• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.123-140
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• 2023

Maritime transportation is one of the oldest means of transportation utilized by mankind, and it has significantly contributed to the advancement of civilization by efficiently transporting bulk cargo at a low cost. The study aim to identify the factors influencing the selection of shipping companies in the bulk shipping market and provide insights for improving the competitiveness of shipping-related companies. To achieve this goal, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed. For the empirical analysis, previous research, interviews, and a pilot test were conducted to identify five top-level factors such as companies, vessels, operations, services, and transaction factors. Each top-level factor has four sub-factors. The results of the analysis, based on 80 valid questionnaires, are as follows: Firstly, in the selection of shipping companies, the priority of factors influencing the choice of shipping companies was as follows: vessel factors were the most important, followed by company, operations, relationship, and service factors. Secondly, when investigating the priority of sub-factors, the availability/appropriateness of vessels was the most crucial factor, followed by company characteristics, financial soundness, and the company's reputation in order. The implications of these findings suggest that shipowners should focus on securing more suitable vessels and enhancing their reputation in response to shippers' demand. Shippers, on the other hand, should consider maintaining a healthy financial structure as a crucial task in securing competitive shipping service providers.