Port Congestion and an Operational Guideline to Settle It

Abstract

The paper aims to study in detail the current situation of port congestion in the shipping market globally until the end of 2021. The researcher conducts the empirical research on behalf of the case company – Wärtsilä Finland Oy, who recently experiences the effects of port congestion in the logistic process and strives to seek way to minimize them. The empirical research allows the researcher to investigate the possibility to design an operational guideline in the context of logistics, which helps the users confront the incident more effectively. The principal methodology used in the study is qualitative research. The researcher chooses to conduct semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data, which is the primary data for the research. The practical experiences and opinions of the interviewees on the topic play a significant role in the data analysis process, since they truly reflect the reality of the circumstance and the original points of view of the filed experts. In addition, secondary data are gathered to support the analysis of the primary data. The final results of the research consist of the assessment of the characteristics of port congestion and a tangible solution – a guideline – along with the assumption of the interviewees on it. After the study, it is expected that the common understanding of this universal issue is well-established among the stake holders being involved in the relevant logistic process. Moreover, the possibility to construct such operational guideline is assessed because it most likely helps the business parties reduce the impacts of port congestion on operational activities. In conclusion, the research should primarily provide the case company and its stakeholders a clear prospect of port congestion as a phenomenon and what could be possibly done to future-proof their business processes.