Defining service quality for tramp shipping

• Main Author: Tan, Raymond.
• Other Authors: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Maritime studies::Maritime management and business
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/45193
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The shipping industry is a specialized industry which moves the world and is the great enabler of world trade. Without shipping, moving large quantities of goods around the world would be prohibitively expensive and halt world trade. This project puts the spotlight on Tramp shipping, a little-studied sector within the shipping industry. Tramp shipping provides a vital service to cargo owners around the world, allowing them to arrange for a voyage however they like on a one-off basis. It has been postulated that Service Quality (SQ) is not very important to users of services provided by Tramp Shipping Companies (Trampers). Rather, it is believed that price is the key factor when choosing a Tramper. This report attempts to put this belief to the test. To this end, several research questions were formulated. The major thrust of the research goes towards answering RQ1: What are the SQ attributes that construe a quality tramp shipping service, from the perspective of the shipper? Other Research Questions were designed, mainly to ascertain the differences in opinions that Trampers and segments of shippers (eg size, industry, etc) have. Finally, using results from our research, a model was designed to objectively gauge SQ levels of trampers. Through a triangulation method, this paper formulates, proposes and tests the SQ model. Literature review, interviews and surveys were conducted to produce the model.