Study of Maritime - Road Intermodality in Constanta Port by Evaluating Trips Generation/Attraction Potentials

Abstract

The changes increasingly accentuated in recent years in the global economy, in the context of globalization, have created an environment in which transport sector must adapt continuously. This adaptation process acts especially at intercontinental level, involving that transport and distribution of goods and raw materials on long distances to be as efficient in terms of duration and costs of transport and, at the same time, with reduced negative implications on the environment. The achievement of transport processes, in equilibrium conditions between demand and supply, in relation to limitations mentioned above, is possible by promoting intermodal transport, which requires a very good connection between continental modes (road and rail transport) and shipping. According to European Commission, about 90% of total import / export trades at the level of European Union are done by maritime transport. This paper aims at identifying potentials of generation / attraction of travels made on road transport at the level of intermodal node represented by seaport of Constanta. These trips generation / attraction potentials may be further used as input data in dimensioning processes of intermodal logistics facilities (handling, storage and internal transport) between road and sea transport modes. In the frame of the study are processed and analyzed data obtained through origin - destination surveys conducted during general traffic census carried out in 2010, on the network of European, national and county roads of Romania. Also, were processed data regarding types and volumes of goods transited through this port in the period 2005-2010, and the types of ships used to load these goods. Statistically analyzing these two types of data, it was revealed that grain represents 34% and petroleum products 57% of all goods (in terms of weight) handled in the seaport of Constanta, and also that the continental transport mode predominantly used to move these categories of goods is road transport. The results of performed analyzes, that describe the current situation regarding the trade flows in the port unit, constitute the starting point in traffic modeling for the purpose of freight transport planning at future time moments. Models for traffic estimation in ports take into account the predictions about economic development in influence area on short, medium and long terms.