ANALYZING CONTAINER ACTIVITY REPORT (CAR) FOR IMPROVING OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Liner shipping is one of the vital sectors in the world economy since it
handles the efficient carriage of containerized cargo through international
business. 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
operation. The present study aims at assessing operational challenges in
handling Container Activity Reports. 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. 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. A
number of 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 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