No abstract

No abstract

PrefaceAs international trade continues to grow rapidly and supply chains become more globalized, many operations have been outsourced and moved offshore. About 90 % of the international trade volume was facilitated by ocean transportation. If we assume that half of China's exports by value in 2013 were moved by ocean transport and on average it takes one month for the goods to reach the consignee, then about 85B$ 1 worth of goods would have been caught up during the transportation. Due to environmental and bunker cost considerations, international air cargo transport has been reduced from 3.1 % in 2010 to 1.7 % in 2013 2 , with a shift towards more economic transportation modes, especially ocean transport. Hence, ocean transport logistics has played a very significant role in global supply chains.Although ocean transport logistics has been well studied in maritime economics and operations research/management science, many important issues have yet to receive the attention they deserve. In this book, we reveal the interaction among parties along the chain, including shippers, terminal operators and line carriers. We examine the impact of ocean transport logistics on global supply chains and address many important topics to shed new light on the subject. This book is organized into three parts. The first part talks about the innovative development of terminal operators and the competition they face. The second part delves into the many tactical and operational aspects of managing shipping liners, including empty container repositioning, disruption management, slow steaming, bunker purchasing, ship route schedule, and transport network design, and evaluates their corresponding challenges and opportunities. The third part studies the impact of ocean logistics transport on global supply chains. The 18 chapters of the book all highlight the immediate effect of ocean transport logistics on global supply chains.