• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.157-173
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• 2024

This study analyzed the connectivity of the dry bulk carrier market before and after COVID-19 to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the global shipping market. Using the Quantile Time Frequency Connectedness methodology, we analyzed the dynamic connectedness of major dry bulk indices: the Capesize Index (BCI), Supramax Index (BSI), Panamax Index (BPI), and Handysize Index (BHSI). The results are as follows. First, the total spillover connectedness of the dry bulk carrier market increased during the entire period and in the short term after the outbreak of COVID-19, while it slightly decreased in the long term. Second, the roles among the indices changed according to market conditions, with COVID-19 causing the BPI to change from a net receiver to a net transmitter in the short term and the BSI in the long term, affecting net spillover connectedness. Third, it was observed that long-term connectivity tended to increase more than short-term connectedness under extreme conditions. Fourth, the phenomenon of strengthened connectedness under extreme market conditions was confirmed. These results provide important insights into understanding short-term market shocks and long-term stability trends, demonstrating that the connectedness among dry bulk carrier markets strengthens in global crisis situations such as COVID-19. This provides a basis for assessing the resilience and vulnerability of the shipping market and offers useful information for investors and policymakers in crisis management and investment strategy formulation.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.43-65
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• 2023

Recently, with the increasing international interest on environmental issues, efforts have been made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to ship fuel, however, the dependence on fossil fuel is expected to continue for a while. Since fuel costs account for a high portion of the total operating cost of a ship, it is necessary to analyze the influence of oil prices on the shipping markets. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the international oil prices and the four major shipping markets for bulk carriers. This study employed WTI as the oil price variable while monthly data from 2017 to 2020 from the four major shipping markets by classifying freight rates, charter rates, newbuilding prices, and secondhand prices were also considered in multiple ship sizes of capesize, panamax, supramax, and handysize. Firstly, the results of the correlation analysis using the VAR model indicate that changes in international oil prices have a statistically positive (+) significant effect on BCIS only in the second time lag, on BSIS at all lags, and on BHIS only in the first staggered period. Secondly, as a result of correlation analysis using the VECM model, in the case of BPIC, BHIC, BCIN, and BHIR, the cointegration coefficient value has a negative (-) significant effect at the 5% significance level in the cointegration relationship with international oil prices. Further, in the case of the dynamic correlation, the increase in oil price in the first period of the lag leads to a decrease in the BCIN newbuilding prices while the increase in the oil price in the first and second period in the lag leads to a decrease in the BHIR used ship prices.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.161-173
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• 2021

The shipping industry plummeted and was depressed due to the global economic crisis caused by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers in the US in 2008. In 2020, the shipping market also suffered from a collapse in the unstable global economic situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but unexpectedly, it changed to an upward trend from the end of 2020, and in 2021, it exceeded the market of the boom period of 2008. According to the Clarksons report published in May 2021, the decrease in cargo volume due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has returned to the pre-corona level by the end of 2020, and the tramper bulk carrier capacity of 103~104% of the Panamax has been in the ports due to congestion. Earnings across the bulker segments have risen to ten-year highs in recent months. In this study, as factors affecting BDI, the capacity and congestion ratio of Cape and Panamax ships on the supply side, iron ore and coal seaborne tonnge on the demand side and Granger causality test, IRF(Impulse Response Function) and FEVD(Forecast Error Variance Decomposition) were performed using VAR model to analyze the impact on BDI by congestion caused by strengthen quarantine at the port due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the loading and discharging operation delay due to the infection of the stevedore, etc and to predict the shipping market after the pandemic. As a result of the Granger causality test of variables and BDI using time series data from January 2016 to July 2021, causality was found in the Fleet and Congestion variables, and as a result of the Impulse Response Function, Congestion variable was found to have significant at both upper and lower limit of the confidence interval. As a result of the Forecast Error Variance Decomposition, Congestion variable showed an explanatory power upto 25% for the change in BDI. If the congestion in ports decreases after With Corona, it is expected that there is down-risk in the shipping market. The COVID-19 pandemic occurred not from economic factors but from an ecological factor by the pandemic is different from the past economic crisis. It is necessary to analyze from a different point of view than the past economic crisis. This study has meaningful to analyze the causality and explanatory power of Congestion factor by pandemic.