Development of a Sustainability Framework for Liner Shipping: A Study in South Korea

Abstract

Maritime transport acts as a vital component within the global supply chain, forming the physical backbone of international trade. The significance of sustainability within shipping has expanded considerably, as the industry generates substantial socio-environmental effects attributable to its operational scale. This imperative underscores the necessity for a framework to systematically monitor, assess, and manage sustainability performance. Nevertheless, existing sustainability frameworks remain inadequate, as they lack tailoring to the shipping industry, overlook sub-sectoral specificities, presuppose preferential independence among sustainability dimensions, and fail to involve stakeholders in framework development.
Consequently, with a focus particularly on container liner shipping operations, this study aims to establish a sustainability framework for liner shipping companies in Korea. The research commenced with a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) examining sustainability practices within maritime transport, establishing the fundamental basis for the initial conceptual framework. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with industry practitioners to validate the preliminary framework and develop a comprehensive sustainability framework for the Korean liner shipping sector. The Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method was subsequently employed to uncover causal interrelationships amongst sustainability drivers. A hybrid Analytic Network Process (ANP) approach integrating DEMATEL, Consistent Fuzzy Preference Relations (CFPR), and ANP techniques was implemented to prioritise sustainability performance indicators.
The DEMATEL analysis reveals that the primary causal drivers are 'pressures from customers and competitors' and 'sustainability commitment from senior management', whilst the most influential driver is 'sustainability performance improvement'. The hybrid ANP analysis demonstrated that 'profitability' emerged as the most critical indicator, with 'operational costs' as the most substantial sub-indicator.
This study employed the triple bottom line (TBL) sustainability paradigm, utilising stakeholder and slack resources theories. The findings provide theoretical and practical implications for liner shipping sustainability research whilst offering managerial implications relevant to the Korean context.

Date of Award	2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Plymouth
Supervisor	Stavros Karamperidis (Director of Studies (First Supervisor)), Lijun Tang (Other Supervisor) & Saeyeon Roh (Other Supervisor)