A Container Shipping Game!? Unveiling the Purpose Behind the ONE x University of Tokyo Joint Research

"It would be great if we could make a container shipping game..." An intriguing conversation emanated from a corner of the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus. The discussion centered around the recently announced "Container Management Science (COMS)" -a social cooperation program between Ocean Network Express (ONE) and the University of Tokyo. But why  develop a game for a joint research program? To unravel this mystery, we present "ONE x University of Tokyo: A Special Dialogue"!

ONE and the University of Tokyo Team Up for Joint Research!

In May 2024, ONE and the University of Tokyo announced the establishment of a Social Cooperation Program titled "Container Management Science (COMS)." Hosted by the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Engineering, this three-year program is to be led  by Professor Kazuhiro Aoyama and Associate Professor Tomoya Kawasaki.

Both ONE and the University of Tokyo aimed  to bring together experts from various academic fields to foster  long-term, industry-academia collaborations for sustainable and future-oriented container shipping.

While a collaborative program between ONE and the prestigious University of Tokyo sounds promising , what are the reasons behind this initiative? In this special dialogue, we unravel the objectives of the COMS program through conversations with Professor Kawasaki, the program's instructor, and Daichi Watanabe, a ONE employee involved in the program's establishment!

Let’s do this right.  

--- Thank you for joining us today. Firstly, could you tell us what the “Social Cooperation Program” is all about? I had imagined something like a seminar for working adults...

Kawasaki: In a nutshell, “Social Cooperation Program” is a framework for joint research between a university and a company. At the University of Tokyo, dozens of such courses have already been established with various companies, even within the Faculty of Engineering alone.

--- I see. Now, regarding the collaboration between the University of Tokyo and ONE, what prompted this initiative?

Kawasaki: It all started with the Container Shipping Summit hosted by ONE. I've had the opportunity to participate in all three summits since the first one in March last year. These events bring together academics and industry experts to discuss the various challenges facing the container shipping industry. During the first summit, I immediately sensed that ONE is interested in the long-term issues facing the entire container industry, rather than just being concerned with just short-term profits.

Watanabe: I've also participated in all the summits and it's true that it's quite rare for a company to host such an event.

Kawasaki: That's when I thought, "It would be great to collaborate with a company like this on something new." Then, on the same day, we both casually brought up the idea of doing some kind of joint research. We decided if we were going to do it, we would do it right.

Watanabe: ONE has always placed great importance on the value of data. We have put a lot of effort into using data to improve the efficiency of our operations, from ship operations to container repositioning. However, in addition to utilizing data for daily operational efficiency, we have always wanted to enhance our capabilities to conduct research with a longer-term perspective and explore new possibilities of data utilization.

Kawasaki: My research in the field of transportation requires a deep understanding of the realities on the ground. In that respect, ONE is a treasure trove of real data, and as mentioned earlier, they have the mindset to further utilize that data from a mid- to long-term perspective to realize the next generation of container shipping. I believe the idea of collaboration came up naturally from both sides.

--- So it started like love at first sight!

Kawasaki: By the way, although serious discussions began around June 2023, the application deadline for starting a course at the University of Tokyo in April 2024 is in October of the previous year. So, we had four months to prepare everything, which is record-breaking, as it usually takes a couple of years! This shows how fast ONE is at decision making, and it's become a bit of a buzzword within the University of Tokyo (laughs).

Toward Next-Generation Container Shipping

---: Let's move on to the content of the course. Two major objectives are set for this program: "Realization of a Sustainable and Resilient Container Shipping" and "Development and Production of Human Resources to Lead the Next Generation Container Shipping".

Watanabe: As a container shipping company, ONE's core business is "operations" such as operating container vessels, managing container repositioning, marketing, and sales, etc. To conduct our business efficiently, these operations are highly specialized, and all employees in each field are dedicated to maximizing efficiency.

--- In the highly competitive container shipping industry, such efficiency is essential.

Watanabe: However, stepping back, we must  ask if the pursuit of efficiency is truly enough. There is a trade-off between the pursuit of efficiency and the redundancy and robustness of infrastructure. Container shipping services are  critical infrastructure that supports the global economy and supply chains. This infrastructure cannot afford to stop, so it must not only be efficient but also sustainable and resilient.

Kawasaki: While the pursuit of efficiency is essential in business, sustainability and resilience tend to be neglected. Recently, we have seen several unforeseen events, such as the Suez Canal becoming impassable due to geopolitical issues, and the Panama Canal facing transit restrictions due to water shortages. Social infrastructure is supported by the tremendous efforts of many people, but its value is often only recognized when it is gone. I believe that the importance of redundancy and resilience of infrastructure needs to be more widely recognized.

Watanabe: Regarding the other objective, "Development and Production of Human Resources to Lead the Next Generation of Shipping," human resources are just as important as assets such as vessels and containers.. While we are currently forcused on efficiency through specialization, much of the know-how  in each field still relies on tacit knowledge and craftsmanship. Hence there is a needto properly institutionalize this knowledge as we prepare for the next generation of container shipping. This social collaboration course aims not only to train  students who want to work in the shipping industry through joint research between industry and academia but also to provide i opportunities for company personnel to gain new experiences through participation in the research. The word "resilience" also includes  nurturing the human resources who will realize the future of container shipping.

Kawasaki: Universities can offer fresh perspectives and, of course, have students. If more students learn about the shipping industry and if their level of interest and awareness increases, leading to them working in the industry, that will also contribute to the sustainability of the industry.

Making Know-How and Knowledge Visible

--- I understand. You have identified three pillars to achieve these two goals:

Kawasaki: Although these are listed as three pillars, “customer satisfaction” will be a starting point. First, we need to gain a deeper understanding of the motivations of our customers and what is important to them. For example, why do customers cancel bookings, and what kind of "loss value" do they perceive in the event of a delay in the vessel schedule? By understanding these factors more precisely, shipping companies will be able to make more informed decisions. And once we have a deep understanding of our customers' motivations, we will be able to see how we need to operate our vessels and container equipment accordingly, and what kind of route network we need to build to achieve that.

--- It's not like you're not doing those things at all right now, is it? It's just that a lot of it is still based on experience and tacit knowledge, right?

Kawasaki: Yes, it's about formalizing and institutionalizing that knowledge. By organizing it theoretically, it will be easier to think, "If this is the current situation, then this is likely to happen next", and companies will be able to respond flexibly to various situations.

Watanabe: These three pillars of research cannot be addressed in isolation. If research is excessively segmented , it will only result in a collection of local solutions. We need to take a holistic approach and aim for global ptimization with a long-term vision.

The Potential of "Games"

--- This leads us to the idea of "making a game" which you mentioned at the beginning. To be more precise, a game or a simulation model that replicates the container shipping business in cyberspace would be a more accurate way to put it.

Kawasaki: This was an idea from Professor Aoyama, who is also involved in COMS, and I think it's brilliant. "Serious games" as they are called, are commonly used in education and skills development. I have a colleague who is doing research on evacuation drills. Evacuation drills are very important, but it is difficult to convey their importance, and how to react in cases of emergency, to small children. To begin with, they don't always listen! (laughs). So, there's even research on creating games that simulate evacuation drills to see how to effectively convey these messages.

--- That sounds like something even adults would want to try.

Kawasaki: We want to achieve something similar. Even if it's not exactly a game, we want to model the decision-making elements and variables involved in the container shipping business, illustrate how they are interlinked, and be able to show, for example, "If this element were to change like this, what would you do as a person in charge of pricing? And this is the result."

Watanabe: While the operations of a container shipping company are specialized, in reality, they are  closely related to one another, and there is constant communication across departments and teams. For example, "This service is not working well here" and "Let's change it here."To improve this  communication and create better services, tools like games and simulation model that everyone can see and work with together would be extremely helpful.

Kawasaki: The word "game" lowers the initial hurdle. It makes people think, "Maybe I'll give it a try." It's difficult to be aware of the existence of shipping in our daily lives, but through games, it becomes an experience. It could even serve an educational purpose for high school students or even those younger, and potentially raise awareness of the industry itself.

--- The game of container shipping business has many rules that have yet to be deciphered. So, would you say that you are trying to decipher those rules to the extent that you can create a game?

Watanabe:  Even if the actual game or a simulation model is not completed as a result of this social collaboration course, I believe the process itself has value.

Kawasaki: Yes, the final product may not necessarily be what we initially aimed for. We will put our best efforts into it, but as with any research, there is always the possibility of failure. However, what remains and is discovered in the process of research is what truly matters. Even if we do not reach our destination, I am sure we will gain a lot along the way.

--- It sounds like it's going to be a long journey. But, well... I really want to play that game...

Watanabe: I'll buy it when it's released!

Kawasaki: Let's all play together then (laughs).