Maritime Transport and Supply Chain Resilience

This chapter sets the scene for this book. By defining resilience in maritime transport and supply chains as planning and preparing for changes, and absorbing, recovering from, and adapting to such changes in maritime transport and supply chains, it explains how global development in the past decades has highlighted the importance of investigating maritime transport and supply chain resilience nowadays. Also, it offers a brief introduction to the structure of this book, including different chapters.

This chapter dissects the climate adaptation strategies and planning of maritime transport and supply chains. The study of maritime resilience primarily has its roots on the attention to the mitigation and adaptation to climate change impacts to maritime transport and supply chains. Indeed, maritime transport and supply chains are exposed to the vulnerability of climate change, mainly because of their location, including low-lying areas, coastal zones, and deltas. While there is increasing research on climate adaptation strategies and planning of ports, hitherto, there is a lack of works that explain how scholars address the topic from different theoretical angles. This chapter conducts the discussion from four theoretical angles, namely institutional system, path dependence, supply chain risk management, and stakeholder management. It is a germane reminder to stakeholders that effective climate adaptation is not limited to engineering technicalities but is an ideological issue that requires a fundamental shift in the existing political, economic, and social paradigms.

Maritime transportation makes significant contribution to economic prosperity and suffers much from various risks, including classical (e.g. ship collisions) and emerging ones such as those relating to climate change risks (e.g. flooding, heatwaves, storms). Data uncertainty represents an important challenge for safety science in general climate risk analysis in specific given the insufficiency of historical failure data, compared to classical risks. Broadly data uncertainty is categorised into three groups: fuzziness, incompleteness and randomness, hence triggers risk studies using the uncertainty theories such as fuzzy logic, Dempster-Shafer (D-S) theory of evidence and Bayesian probabilistic inference. This chapter aim is to introduce the newest study on the development of climate risk modelling using the three uncertainty theories, individually and collectively within the maritime transport context. It will help understand the state of the art of the relevant research and inspire new ideas.

This chapter delves into the central position and resilience of China’s major ports in the global shipping network under the influence of typhoons. This study focuses on the ports of Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Qinzhou and analyses their network centrality and resilience through a comprehensive evaluation framework. In terms of centrality evaluation, a shipping network was constructed using UCINET software, and two new dimensions, feature vector centrality and core edge analysis, were introduced based on conventional evaluation dimensions to improve the accuracy and completeness of analysing the importance of ports in the shipping network. In terms of resilience assessment, a port resilience evaluation index system was constructed, and research methods such as analytic hierarchy process (AHP), entropy weight method, and TOPSIS method were used to evaluate the port’s ability to resist typhoon interference. Research has shown that the five sample ports rank high in centrality within the constructed shipping network. Among them, Shanghai Port maintains a dominant position in global shipping and is crucial for global trade and regional economic prosperity.

This chapter discusses the building of resilient maritime transport and supply chain networks in the Yangtze River Delta in China. With the intensification of global climate change and the frequent occurrence of natural disasters, the resilience of ports, as crucial nodes in the global supply chain, has become extremely important. The Yangtze River Delta is one of the most economically active regions in China, and ports such as Shanghai Port and Ningbo Zhoushan Port play significant roles in trade. However, in recent years, the frequent occurrence of extreme weather events has brought great challenges and numerous risks to the port trade in the Yangtze River Delta region, which also indirectly affects the stable operation of the global supply chain. Therefore, this paper takes the coastal ports in the Yangtze River Delta as the research object, adopts the risk assessment method based on an index system, and applies the matter-element extension risk assessment model to analyze the impacts of two representative extreme meteorological disasters, namely tropical cyclones and storm surges, on the infrastructure and operation of coastal ports in the Yangtze River Delta region, quantify the risk levels of extreme meteorological disasters in ports, analyze the influence degree of each area of the ports when suffering from extreme meteorological disasters, and propose strategies to improve resilience based on the results, providing support for ensuring the safe operation of the supply chain.

ASEAN countries’ maritime transport and supply chain networks are critical to global trade and tourism, yet they face increasing challenges from climate change, geopolitical shifts, and pandemic-induced disruptions. This chapter focuses on rebuilding resilience in ASEAN’s maritime systems by examining key ports such as Singapore, Port Klang, and Ho Chi Minh City, which play diverse roles within the region’s interconnected network. Using a case study on the ASEAN cruise port network, the chapter introduces a vulnerability assessment framework that leverages social network analysis (SNA) and centrality measures, augmented with a COVID−19 Performance Index (CPI), to evaluate port-level and network-level impacts of local disruptions. Comparative analyses of pre-and post-pandemic periods reveal shifts in port rankings and network efficiency, highlighting the resilience of major hubs like Singapore while exposing vulnerabilities in smaller ports. The chapter concludes with actionable policy recommendations, including climate-adaptive infrastructure, digitalisation and regional collaboration, to enhance the resilience of ASEAN’s maritime transport and supply chain networks in the face of global uncertainties. The findings contribute to the discourse on sustainable maritime systems and inform strategies for fostering resilience in similar regions globally.

This book chapter explores how cloud-based blockchain technology for vaccine supply chain applications can be technically sustainable in the Greater Bay Area. To explore the technical sustainability, the user’s intention to adopt the cloud-based blockchain for vaccine supply chain applications has to be proposed, especially at this infancy stage of implementing the supply chain applications using such a new blockchain technology. For this exploration of technical sustainability, the integration of the models of Task-Technology Fit and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is used. The significance of the book chapter is twofold. First, there is a trend of adopting this new blockchain technology in supply chains around the world for the main reason that the blockchain features present promising opportunities for improvement across the supply chain operations around the world. This proposed study investigates this important issue of sustainable development of blockchain technology for vaccine supply chain applications in the Greater Bay Area in order to understand the feasibility of adopting blockchain technology in supply chains in the Greater Bay Area to cope with the trend in the world. For this investigation, a new and more appropriate model by integrating Task-Technology Fit and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is adopted. Second, while previous studies suggested and reported sustainable practices of applying blockchain technology in supply chains in many countries around the world, how these practices apply to the Greater Bay Area has not been thoroughly explored in the literature. This proposed study targets to fill this gap by exploring technical sustainable practices.

This chapter discusses the complexity of adaptation strategies for maritime transport. Maritime transport systems face increasing complexity in adapting to global challenges, including climate change, pandemics, and geopolitical tensions like war. It examines the adaptation strategies of UK ports, focusing on specific climate risks, including rising sea levels, extreme weather, and shifting trade patterns, and corresponding resilience measures, such as coastal defences, green technologies, and flexible port management. It also explores public responses to logistical needs during global disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic and war outbreaks, highlighting evolving demands for essential supplies and reconstruction logistics. This chapter addresses the complexities of climate and global events and provides actionable insights to sustain maritime operations and supply chains in an increasingly uncertain world.

Effective mitigation of pandemic challenges, such as COVID-19, is a key issue that impacts human lives. Urban, economic, and social activities involve supply chains, meaning that developing resilient supply chains is essential for prosperity. There is a scarcity of knowledge on how the supply chain system can adapt to large-scale pandemic outbreaks under a lockdown policy. Focusing on COVID-19, the book chapter aims to develop effective supply chain planning and solutions against pandemic outbreaks. The key objectives are therefore: (1) to investigate how individuals with different characteristics (e.g. age, locations, jobs) perceive and react to lockdown policy in tackling the pandemic; (2) to investigate how the general public responds to the different logistical needs in pandemic outbursts at different stages; (3) to identify ways that can facilitate the transfer of lockdown policies to cities and countries; and (4) to develop policies and a supporting framework for pandemic supply chain planning under lockdown policy.

This chapter provides a historical case on the impacts of a pandemic on the resilience of supply chains and economies, namely the case of COVID-19 in Manitoba, Canada. The effects of COVID-19 on the for-profit sectors in Canada have been remarkable, as evidenced by the increasing number of businesses filing cases for bankruptcy and high unemployment rates. Among the Canadian provinces, Manitoba has the highest rate of COVID-19 confirmed cases across Canada. As such, this chapter investigates the key aspects of Manitoba, including Canada’s and Manitoba’s COVID-19 pandemic-related laws, panic buying, and border closure with the United States and other Canadian provinces during the pandemic era. Some lessons on possible strategies and opportunities to revitalize Manitoba, and indeed other similar cases in the future, during the post pandemic era, are provided, including enhancing the resilience of supply chains. The Manitoban experience could be a valuable illustrative exposition for other regions in handling similar crisis.

This chapter provides the best practices and guidelines for resilient maritime transport and supply chains. It synthesises successful stories and practical insights for designing and implementing resilient maritime transport and supply chains in an era defined by climate change, geopolitical uncertainties, and post-pandemic recovery. Also, it highlights strategies that have successfully enhanced operational robustness, reduced vulnerabilities, and sustained global trade flows by analysing real-world examples. It introduces an integral resilience model to guide the development of new systems, winning strategies, and informed decision-making for resilience building. These frameworks prioritise adaptability, collaboration, and innovation, offering actionable guidelines for stakeholders to navigate the challenges of a dynamic global environment. Finally, it concludes with a comprehensive book summary, consolidating its key findings and providing a cohesive road map for advancing sustainable and resilient maritime systems worldwide.