Coping with risk in maritime logistics

PhD scholarships

NTNU and MARINTEK, in co-operation with the University in Oslo and Norwegian maritime insurance and finance, ship-owners, cargo owners and petroleum companies, have through support by the Research Council of Norway established a research program to improve the understanding and management of risk, vulnerability and resilience in shipping and maritime logistics.

The main objective of this research project is to develop new competence to identify, analyse and manage risks and vulnerabilities that origin when ship-owners want to take more formal and comprehensive part in door-to-door logistics chains. Maritime logistics is here defined as "door-to-door", complete logistics chains where sea-transport is the main or an influential part of the chain.

Treatment of risk in shipping and sea-transport is a central issue in the international maritime insurance industry, and this program aim to give deliverables that increase the competence and understanding of risk management in the maritime logistics context.

Part objectives are to develop and document:

1. Measures of resilience in global shipping systems
2. Risk and resilience taxonomies and processes of maritime logistics chains
3. Contributions from maritime law to resilience in maritime logistics chain developments
4. Principles, methods and tools for fleet and chain planning and optimization under uncertainty
5. An overview of and methods to assess the vulnerability and resilience based in ICT for logistics systems
6. Methods and tools for analysis of risk, vulnerability and resilience in maritime logistics
7. Proactive safety management systems as risk treatment and resilience improvement strategies

The PhDs in this research program shall focus their research within one or a combination of the topics below:

• Risk, vulnerability and resilience in the global shipping system
• Risk, vulnerability and resilience taxonomies and processes
• Resilience through maritime logistics law
• Fleet and chain planning and optimization under uncertainty
• Risk and resilience in logistics IT systems
• Risk and resilience analysis of logistics chains
• Proactive safety management in the maritime logistics context

There will in total be six PhD students in this program, and fellowships are open to applicants in several disciplines, such as marine technology, maritime economics, operations research and management science, maritime and contract laws, É or other relevant higher educational backgrounds. The PhD positions will be placed at one of the following institutions and departments:

• NTNU, Department of Marine Technology
• NTNU, Department of Production and Quality Engineering
• NTNU, Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management
• UiO, Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law

A two to five pages outline of the proposed research idea, with relationship to the topics listed above should be included in the applications for PhD fellowships.

Further information

Further information about the research program and the vacant positions can be obtained from:

Program Manager Dr. Bjørn E. Asbjørnslett,
MARINTEK Solutions,
e-mail: bjornegil.asbjornslett@marintek.sintef.no,
phone +47 924 95 178