Liner shipping is one of the vital sectors in the world economy since it handles the efficient carriage of containerised cargo through international business. The Container Activity Report (CAR) is one of the important documents in liner shipping operations used for various purposes, including container tracking, terminal activities, operational expenses, approvals, and invoicing. Efficient CAR management increases efficiency in shipping operations. The present study aims at assessing operational challenges in handling Container Activity Reports in Emirates Shipping Agencies India Pvt. Ltd., Chennai. This particular study concentrates only on operational categories such as Container Terminal Logistics (CTL), Port Terminal Charges (PTC), and Miscellaneous (MSC) activities relating to CAR processing. The descriptive research method was used for the analysis, and secondary data were gathered from operational data, approved CARs, shipping documentation, and process observation during the internship. Several operational challenges were found, including errors in data entries, absence of mandatory fields in CAR forms, delay in CAR approvals, inconsistency in cost calculations, human errors in data entry, lack of system integrations in the whole process, and delays in the invoice process due to lack of approvals. All these challenges increase operational burden. The study recommends process automation, real-time data validation, system integrations, and automated approval process for better CAR operations in shipping business.
Keywords: Container Activity Report (CAR), Liner Shipping, Logistics Operations, Container Terminal Logistics (CTL), Port Terminal Charges (PTC), Shipping Management, Operational Efficiency, CAR Automation, Maritime Logistics, Invoice Processing
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