Maritime Business Review

Purpose This paper investigates the mediated-moderation roles of adhocracy culture (ADC) and business ecosystem learning between user experience (UX) and continuous use of block-chain technologies (CUBT) among freight firms in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach A stratified sampling technique was used in the selection of 327 employees of freight firms. This paper employs regression analysis to examine the hypothesized paths. Findings The findings show that ADC moderates the partially mediated role of the business ecosystem between technology UX and CUBT. Research limitations/implications Based on the cross-sectional design adopted, the study findings do not reflect the changing dynamics of employees of freight firms over a long period of time in Ghana. Originality/value This research is one of the first in maritime transport literature to explore the relevance of BCT among freight firms in an emerging economy.

Stewart Selase Hevi

User experience and continuous use of block-chain technologies among freight forwarding firms in Ghana: a mediated-moderation model

加纳货运代理公司区块链技术的用户体验与持续使用：一个中介调节模型

Purpose This study classifies and estimates safety costs in Arctic shipping. Design/methodology/approach Based on the literature review, the paper details shipping prevention costs into five categories (infrastructure and facilities, measures, technologies, personnel and management) and groups marine accidents into injury and death, property damage, environmental damage and others. Findings The proposed classification and estimation allow for a comparison of prevention costs and accident expenses. Estimating safety expenses in the Arctic presents challenges, such as data inadequacies. However, the method has been tested with data provided by an Arctic ship operator. Practical implications Thus, shipping companies can verify the effectiveness of their investments and reorientate whenever necessary, becoming a decision-support system to best allocate safety investments. Combined with company safety performance, the tool can help identify the safety areas requiring enhanced attention. Originality/value This paper presents the first classification and a tool to assess safety costs in relation to Arctic shipping, potentially supporting safety investment decisions.

Junjie Wan

Raphael Baumler

Safety costs in Arctic shipping: a proposal classification and estimation

北极航运安全成本：分类与估算方案

Purpose Advancements in enhancing regional port connectivity are crucial to fostering global maritime transport. The objective of this paper is to explore the complex relationship between infrastructure connectivity and the regional port of Thailand, specifically within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Design/methodology/approach This paper utilised fuzzy logic in exploratory factor analysis and introduced a new factor based on shipping networks, port operations, trade and emerging innovations. This can enhance the regional port and facilitate infrastructure connectivity in the RCEP. The results of this study have been successfully applied in specific contexts involving port authorities and private shipping companies. Findings The study’s findings indicate key factors for enhancing regional ports in Thailand. These factors include integrating connectivity, creating spare hubs, addressing service issues, optimising logistics and supply chains, considering market components and leveraging the digital market. These factors are also crucial for promoting infrastructure connectivity within the RCEP framework. Originality/value This research presents a strategic framework for enhancing regional ports in Thailand and improving international infrastructure. This is the first attempt to examine the influence of infrastructure connectivity on regional ports by applying fuzzy exploratory factor analysis to modernise infrastructure, which is key to unlocking the region’s maritime potential.

Narthsirinth Netirith

Mingjun Ji

Strategic enhancement infrastructure connectivity: a fuzzy exploratory factors analysis in Thailand’s regional ports within the RCEP framework

战略提升基础设施连通性：在RCEP框架下泰国区域港口的模糊探索性因素分析

Purpose This paper treats the problem of scheduling seafaring staff inspired from a real case study, where the shipowner operates several vessel categories that require specific skills aiming to achieve a fair workload distribution and minimizing incompatibility between workers while meeting legal constraints, including requirements for days off and rest intervals between shifts. Design/methodology/approach A mixed integer linear problem (MILP) formulation has been built to address the seafaring staff scheduling problem by integrating multiple objectives and constraints. The model’s performance is tested through experimental results across varying parameter adjustments. Findings Our model was tested and validated using the XPRESS solver, and the results demonstrate its effectiveness in meeting the specified objectives and constraints. Notably, findings reveal that increasing the number of qualified workers leads to improved gains, until a certain threshold. Additionally, expanding the size of the workforce can result in longer execution times, specifically when incompatibility increases. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in proposing a generic novel model that deals with maritime staff scheduling, incorporating worker incompatibilities and workload fairness as key objectives.

Marwa Ben Moallem

Ayoub Tighazoui

Remy Houssin

Mohamed Haykal Ammar

Diala Dhouib

Amadou Coulibaly

An MILP model for workload fairness and incompatibility in seafaring staff scheduling problem

海员排班问题中的工作量公平性与不相容性的MILP模型

Purpose In Tunisia, foreign commercial exchanges are predominantly maintained via ocean freight and accomplished through eight major ports. The latter play a critical role in the Tunisian economy, whereby nearly 30.7 million tons of goods were transited in 2018. Maintaining their efficiency therefore remains a very important objective to achieve. In this context, the present study is designed to investigate the Tunisian ports respective technical efficiency over the 16-year period (2005–2020). Design/methodology/approach The stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) method is applied to measure the associated time-invariant and time-varying technical efficiency. Moreover, through technical inefficiency modeling, effects of both rail connectivity and private sector participation in handling activities on technical efficiency have also been accounted for. Findings The reached results turn out to reveal well that the Tunisian ports appear to operate below their production frontier, noticeably marked by persistent technical inefficiency. Additionally, the relevant estimates tend to confirm the berth variable associated importance in highlighting production related to Tunisian ports. More particularly, our analysis reveals that the private sector’s participation proves to display a significantly negative association with technical efficiency, while the ports’ rail connectivity turns out to demonstrate a significantly positive correlation with technical efficiency. Practical implications The findings of this study can provide port authorities and policymakers with insights into the technical efficiency of Tunisian ports by identifying best practices, the main factors influencing their efficiency (such as rail connectivity and private sector’s participation) and areas for improvement in these ports. Originality/value The present study stands as a pioneering attempt to examine the efficiency dimension through the implementation of panel data estimation modeling frameworks, particularly the random-effects and the Battese and Coelli (1995) approaches, applied to measure the technical efficiency of the Tunisian port sector. Similarly, the present study also represents an effective attempt, whereby the effects of exogenous variables, notably the rail connectivity and private sector participation, are thoroughly considered in exploring the technical efficiency of Tunisian ports.

Mohsen Ben Mabrouk

Sami Hammami

Mohamed Nejib Ouertani

Measuring the time-invariant and time-varying technical efficiency of ports in Tunisia: a stochastic frontier analysis

测量突尼斯港口的时间不变和技术效率的时间变化：一种随机前沿分析

Purpose Asia is one of the most important economic regions of the world. The Kra Canal is considered as a potential maritime transportation node in global trade. Indeed, for centuries, a canal across the Kra isthmus in Thailand has been proposed as holding significant economic and logistical benefits through goods transfer and exchange, yet it remains unconstructed. Common tools in feasibility studies are PESTELE and SWOT analyses, which incorporate cost-benefit and value analyses. The purpose of this paper is to assess the feasibility of the Kra Canal using approaches to complement existing studies. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, we combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies to holistically assess the feasibility of the Kra Canal. Quantitatively, we consider the economic feasibility of the canal using Net Present Value to evaluate its potential financial benefits. Qualitatively, we then present expert perspectives gathered from in-depth interviews with field experts ( n = 20) to identify key aspects of complexity related to the economic, political and overall feasibility of the canal. Findings We discuss the possibility of the canal’s construction and describe possible future impacts the canal could have on the region geopolitically, for example, in its role in China’s One Belt One Road initiative and also in how Singapore and Tanjung Pelapas in Malaysia might react. Ultimately, we find significant complexities with the Kra Canal project, ones which anyone contemplating its construction would, we argue, be wise to consider. Originality/value This paper combined qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the economic, political and overall feasibility of the Kra Canal. The methodologies and findings supplement past relevant studies and help evaluate the economic, political and overall feasibility of the Kra Canal’s investment project. This is particularly timely considering its potential ability as a route given recent geopolitical events and, for example, as part of China’s Belt and Road initiative and its ability to reduce carbon and sulphur emissions.

Po-Hsing Tseng

Nick Pilcher

Thailand’s Kra Canal: economic feasibility and expert perspectives on its complexity

泰国克拉运河：经济可行性与专家视角下的复杂性

Abbreviation	Marit. Bus. Rev.
Journal Impact	2.08
Quartiles(Global)	TRANSPORTATION(Q3)

ISSN	2397-3757, 2397-3765
h-index	17

Publication Information	Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.，Publishing cycle: ，Journal Type: journal，Open Access Journals: No
Basic data	Year of publication: 2016，Proportion of original research papers: 0.00%，Self Citation Rate:5.00%， Gold OA Rate: 95.65%

Maritime Business Review

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User experience and continuous use of block-chain technologies among freight forwarding firms in Ghana: a mediated-moderation model

Safety costs in Arctic shipping: a proposal classification and estimation

Strategic enhancement infrastructure connectivity: a fuzzy exploratory factors analysis in Thailand’s regional ports within the RCEP framework

An MILP model for workload fairness and incompatibility in seafaring staff scheduling problem

Measuring the time-invariant and time-varying technical efficiency of ports in Tunisia: a stochastic frontier analysis

User experience and continuous use of block-chain technologies among freight forwarding firms in Ghana: a mediated-moderation model

Safety costs in Arctic shipping: a proposal classification and estimation

An MILP model for workload fairness and incompatibility in seafaring staff scheduling problem

Strategic enhancement infrastructure connectivity: a fuzzy exploratory factors analysis in Thailand’s regional ports within the RCEP framework

Thailand’s Kra Canal: economic feasibility and expert perspectives on its complexity