A decision model on the repair and maintenance of shipping containers

Abstract

The use of shipping containers for the transport of goods has become indispensable and a crucial factor for globalization by providing inexpensive and safe transport opportunities. It is expected that the number of globally operating containers will increase in the near future. Despite a high technical modernisation of the logistic chain, the container still faces a risk of damage at any time and any place within the transport chain. In principle, a container is taken out of service, when a damage is recognized. Different causes of damage exist and various types of damage could occur to the container, ranging from minor to substantial major ones that do not permit the continued proper use of the container. Thus, an individual decision on repair and maintenance (R&M) for each damaged container is necessary. Aside from technical aspects, it has to be decided from an economical perspective whether a repair should be performed. A profound decision should consider various criteria like, e.g., repair costs, lifespan of the container, future yields and possible sales price. Based on a regulatory, practical, and scientific view, this paper proposes a multi-criteria decision model for the economic decision on the R&M of a damaged container. Implemented in Microsoft Excel, this decision model is easily applicable. The user can deduce a first (limited) guidance for dealing with a respective damaged container based on its current state and general market conditions.

Detecting Shipping Container Impacts with Vertical Cell Guides inside Container Ships during Handling Operations

“…If the inspection of the ship is performed regularly, the risk of vertical cell guide damage caused by containers in the later transportation process can be avoided. However, this detection method is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and places high demands on specialized personnel working aboard the ships [ 6 ]. Many researchers are studying methods and developing complex sensory systems [ 7 ] to assist or replace manual infrastructure inspection aboard ships, including optical devices, laser scanners, etc.…”

The impact of covid-19 on shipping industry studying economic factors

“…They caused an important imbalance between imports and exports (Bryson, 2020) Regarding the effects on maritime shipping industry, it is important to underscore the relevance of maritime traffic lines in international trade. Approximately 90% of international trade is carried out by maritime transport (Meng and Yuu Lee, 2015;Hoffmann et al, 2020;Lind et al, 2021;Mahpour et al, 2021). In this globalised context, ocean transportation has also been affected by pandemic, as well as, port activities.…”

“…It also determined a reduction of loading and unloading time of vessels at ports and therefore, a cutdown in labour costs. One of the most important advantages of containerized traffic, apart from raising up efficiency, is that they were introduced as a stronger tool to protect exported and imported products in maritime market (Hoffmann et al 2020).…”

“…The response of countries followed the same pattern as Chinese protocols: lockdowns of factories, mobility restrictions (it was only allowed the movement toward job positions) and total confinement to stop pandemic spill over. Regarding maritime sector, European and American ports started receiving inbound containers from China, however, shipping industry was totally locked and containers could not be returned to China (Akyurek and Bolat, 2020;Hoffmann et al, 2020;Notteboom et al, 2020;van Tatenhove, 2021;Arican et al, 2021).…”

Toward a behavioral approach of international shipping: a study of the inter-organisational dynamics of maritime safety

“…Nevertheless, it remains very understudied in Management Sciences (Lissillour et al, 2019), and recent studies urge future research to focus on the inter-organisational aspects of maritime safety (Dominguez-Péry et al, 2021). Furthermore, whereas prior research focused on decision models based on a rational decision-making approach (Hoffmann et al, 2020;Rahman et al, 2016), this research use behaviourism to understand better stakeholders' complexity, their power relationships, leadership, conflict and cooperation maintained with their market, in a duality oscillating between regulatory actions and competitive behaviour.…”