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Resilient route selection for oversized cargoes, one of the general bulk cargoes, has not been adequately optimized in terms of using the Arctic route. This study solves the problem of selecting the optimal shipping routes for oversized cargoes from Busan (South Korea) to Balkhash (Kazakhstan).

The study used the consistent fuzzy preference relation (CFPR) method, which is used to solve multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and uncertainty problems, to tackle the route selection. This method involves three procedures: first, the critical factors and alternative routes were obtained by the previous literature and an in-depth interview of experts of oversized cargo-handling with more than 20 years of working experience; second, the weightings for each critical factor were identified using the CFPR calculation process and third, alternative routes were evaluated using weighted critical factors.

The Northern Sea Route (NSR) combined with the inland waterways of Russia and Kazakhstan was first suggested for bulk carriers that handle oversized cargoes. The NSR could be a suitable route from Busan to Cape Kamenny of the Russian transshipment seaport, where oversized cargoes will be transferred to the river barge at Cape Kamenny, covering 4,913 km from the latter to Balkhash of Kazakhstan via the Ob/Irtysh River.

This study equips stakeholders in route selection for cargoes with strategies and methods to improve transportation efficiently and enhance shipping routes between Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In addition to oversized cargoes, coal and timber from Russia can be transported to Asia using inland waterways and the NSR, which can also be used to transport plant equipment for petroleum refineries among Asian countries.

This is the first study to evaluate the suitability of the Artic route for oversized cargoes from South Korea to Kazakhstan. It provides a comprehensive evaluation framework of multimodal shipping routes and offers references for decision-makers when dealing with similar problems.

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to measuring container port competitiveness, a key but neglected element of channel management in a complex and dynamic logistics environment underpinned by commercial confidence and trust in European supply chains fed with goods from container ports in Northeast Asia.

This study applies a fuzzy methodology to measure port competitiveness based on the expert judgements of logisticians. It applies a trapezoidal fuzzy number to measure their perceptions. The method accepts a linguistic expression of their judgements of five of the world's top six container ports in terms of container through‐puts, including Hong Kong, Busan, Shanghai, Kaohsuing, Shenzhen. Qindao ranked 16th and Tokyo ranked 20th were also analyzed.

Hong Kong achieved the highest score on port service but on hinterland conditions Shanghai scored highest and Busan the lowest. Hong Kong topped the ratings on the availability factor and the convenience factor, but scored the lowest on logistics cost.

This research reports the factors which influence container port competitiveness in Northeast Asia and provides a structure for measuring them. The approach offers a unique insight for stakeholders and logisticians seeking to develop more effective channel management strategies.

Managing container shipping logistics requires people with good competencies, especially in the time of new challenges. The purpose of this paper is to validate a new framework of competencies for container shipping logistics professionals.

The competency framework was proposed through a comprehensive literature review process followed by in-depth interviews with senior maritime logistics executives both in Singapore and South Korea. It contains three groups of business-, logistics- and management-related competencies, with each group further being classified into generalist and maritime-specific skills and knowledge. A confirmatory survey was also conducted in both countries. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software and thematic analysis technique.

It was found that all competencies proposed in this framework are important and perceived to contribute to work performance of container shipping logisticians. Findings also revealed that those competencies related to management are more important and can contribute to work performance of container shipping logisticians more than those of logistics and business nature.

The proposed and validated framework is original as it is the first framework for container shipping logisticians. This lays the background for future research on competency-based education and training programs for logisticians in container shipping logistics and other sectors of the maritime supply chain. Findings of this research can help senior management identify important competencies which are critical for container shipping logisticians to acquire, and design subsequent training and education programs accordingly.

The third-party logistics (3PL) provider has faced significant change since containerisation with the broadening scope of supply chains and technological developments. With these changes, the required supply chain skills discussions have covered mostly graduate skills or employees' skills with a limited discussion to what extent and whether senior management skills were changing. Hence, 3PL senior management skill requirements will be compiled based on existing studies and assessed to check whether these are still relevant and if so to what extent for today's 3PL senior managers.

A questionnaire has been devised based on 3PL senior management skills identified in the academic literature and sent out to senior managers via professional social networks of 3PL. Based on the previous literature, the senior managers selected had to fulfil the selection criteria of a minimum five years' managerial experience in a 3PL, and a minimum of ten years' experience in general, which limited the sample size to twenty-seven senior managers in the 3PL sector.

The findings indicated that 3PL senior managers’ skills highlighted an increasing dependence on and importance of relational and behavioural skills, particularly when compared with the more traditional functional and managerial skills. The study indicated that the 3PL senior managers highlighted an increasing dependence and importance upon relational and behavioural skills, particularly when compared with the more traditional functional skills.

The study has explored the senior management skills in 3PL in the UK, albeit the respondents possessing diverse backgrounds. Therefore, it would be beneficial to test whether these findings are exemplary across the wider 3PL sector, not only in the UK but also across Europe to see how corporate agenda for executive supply chain skills could be devised.

Corporate supply chain training and development staff can develop specific programs based on the 3PL senior management skill sets especially on relational and behavioural skills, which are needed for future managers as well as up-skill senior managers' skills which are deemed to be most important in the current 3PL market.

This paper contributes to the supply chain skills discussion and reports subject relevant challenges for today’s senior management in the 3PL industry. The findings have generated preliminary discussions on whether senior management skills are changing with the broadening scope of supply chains.