Revealing gaps in the material flow of inland port container terminals alongside the danube with simulation

Abstract

Central European inland waterways are presently utilized way below their theoretical carrying capacity. For instance, cargo transported on the Danube is only 10-20% of that transported on the Rhine. To support an increase of transport flows on inland waterways (especially container transport on the Danube) and to contribute to a significant modal shift from road to waterways, operators have to be enabled to improve their economic position by improving the material flow in the handling points of the intermodal transport chain, container terminals, which oftentimes form a considerable bottleneck due to e.g. long processing times. In this paper, gaps in the material flow of container terminals alongside the Danube are revealed with the use of simulation. The Simulation enables the terminal operator to create an experimental model and decide on the best recommended course of action.