions of market demand.

Främmande organismer i fartygs barlastvatten har med sjöfarten spridits runt världen med förödande konsekvenser. För att reglera denna spridning infördes Barlastvattenkonventionen av IMO, som innebär att fartyg inom en viss tid måste investera i godkända barlastreningssystem. Konventionens implementering har skapat ett visst huvudbry och rederier har ställts inför utmaningen att välja system som passar deras fartyg och fartområden. En kvalitativ intervjustudie genomfördes med representanter från svenska tankrederier för att få en bild av hur de har hanterat konventionen. Vidare undersöktes på vilka beslutsgrunder olika reningstekniker valdes samt hur eventuellt installerade system har levt upp till förväntningar. Intervjustudiens resultat visade att samtliga rederier har påverkats ekonomiskt och upplever problem med att hantera konventionens implementering samt att hitta tillförlitliga barlastreningssystem. En rapport kom även fram under intervjuerna där Saudiarabien hade gjort omfattande provtagningar på fartygs barlastvatten som visade att ett anmärkningsvärt stort antal fartyg med IMO-godkända barlastreningssystem inte klarade utsläppskraven. Intervjustudien indikerar påtagliga brister i barlastreningssystemen som Saudirapporten även bekräftar. / Aquatic invasive species have spread around the world in ships’ ballast water tanks with dire consequences. To regulate this spreading, the International Maritime Organization implemented the Ballast Water Management Convention which forces ships to, within a certain time frame, install approved ballast water treatment systems. The implimentation of the Convention has been complex and shipping companies have had to face challenges of choosing suitable treatment systems for their ships and trading areas. For this study, qualitative interviews were conducted with representatives from Swedish tanker shipping companies to examine how the Convention has affected them. On what grounds different treatment techniques were chosen was also examined, as well as if installed treatment systems have met expectations. Results from the study show that companies have suffered economical impacts, have had difficulties handling the implementation of the Convention as well as difficulties finding reliable treatment systems. Furthermore, one respondent referred to a report submitted by Saudi Arabia where extensive ballast water sampling had been conducted on ships calling their ports. The report showed that a considerable amount of ships with approved ballast water treatment systems did not meet the required levels of organisms in the treated ballast water. The interviews confirm the report’s description of the treatment systems’ fundamental flaws.

Hur sjöfartsnäringsföretag utvecklar sin ledarskapskapacitet är något som inte forskats mycket kring i vetenskaplig litteratur. Företag runt om i världen har investerat 370 miljarder dollar för ledarskap endast under 2021. Dessutom är inte den maritima litteraturen särskilt omfattande gällande ledarskap inom sjöfartsnäringsföretagens landbaserade sektor, något som är kontroversiellt med hänsyn till det omfattande inflytande högre ledning har inom företag. Syftet med detta arbete var att identifiera och beskriva sjöfartsnäringsföretagens perspektiv gällanderelationen mellan ledarskap och management, och vidare deras strategier för att förstärka sin ledarskapskapacitet. Arbetets frågeställningar var 1. Hur upplever sjöfartsnäringsföretag relationen mellan ledarskap och management och vidare, vad av ledarskap och management är det som gör skillnaden i dagens konkurativa marknad enligt intervjuade företags perspektiv och varför? 2. Vilka strategier har sjöfartsnäringsföretag för att utveckla sin ledarskapskapacitet, och vidare, hur implementerar intervjuade företag dessa strategier? Arbetet genomfördes via en kvalitativ fallstudie av fyra utvalda internationella sjöfartsnäringsföretags högsta ledning. Vidare användes semistrukturerade intervjuer för datainsamlingen. Denna studie identifierade betydelsen för sjöfartsnäringsföretag att särskilja mellan management och ledarskap eftersom var och en av dessa tjänar olika syften inom deras organisationer. De intervjuade sjöfartsnäringsföretagen ser dessutom ledarskapsutveckling som en utmanande process som kan hålla dem konkurrenskraftiga. Slutligen så följer sjöfartsnäringsföretag ledarskapsutvecklingsstrategier såsom 360-degree feedback, executive coaching, nätverkande och aktionsinlärning även om det inte är i lika strikt form som ledarskapsforskning föreslår. / How shipping companies develop their leadership is something not studied as much by scholarly literature. Investments in leadership are estimated to 370 billion dollars, for 2021, by companies around the world. Yet, maritime literature is not very extensive regarding the shore-based sector and leadership, something controversial considering influence higher levels have within companies. This study aimed to identify and describe shipping companies’ perspectives on the relationship between leadership and management and their strategies for developing their leadership capacity. This study’s research questions were: 1. How do shipping companies experience the relationship between leadership and management, and in further, which of the two makes the most difference in today’s competitive markets? 2. What are shipping companies’ strategies for developing their leadership capacity, and how do they implement these strategies? A qualitative method for the case study of four selected international shipping companies’ top management was used. Moreover, data was collected via semi-structured interviews. This study found that it is important for shipping companies to distinguish between leadership and management as each serves different purposes within organizations. Moreover, interviewed shipping companies view leadership development as a challenging process but one that can keep them competitive. Finally, shipping companies follow leadership development strategies of 360-degree feedback, executive coaching, networking and action learning although not as strict as leadership research suggests.

The maritime industry is vital to the Swedish trade and economy. Shipping has less environmental impact per ton transported goods than other transport modes. Furthermore, ships use the sea as their roads, thus not requiring additional impact on the environment in the form of building roads or tracks to be able to transport goods or people. The aim of this thesis is to identify the characteristics of the safety management approach and safety management systems (SMS) in five Swedish companies operating in the Swedish shipping industry. It furthermore explores whether a new approach to safety management such as Safety II and resilience engineering can offer a complementary view to the current safety management. The study design of this thesis has been a multiple case study. A literature review has been performed to gain insights into the domain and safety management in the domain in specific. Data has been gathered through semi-structured interviews with 10 respondents working within shipping or crew management companies. Five of the respondents work ashore with safety management and five of the respondents work onboard as Chief Officers or Chief Engineer. Chief Officers as well as Chief Engineers have responsibilities regarding safety for their respective department and thus have management positions within the operations. The results show that the participating companies’ safety management and SMSs are of the reactive kind. There is furthermore a gap between work as imagined, WAI, and work as done, WAD, that affects the suitability of the routines, procedures and equipment used in operations. Complexity of a system is also a contributing factor when it comes to safety management, and in the participating companies, aspects regarding complexity were identified at a regulatory, organisational and operational level. This affects the possibility to create routines and procedures that correspond to the demands, variations and situations encountered in operations. It is suggested in this thesis that a Safety II approach to safety management, along with the use of resilience engineering to develop and enhance the domain’s adaptability, can serve as a complement to the current safety management approach. Being able to adapt, respond and manage various unforeseen situations is a way of ensuring safety in operations even in complex socio-technical systems. The resilience assessment grid, RAG, is suggested as a tool to be developed to be usable in the participating companies. The RAG could serve as a tool to taper the gap between WAI and WAD, as well as to provide input to the development of indicators other than accidents for improving safety. Furthermore, it could also facilitate learning from everyday operations and what is going well – the everyday successes in everyday execution of tasks involved in operations.