China-Europe Container Multimodal Transport Path Selection Based on Multi-objective Optimization

Abstract

With the advancement of the "Belt and Road" initiative, trade between China and Europe has been steadily growing, and China-Europe container transportation has received increasing attention. This study analyzes the influencing factors of China-Europe container transport path selection and, based on the physical network of China-Europe container transport, constructs virtual nodes according to the transport modes that can be transited at different nodes and their own transshipment operations. By reflecting cost, time, and carbon emission factors in the virtual network, we construct a service network for China-Europe container multimodal transport, which in turn forms a multi-objective transport scheme selection model considering transportation cost, time, and carbon emissions. Subsequently, the economic and practical aspects of this transport path selection model are verified through five case studies of container transport from Dalian to Hamburg, Germany. Lastly, the sensitivity of factors, such as cost and time, to the China-Europe container multimodal transport path selection is assessed based on scenario analysis. This analysis offers valuable references for various decision-makers involved in the selection of the China-Europe container transport path.