Maritime Transport Management

Fundamentals of the Maritime Industry

After this course, you have knowledge of basic concepts in maritime shipping, port and hinterland markets. You will have a view on the diversity in equipment, market players and market organization and have understanding of how to apply the basic concepts in follow-up courses and real life. On the agenda: Economics fundamentals, Ship(ping) fundamentals, Seaport fundamentals, Hinterland transport fundamentals and an excursion to the Port of Antwerp: terminal, shipyard, hinterland connections.

Introduction to Global Supply Chain Management

A good knowledge of transport economics and of companies concerning Transport, Logistics & Supply Chains, is crucial in the program and is the main learning goal of this course. We equip you with the tools and principles that enable you to critically asses companies’ supply chain solutions and management strategies. You will better understand the different transport modes and types, transport and logistical economics (internal and external costs), profit and loss principles in transport, transport policies (European and worldwide) and the economics and trends of the Maritime and Air supply chains. Students gain knowledge on supply chain principles and economics, globalization in transport, environmental impacts and trends in supply chains, international eCommerce supply chains, digitization, Machine Learning, Robotics and Driverless Vehicles, etc.

Technology, Digital Innovation and Sustainability

Students will be able to provide an overview of contemporary technological and innovation trends with links to sustainability, explain what is and which types of innovation are developed in the maritime supply chain and logistics and how they can be used. You will learn what are potential innovation processes steps, objectives and effectiveness of new technologies and innovation used in ports, intra- and inter-port communication and information exchange, logistics planning, airplane or technology providers. Students gain knowledge on how innovation networks contribute to innovation development and it offers academic insights with regard to innovation systems and innovation objectives. On the agenda: Introduction to Innovation in Transport and innovation typology; ICT innovation and cost-effectiveness in logistics (theory lessons); Innovation & actor strategies; Innovation objectives (Profit, Planet & People); Digitalization in Airports and Ports; a Design thinking session and Challenges and solutions in introducing AI in port operations.

Maritime Transport Market Analysis

Shipowners and operators trade in four different markets: the newbuilding market, the freight market, the sales and purchase market and the demolition market. This course aims to provide students with a thorough understanding on the functioning of the four shipping markets from a practical point of view. The first part of the course provides an overview of the dynamic business environment in which maritime transport companies operate with a specific focus on the geo-economic situation, industry developments, and policy and business practices in terms of sustainability, digital transformation and resilience. The second part aims at providing a thorough data-driven overview of developments in the freight markets (mainly the dry bulk, tanker and container markets) and shipbuilding and shipbreaking markets. We present the different indicators (freight rate indexes, charter indexes, etc.) that can be deployed to assess the past and current state of the markets, and modelling tools and instruments that can be used to engage in meaningful shipping market analysis (forecasting models, system dynamics modelling, scenario analysis, etc.). The last part of the course zooms in on corporate strategy development and operational aspects in one the freight markets, i.e. the container shipping market.

Maritime Chain Cost Analysis

After this course, you have knowledge on the modeling of the maritime supply chain and have acquired analytic skills to assess improvements and changes in different phases of the maritime supply chain. You get a more in-depth insight in current challenges in the maritime supply chain (greening, increase in capacity, etc.). Topics which are addressed: Intro maritime supply chain modeling & model usage; Impact of alternative fuels on cost for vessel owners and chain; Port investments and Impact of port enlargement project for the port authority & chain; Theory on port investments on improving intermodel transport and Impact of improving intermodel transport for the transport chain. We work with different case studies and assignments.

Maritime Supply Chains and Hinterland

Maritime transport is an essential link in many global supply chains. At any given moment within a given chain, there are trade-offs to be made with other links, including in relation to the choice of port and transshipment as well as hinterland services. This course provides an in-depth view into the management of maritime supply chains. It also examines how such supply chains can be affected by exogenous trends and events, such as structural changes in international trade, evolutions in the global fleet, and national and supranational maritime policy-making. Moreover, the different transport modes are discussed.

Port Economics and Business

During this course we discuss different modules and subtopics, such as the historical functions of ports and port typology and actions, global trends (energy transition, digitalization, risk and resilience), governance, networks (case studies and public-private partnerships), hinterland (markets, strategies and terminal development), pricing (port pricing and terminal investment), finance (public funding of ports, project settings, ecosystems, automation), innovation (port innovation trends and digitalization), port policy and regulation (EU ports policy), sustainability (sustainable port development, cruise ports and their societal integration), value creation (port performance management and industrial clusters), planning (strategic planning, business continuity planning and forecasting) and port work (dock labor organization and port terminal HRM).

Maritime Economics and Business

This course focuses on issues that shape the maritime transport market. How is this market organized in practice? What role do the authorities play and how do they impact on the behavior of shipping companies? How are price and cargo affected? What kind of business strategies do shipowners pursue? How are market forecasts made? Which kind of vessel is best suited for deployment on specific routes and/or loops, or for specific cargo types? These and other crucial issues are analyzed by means of economic tools.

Maritime Business Game

During this course you apply knowledge on ship design, production, operations and marine engineering in a challenging and realistic environment. You will better understand the relations between the main financial reporting elements (cash flow, balance, profit and loss statement) and be able to create and judge both investment proposals and year reports. You will need to function as a team member in a stressful environment. The course starts with an introduction and Trial run of the game. You will analyze the game markets and develop a business plan using this data. Afterward we play the game/execute your business plan for the first year. After the game you create a year report with a BoD part, CII and EEXI and financial statements.

Note: This curriculum is subject to change.

Towards the end of Semester 2, you put your knowledge into action by visiting Rotterdam and experiencing the biggest port in Europe. Visit the Dry Dock of Rotterdam, Futureland (the future of the Rotterdam Port), take a guided tour of the city and port and experience some of the biggest shipping companies up close.

Students will work in teams of two or three students on a real-life in-company project for 8 weeks, assisted by an academic advisor. The different teams work intensively on a challenging business case and deliver a complete report with new, practical insights. We expect you to consider this master project as your full-time job and to work as a real professional and future manager during the 8 weeks in which the main part of your work will be carried out.

This project will be a huge opportunity to gain more practical experience in a company, such as a port, shipping line, forwarder, governmental organization, etc. You will be able to apply all the methods and tools that you learned this year on a real-life case and impress the company that you are working for with your knowledge, personal skills and professional attitude.

Global Leadership Skills (Management track) or Research Methodology (Research track)

You can tailor this program to your background, specific needs and interests: you either choose for a 6 ECTS Research Methodology course or for a 6 ECTS Global Leadership Skills course that runs throughout the whole year.

Research Methodology

This course will allow you to acquire the necessary skills for setting up and successfully implementing research projects, for selecting the appropriate research methods and for critically assessing research by others. It deals with both quantitative and qualitative research methods applied across the field of transport economics. You will get familiar with key research choices, the full research process, the relationship between theory, research and application, and the development of own research tools and techniques. We provide a structured analytical framework to support development of research studies that can be a valuable tool as well for consulting studies and, in general, any problem solving situation.

Global Leadership Skills

See below.

Your personal development is a core element in the journey you will undertake during your year at Antwerp Management School.

At AMS, we look beyond the mere transfer of technical knowledge. As our mission statement explicitly mentions, we also want to stimulate your personal development. With the Global Leadership Skills track, we challenge and coach you to become more aware of who you are, how you cooperate with others, and what kind of career you want to pursue. We do this by building upon the three mission pillars of Antwerp Management School:

• Self Awareness: leads to stronger cooperation with others.
• Global Perspective: leads to a developed global mindset, allowing you to find better solutions to problems and complex issues.
• Societal Consciousness: leads to sustainability in essential economic processes, a fundamental value in business.

Throughout this journey, we will focus on these three levels of learning by working with a mixture of exercises, self-analysis instruments, moments of reflection, individual follow-up, collective sessions and peer coaching. We will offer you relevant frameworks to support you in understanding your strengths and needs, and defining your areas for growth.

Global Leadership Skills development is more than a ‘nice to have’, it is a basic prerequisite for career success and recruiters will be assessing this when you apply for a job. Today’s employers are looking for an impressive set of soft skills when selecting young graduates. These include: self-awareness, the ability to work collaboratively with others, leadership skills, the capacity to adapt to new situations and to develop new skills, openness to and respect for different perspectives, multicultural awareness, and long-term and system thinking, to name just a few. This course aims to support you in developing these skills and in finding a match between who you are and what the world of employment needs; between your career ambitions and what employers are looking for.

After following this program, you will be able to:

• understand the industrial context in which the maritime stakeholders operate;
• understand the operational and strategic drivers behind the business models of the respective stakeholders in the maritime value chain;
• get acquainted with both managerial and analytical tools to handle day-to-day and strategic issues related to the maritime industry;
• get accustomed to the cultural differences in doing business within an international and globalized industrial context.