Maritime Chokepoints and Business Exposure
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Maritime chokepoints connect concentrated transport routes with economic activities beyond shipping. This working paper examines how geographical disruption becomes organisational exposure and identifies conditions supporting preparedness among businesses and public authorities. The analysis develops a conceptual framework informed by institutional studies of maritime transport and trade resilience. It distinguishes direct shipping dependence from exposure mediated through suppliers, customers and supporting services. Route geography is examined alongside contracts, inventories, delivery schedules and information flows to explain why organisations can experience different consequences from the same disruption. Time is treated as a determinant of exposure. Delays affect production, stock availability, working capital and service obligations in different ways. The paper therefore considers the complete cost of delivery rather than freight charges alone. Inventory buffers, alternative routes and contractual remedies are assessed as conditional resources whose usefulness depends on duration, feasibility and operational requirements. Four dimensions structure the proposed framework: dependency knowledge, temporal preparedness, practical alternatives and decision coordination. These dimensions connect supply relationships with critical time limits, realistic substitution options and responsibilities for action. Early warning is examined as a process of translating developments into organisational consequences, supported by staged decisions rather than fixed predictions. Three hypothetical illustrations address a specialised manufacturing input, a time sensitive exporter and replenishment for an essential service. They clarify possible transmission mechanisms without estimating losses or forecasting route closures. Comparative research is proposed around defined functions, using procurement records, interviews, continuity plans and exercises where suitable evidence is available. The paper contributes a bridge between maritime geopolitics, supply chain resilience and business decision making. Its practical value concerns integrated procurement, finance, operational planning and public warning arrangements. The framework remains untested and does not assess named companies or current voyage safety. Subsequent research should investigate which combinations of knowledge, alternatives and authority support effective organisational responses.
Author: Ocean Geopolitics Centre
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225147945