Abstract
Within the whole world container traffic, the largest share of containers is in the status of repositioning. Container repositioning results from the need for harmonization between the point of empty container accumulation and the point of demand, and waiting time for the availability of the first next transport of cargo. This status of containers on the container market is the consequence of imbalances in the worldwide trade distribution on most important shipping routes. The need for fast and effective reallocation of empty containers causes high costs and often represents an obstacle affecting the efficiency of port container terminals and inland carriers.In accordance with the above issue, this paper is mainly focused on the analysis of the data concerning global container capacities and the roots of container equipment imbalances, with the aim of determining the importance of empty container management and the need for empty container micro-logistic planning at the spread port area.
Highlights
As many as 2.5 million of TEU are being stored empty in different container terminals worldwide at any moment, and 20.5% of the world total port turnover refers to empty container handling [2]
Provided yet another liner service being operated by the same operator, let’s say between Europe and North America, the container equipment “surplus” present on the route to Asia would be utilized on the container equipment “shortage” market on the route for North America at the local repositioning level, and without any regional or overseas repositioning being involved, containers would be leased or new containers would be purchased from manufacturers present on that market
It is immanent for operators who are either owners or lease users of container equipment to strive for as high container turnover rate as possible, in consideration of the fact that container lease charges or their own container depreciation rates incur in any case, and an empty container will only generate expenditures and will not make any income
Summary
As containers are spotted onboard different means of transport (ship, train, lorry, river barge) or in any port or inland terminal, they may be either full (transporting goods either in import or export or in transit), or empty. Costs of empty container repositioning include the inland transport charges, terminal dues (storage and handling charges) and carriage by sea to the market/ port where empty containers required for export cargoes are in short supply. Empty container repositioning costs alone accounted for USD 20 billion on the global level in 2002 [4]. Considering these costs, including the need for empty containers to be repositioned from the point of “container surplus” to the point of “container shortage” in the fastest and most cost-effective manner, and that accumulation of empty containers is Promet – Traffic&Transportation, Vol 24, 2012, No 3, 223-230. Participants involved in the empty container management are defined, repositioning levels are explained, and the empty container micro-logistics in the spread port area is analyzed
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