The Integration of RoRo Shipping in Sustainable Intermodal Transport Chains: The Case of a North European RoRo Service

Anastasia Christodoulou,Johan Woxenius,Zeeshan Raza

doi:10.3390/su11082422

Abstract

Roll on–roll off (RoRo) shipping represents a maritime segment that could easily form part of an intermodal transport system, as cargo does not need to be lifted in ports; it is ‘rolled’ to and from sea. This paper investigates the operation of RoRo shipping services in Northern Europe, focusing on a set of services chartered by a major shipper whose demand has a great impact on the service design, potentially affecting the frequency of departures and even stipulating the use of specific vessels. The case of cooperation between Stora Enso, a major forest company in Sweden and Finland, and the shipping company Swedish Orient Line (SOL) is analysed, giving some insight into the way these RoRo services operate and manage to integrate successfully into sustainable intermodal transport chains. Despite various initiatives taken by different stakeholders, the level of integration of shipping in intermodal transport chains has been quite slow. This paper’s results could contribute to the identification of barriers that prevent RoRo shipping from being a viable alternative to road transport for certain transport routes and assist in the discovery of policies and incentives that could lead to developing sustainable intermodal transport chains.

Highlights

Sea transport offers significant environmental advantages, as it transfers more than 90% of the global trade in volume while emitting around 2.2% of total global greenhouse gas emissions [1]
This paper explores the operation of RoRo shipping services in Northern Europe, focusing on a set of services chartered by a major shipper whose demand has a significant impact on service design, potentially affecting the frequency of departures and even stipulating the use of specific vessels
In 2018, Stora Enso had a turnover of 10.5 billion €, while its operational earnings before interests and taxes (EBIT) reached 1.36 billion € [45]

Summary

Introduction

Sea transport offers significant environmental advantages, as it transfers more than 90% of the global trade in volume while emitting around 2.2% of total global greenhouse gas emissions [1]. In 2015, maritime transport, including domestic and international shipping, emitted 151 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in the 28 European member states, accounting for 12.7% of the transport sector’s total emissions [2]. Roll on–roll off (RoRo) shipping represents a maritime segment that could form part of an intermodal transport system, as cargo does not need to be lifted in ports; it is ‘rolled’ to and from sea. RoRo shipping, in contrast to deep sea segments, faces strong competition from land-based modes of transport and constantly seeks to satisfy shippers’ demands and offer high-quality transport services [5]

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Results

Conclusion