Cooperation between Vessel Service Providers for Port Call Performance Improvement

Abstract

Ports are vital for maritime logistics. With the growth of maritime traffic, ports, and their actor organizations have faced rising pressure. Improving port call performance, to accommodate more vessels in shorter times, is now on top of the agenda for many ports. The performance of ports in offering their vessels services can improve by developing cooperative relationships between the vessel service providers. Service providers can engage in cooperative relationships, share information regarding their resources' availability, and adjust their initial plans. Such synchronization can create a seamless sequence of services, shorten the vessel’s waiting times and eventually improve the port call performance. Despite the strong aspiration for this improvement, progress is still slow worldwide.
This thesis discusses that a crucial missing piece for the advancement of cooperation in ports is the perspective of service providers. The existing literature, generally, points out the benefits of cooperation for the port as a whole, assuming that the port service providers would cooperate if it benefits the whole port, regardless of the benefits for the cooperating parties. However, in major ports today, port services are offered by self-governed organizations each of which has its own goals. As these organizations run their own business and have their own resources and characteristics, they are likely to avoid actions and decisions that are not in line with their business, even if collective benefits exist. Therefore, considering the service providers’ perspectives when designing mutually beneficial cooperation strategies is crucial. To this end, this thesis aims to improve port call performance through cooperation among service providers, considering the perspectives of both vessels and service providers....