Abstract
Nowadays, the major ports around the world usually consist of multiple terminals and service centers which are often run by different operators. Meanwhile, inland terminals have been also developed to reduce port congestion and improve transport efficiency. The integrated planning of inter-terminal transport (ITT) between the seaport and inland terminals helps in providing frequent and profitable services, but also could lead to higher overall planning complexity. Moreover, the ITT system usually involves multiple stakeholders with different or even conflicting interests. Although an increasing number of studies have been conducted in recent years, few studies have summarized the research findings and indicated the directions for future research regarding ITT. This paper provides a systemic review of ITT planning: we examine 77 scientific journal papers to identify what kind of objectives should be achieved in ITT system planning, which actors should be involved, and what methodologies can be used to support the decision-making process. Based on the analysis of the existing research, several research gaps can be found. For example, the multi-modality ITT systems are rarely studied; cooperation frameworks are needed in the coordination of different actors and quantitative methodologies should be developed to reflect the different actors’ financial interests.
Highlights
The continued growth of containerized transport volumes necessitates an expansion in scale and accessibility of container ports, as well as an improvement in their throughput productivity
This paper provides a systemic review of inter-terminal transport (ITT) planning: we examine 77 scientific journal papers to identify what kind of objectives should be achieved in ITT system planning, which actors should be involved, and what methodologies can be used to support the decision-making process
ITT in the Port Area and in the Hinterland. Both port network and inland networks have been studied by the 77 papers. 30 of these studies focus on ITT operations in port areas and 47 papers focus on planning ITT system in an inland transport network
Summary
The continued growth of containerized transport volumes necessitates an expansion in scale and accessibility of container ports, as well as an improvement in their throughput productivity Major ports such as Shanghai and Rotterdam are investing in an increasing number of interconnected terminals of different types (deep-sea terminals, barge terminals, railway terminals, and empty depots) and sizes. This paper reviews the studies of ITT in the port area and in the hinterland, seeking to identify research gaps. The optimal location for a hub terminal was studied by Racunica and Wynter [1]; Jeong et al [2] investigated the freight and vehicle flow in an inland transport network; Vis and De Koster [3] reviewed the transshipment operations in container terminals. Apart from the ITT in the port area, we discuss the connection between terminals in the seaport and in the hinterland. This paper is organized as follows: in Section 2, the search strategy is discussed; in Section 3, we analyze the search result; in Sections 4 and 5, we review the research related to ITT; and in Section 6, we conclude the review and propose suggestions for further research
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