The growth of Transshipment Cargoes has maintained a upward by an increase of throughputs of North Chinese Ports in the early 2000s. However it has fallen dramatically due to large development projects of infrastructures for North Chinese Ports.
Surely, these T/S cargoes from China and Japan has done great contributions to the developments of Busan port. However, recent changes in T/S cargo transportation system surrounding North-Eastern Asian ports have done a negative effects on the enhancement plan for Busan port to promote T/S cargoes.
T/S cargoes from China and Japan are the most important factor to keep the handling cargo volumes as it has been in Busan port. Therefore Busan port considered to promote rapidly T/S cargoes from Japan to be an attractive policy to keep Busan port's competitiveness as it has been.
The purpose of this study is to find out the attractive policy to promote T/S cargoes between Busan port and major ports in the west coast of Japan. The relevant literature survey and focus group interview were carried out to find out the practical ways to promote T/S cargoes between these two areas.
Major findings could be summarized as follows.
First, Busan port has a competitive advantages as an intermediate port for T/S cargoes rather than major ports in western coast in Japan. especially on the aspect of total logistics costs.
Second, almost 60% of cargo volumes in Busan port is T/S cargoes from China and Japan in the year of 2012. Among these two origines of T/S cargoes, Japan is considered more attractive source of inducing T/C cargoes to Busan port in the aspects of total logistics costs and geographical location from Japanese customers(shippers). Therefore Busan port is needed to strengthen the abilities and functions of LCL center for these two modes.
Third, liners serving on the major ports in western coast of Japan are to decide the feeder service carrier directly operating between these two areas. Therefore the determinants of selecting feeder service carrier need to be analyzed before implementing the marketing strategy to the customers(shippers).
Fourth, as results of an empirical research to the choice criteria for feeder service carrier, the determinants were found out to be customer service, on-time delivery, reputation, service quality and freight rate in the order of importance.
This study shows levels of activation plans for improving T/S cargoes: that is, a microscopic policy and macroscopic one.
These plans can be summarized as follows.
First, the exclusive terminal for T/S cargoes should be made especially in Busan New Port in due to time.
Second, the marketing strategy should be implemented more aggressively to Japanese shippers located in the major ports in western coast of Japan.
Third, the logistics information system and SCM system should be developed for customers to use easily.
Lastly, the prospecting major ports in western coast of Japan should be targeted and the relevant marketing strategy should be implemented to satisfy Japanese shippers.