Security management in maritime supply chain - The case of liner shipping companies

Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, monitoring on container shipping transportation has been strengthened under the international regulations. The shipping operators are required not only to pay more attention to the "safety operations and environmental protection" in their ship navigation and shipment transportation but also to well implement the "security" management at all times following the new regulations, the "International Ship and Port Facility Security Code" (ISPS Code), Container Security Initiative (CSI) and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) etc. The aim of this study is to explore how international liner shipping companies respond to the increasingly strict international security requirements to ensure the security of the maritime supply chains. Meanwhile, it also tries to find appropriate strategic responses for shipping liners to achieve high performance. This study first brief reviews the contents of new international regulations and depict their coverage and overlap. Then analyze the responsive strategic actions of container shipping liners. After interviewing senior operators and professionals in shipping industry, we get conclusions of strategic responses for shipping companies. This study propose four strategic responses to deal with the new international maritime regulations, that is "quality management approach", "adoption of high-tech applications", "effective cooperation and communication", and "create maritime security culture" to ensure the "people security," "cargo security," and "Vessel security", within whole maritime supply chain.