SYNTHESIS OF THE FLEET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM SMALL SHIPPING COMPANY

Within the framework of the methodological support being developed for the planning and management of the fleet of a small shipping company, the task of synthesizing a management system has been solved. The structure and parameters of the system are determined based on the specified requirements for the conditions of its operation, as well as ways to ensure the goals of the functioning of the fleet management system of a small shipping company. The concept of a small, medium or large shipping company is defined by the number of vessels under operational management. It is noted that due to the variability of the economic situation in the transportation market in modern market conditions, permanent "rigid" connections between the elements of the transport system are not formed and the problem of coordinating the work of these elements exists only at the level of operational planning and regulation for small shipping companies. Therefore, it is necessary and sufficient to limit the system under study to the framework of flight planning. The fleet management system at this level in trump shipping traditionally consists of two consecutive subprocesses: the formation of vessel traffic patterns and the assignment of specific vessels to these schemes. The main result of the study is that a new management system structure was formed on the basis of a system analysis of processes in the conditions of working with a small fleet and identified addition-al tasks and requirements for the system. Distinctive features of the new structure from the prototype: the process of arranging transport vessels has been replaced by the process of determining the optimal composition of the leased fleet; two auxiliary subprocesses have been added to manage additional operations if necessary to unload cargo on an unequipped shore.

China will continue Greek investments despite pushback

Significance Unionised workers have staged several industrial actions against the port’s Chinese owners, the China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO). The recent death of an employee has raised again concerns about working conditions. There are concerns more widely about the Chinese giant’s impact on the local business and marine environments, and whether it honours its agreements. Impacts The current centre-right government will have less cordial relations with China than its left-wing predecessor. Amid its disputes with COSCO over its investment agreement, Athens will strive to portray Greece as a safe place for foreign investors. COSCO will endeavour to improve its image locally by proclaiming environmental initiatives and supporting charities.

A BPM-based framework for the impact assessment of blockchain to the midstream LNG supply chain

PurposeThe current study addresses how blockchain can deal with the challenges that the midstream liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply chain poses combined from a management standpoint. Such challenges are: the volume of transactions, communication hurdles and the lack of contemporary management tools. The paper proposes a comprehensive framework to assess the impact of blockchain implementation in the midstream LNG supply chain in order to tackle those barriers.Design/methodology/approachThe basis of the research is the business process modelling (BPM), through which entities, roles, tasks, resources and transactions can be modelled and simulated. The modelling of the midstream LNG supply chain, via BPM, is based on guidelines of the Society of International Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators (SIGGTO) and common industry business models. A quantitative analysis is employed to support the motivation and the potential impact of blockchain implementation. The methodology is used to identify (1) inefficiencies related to large volume of transactions between stakeholders and (2) critical areas of an LNG shipping company, where blockchain can be implemented.FindingsProcess repeatability, numerous shared documentation forms, excessive paperwork and communication imbroglios are mapped from the modelling section. Up to 327 processes are repeated during a typical vessel voyage, and up to 122 shared documentation forms are exchanged. Excessive paperwork and communication imbroglios are tracked through, which correspond to 25 severe errors as detected. By implementing the methodology, stakeholders can quantify the possible impact of blockchain on the operational performance of each stakeholder's operations separately and the supply chain as a whole in terms of real-time monitoring, transparency and paperwork reduction, time and cost savings.Research limitations/implicationsThe research has certain limitations deriving from its conceptual nature. The business processes' modelling is based on standard procedures described in the guidelines by SIGGTO and may need further adjustment for specific use cases. A structured case study has not been realisable as corporate data for an LNG shipping company regarding processes and other commercial sensitive information are required.Practical implicationsPotential practitioners may exploit the proposed framework as a low cost and seamless tool to evaluate how blockchain could disrupt their operations. Thus, the blockchain implementation's improvements or weaknesses can be pinpointed, and enabling the interested stakeholder of the LNG supply chain with specific feedback, it can guide them towards informed decisions on their operations.Originality/valueThe research has a novel approach as it combines the creation of practical management framework, with a comprehensive visualization of the midstream LNG supply chain. Thus, the reader can identify in which parts of the midstream LNG supply chain can blockchain be implemented, and what impact it could have in terms of supply chain operations.

Employee Job Satisfaction and Organizational Performance on the National Shipping Company

This study aims to determine and analyze the contribution of transformational leadership styles and organization policy on employee job satisfaction which has implications for organizational performance in the Athamara Group. Some of the problems on Athamara Group as one of the national shipping company in Indonesia, namely, the level of employee job satisfaction and organizational performance is still low. The research sampling technique used a saturated sample of 102 people. Descriptive statistical analysis and path analysis were used as the analysis method. The results of this study are from seven proposed hypotheses, six of which are accepted and one of the hypotheses have no significant effect on organizational performance. The indirect contribution of transformational leadership style to organizational performance is through employee job satisfaction, although employee job satisfaction has no significant contribution on organizational performance. Finally, organizational policy has an indirect contribution on organizational performance through employee job satisfaction. The indirect contribution of organizational policy to organizational performance is through employee job satisfaction, although employee job satisfaction has no significant contribution on organizational performance. The key funding, that transformational leaders will convey organizational policy properly and appropriately, so that they are easily understood and implemented by employees. Keywords: Employee Job Satisfaction; Organization Performance, Organizational Policy; Transformational Leadership Style; National Shipping Company.

The grim realities of a ship hijacking in the Gulf of Guinea

This article is a distillation of the dissertation submitted for the author’s MSc in Maritime Operations and Management at City, University of London, submitted in 2019. In the summer of 2019, a Bulk Carrier of 22,000GT with a complement of 21 crew members was at anchor within the territorial waters of a Gulf of Guinea coastal state, 2.5 n.m. from the breakwater entrance to the port, awaiting daylight so the ship could enter the port and commence the discharge of its cargo. At midnight with all the regular security measures in force for the anchorage area, a group of armed men boarded the ship and proceeded to kidnap nine seamen. The kidnappers abducted the nine-crew comprising the ship’s Master, Chief Engineer, Third Officer, Third Engineer, Chief Cook, and four ratings, all of them Filipinos. It was later proven the kidnappers came from a neighbouring state, and during their captivity, the nine men were held on a small island off the borders of the two states. All parties concerned were informed of the incident, and a company specialised in negotiating was appointed. The nine hostages were finally released after 41 days in captivity. Piracy affects shipping for centuries, with some periods of peace. It has returned more robust and aggressive, profoundly affecting shipping in specific geographical areas, exposing maritime trade and the seafarers’ lives in danger. From 2008 to 2012, piracy off the coast of East Africa drew the attention of the global community. The measures taken have suppressed piracy, and the incidents have dramatically reduced. On the other hand, piracy and kidnapping incidents in the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa have risen over the past years. The global community seems to tolerate the insecurity in the area, and only a few measures by the European Union and the United States have been introduced. The regional countries have announced measures, so did the continental African Union organisation and some local states individually, but all these efforts seem to be un-synchronised, and the actions of one party disorientate the others. The causation of piracy is not at sea: it is ashore. The spotlights of the initiatives should focus on the mainland. The global community has the expertise, experience, and mechanisms to fight this ancient crime. Both the academic and maritime communities have numerous papers about countering piracy, but none that the author has found is based on the details of one incident; they tend to focus on theoretical aspects. The author, being a permanent member of the Crisis Management Team of a shipping company, endured the hijacking of a vessel under its management in the Gulf of Guinea, and part of the vessel’s crew was taken hostage and moved ashore into the criminals’ hideout. It then became a race against time involving specialised negotiators, the P&I Club of the ship, and a PMSC to negotiate the ransom and its delivery and release of the crew as quickly as possible. Apart from the first-hand experience of being part of the Crisis Management Team for more than 40-days and nights of a ship hijacking and hostage negotiation process, the author has researched the background widely to piracy and specifically its impact in West Africa. He interviewed members of the crew held hostage and spoken with experts in the field. The principal reason for writing the dissertation and this article was to share the experiences and insights of a hijacking in the Gulf of Guinea, from the perspective of a shipping company with ships visiting the Gulf of Guinea on a regular basis, so that others may learn from the experiences and hopefully prepare seafarers more effectively for this maritime peril.