The topic of Container Shipping Business and Maritime

The 4th KMI-WMU Seminar, delivered in cooperation between the World Maritime University (WMU) and the Korean Maritime Institute (KMI), took place on 12 and 13 November on the topic of Container Shipping Business and Maritime 4.0 Policy and Strategy. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar was held with some participants present at the venue in Seoul, Korea, and others joining remotely via video conferencing. 

In her opening remarks, Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, WMU President, highlighted the importance of international trade to all countries, noting that maritime trade constitutes nearly 90 percent of global trade in goods and commodities.

Challenges the maritime sector

She spoke of the challenges the maritime sector has faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the opportunities it presents. Namely, it has helped us to prepare was COVID-19 to become the “new norm”. There is no doubt that it will shape risk management models for future global crises. She maintained that we can also learn from the innovation and experience that has emerged from large scale uncertainty in the global supply chains. “All of these factors will challenge us to design a sustainable global maritime network and adopt new digital technologies and big data analytics that will transform how we do business,” she said. 

MOU signed between WMU and KMI in June 2016

Welcome remarks were delivered by WMU Professor, Dr Daniel Moon, who is currently serving as the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries for the Republic of Korea. Additional speakers participated from Nanyang Technological University, Hamburg School of Business Administration, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kedge Business School, Athens University of Economics and Business, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Dutch

Institute for Advanced Logistics, as well as from KMI and WMU. Following the seminar, each presenter will contribute their topic as a paper for publication under the book series “WMU Studies in Maritime Affairs”. The submitted chapters will be edited by Dr. Dong-Wook Song, Korean Chair at WMU, and published in late 2021.

Sub-sessions for the seminar included the following topics: Developments in the Container Shipping Market, Recent Changes in the Environmental Regulations and their Impact on the Shipping Ecosystem, and Maritime 4.0 taking into account new business models for the shipping industry. 

The annual seminar falls within the framework of the MOU signed between WMU and KMI in June 2016, which provides for mutual cooperation, collaboration, and high-quality research including the holding of a joint seminar on an annual basis.