Empty container repositioning strategies under disruptive events: How recent global disruptions have impacted empty container repositioning strategies on the Swedish market

Abstract

Recent years have seen uncommonly numerous major events that have impacted global supply chains and the containerized industry. Four major disruptive events have influenced the world since the year 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic, the one-week stoppage in the Suez Canal, the war in Ukraine and the most recent Red Sea crisis. Empty equipment is the start of any containerized shipment, and the concept of empty container repositioning (ECR) is integral for the shipping companies to be able to supply equipment to every exporting customer. This thesis research how Sweden's containerized industry was affected from these four events and how ECR strategies in the region changed. Five interviews with representatives from the industry were performed to construct the result. Interviews revealed that Sweden was affected in several ways though no major equipment deficiencies were registered and ECR strategies were mainly unaffected except for specific incidents. Import as well as export volumes rose significantly during and as an effect of a majority of the disruptions. A disruption that had not been taken into consideration appeared as an equal in significance to the other global events when it comes to visible effects in Sweden, the inflation on the Swedish currency. Although longer lead times and a surge in export demand were effects of the disruptions the shipping companies have been able to supply customers with equipment through well managed ECR strategies and cooperation with the customer base.