Ferry Service Research Articles

Cutting the loss: International benchmarking of a sustainable ferry business model

• An international benchmarking of ferry operation and pier infrastructure is proposed. • Passenger-related and operator-related factors are examined. • Improving passengers’ travel and multimodal transfer experience is fundamental. • Government investment in pier infrastructure and waterfront amenities is recommended. With rapid road infrastructure development in the past century, the role of water passenger transport has diminished drastically worldwide. A lot of ferry services in coastal cities have become financially unviable. However, water transport has huge potentials in promoting transport sustainability and resilience. This paper proposes a holistic framework that examines five core elements in a ferry business model, including (i) population demand, (ii) connectivity to public transit and activity nodes, (iii) individual preferences, (iv) management and operational strategies and (v) pier infrastructure. An international benchmarking framework of ferry operation and pier management across several cities with large-scale ferry development (Brisbane, Hong Kong, London, New York, San Francisco and Venice) is proposed and tested in Hong Kong. There are several general lessons. First, providing denser and more diversified opportunities (employment, commercial, recreation and open space) near the piers with good connectivity is essential. Direct access to these activities by water transport and well-developed intermodal transfer are conducive to ferry patronage. Second, improving the travel experience of passengers, including pre-boarding and on-board experience, is fundamental. Overall, integrating ferry services, pier infrastructure and promenade development in a policy package is critical to the long-term viability of ferry transport, although several critical challenges need to be addressed.

Integration of an independent e-ticketing system into a common e-ticketing platform in ferry services

The demand for mobility has evolved with increasing globalization. Multimodal passenger transport has grown steeply. The ease of obtaining information on the schedule, making a ticket reservation, and making a payment is obvious. This method of e-ticketing is also more cost-efficient, simple and practical, compared to conventional ticketing system with a hardcopy ticket. Nearly all transport providers have been providing an e-ticketing service, both independently and integrated in a multimodal e-ticketing platform. This paper outlines a study on the integration of e-ticketing system of a ferry operator, and an effort to integrate it into a common e-ticketing platform. The finding shows that the biggest challenge of entering into an e-ticketing system and integrating it into an e-commerce, i.e. common e-ticketing platform lies in the core of ship operations, namely the necessity to have an access on a real-time and reliable ship scheduling.

Predicting transit mode choice of New Jersey workers commuting to New York City from a stated preference survey

This study examines transit mode choice preferences of New Jersey commuters traveling to New York City (NYC) with the objective of assisting trans-Hudson ferry service planning on the basis of variables significantly affecting mode choice. A stated preference survey was conducted to collect data from a total of 2134 respondents who commute from northern New Jersey to NYC. A mixed multinomial logit model (MMLM) with random coefficients was used to analyze the data. The study considered the choice between four transit modes—ferry, PATH train, bus, and commuter rail—all of which can be used to cross the Hudson River to travel from New Jersey to NYC. Essential model results are presented for all four modes, but detailed results are discussed for only the ferry, PATH, and bus modes. Model results indicate that commuters' choices are affected not only by travel time and cost for the segment of the journey that crosses the Hudson River, but also reliability and comfort during that segment, number of access modes required by the journey, and travel time and cost of trips from home to stations/terminals before crossing the river. The results also show that commuters' attachment to the modes they currently use serves as a barrier to switching to other modes. The most important takeaway from this research for transit service planning is that there is a need to consider the attributes of both individual trip segments as well as entire journeys between commuters' home and work when exploring changes to transit service characteristics.

Social and economic value of ferry services connecting the national road network in Uganda

This is the first study that seeks to demonstrate the social and economic value of the ferries that link the Ugandan national roads network. Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) is responsible for maintaining, operating and developing the national roads network, which comprises 20 544 km of roads, 519 bridges and nine ferries. Apart from bridging the national road network disconnected by water bodies, the ferries in particular have a significant economic and social impact on remote communities, providing safer, shorter connections to social services and also boosting business by reducing the transportation time and cost of goods. Preliminary data analysis estimated the initial capital cost of the nine ferries managed by UNRA at US$38.16 million with a current asset value of US$16.36 million. They transport about 3.2 million passengers annually as well as about 1.06 million tonnes of cargo. Using the contingent valuation method, the social value of these ferries is estimated at US$10.95 million and they generate direct employment worth 126 full-time equivalents (FTEs) annually (1 FTE being 40 h/week). In addition to this, ferries serve remote communities and half of their passengers are women and youth, which are groups identified in the sustainable development goals as vulnerable but necessary for the economic growth of developing countries.

The Safety of Sea Ferry Transportation and Anticipation of Ship Accidents in Merak-Bakauheni

The Merak-Bakauheni Ferry Port is a connecting route between Java and Sumatra. With its role as a driver of economic growth between islands, it is hoped that the smooth movement of passengers and goods can take place effectively and efficiently. Research on the ferries at the Merak-Bakauheni route is carried out to analyse the movement of people and goods based on the time of service, the number of ferry boats, and the number of docks, so that changes can be implemented to ensure the ferry service is fast, precise, safe, and comfortable. Public transportation in the current era is a very important necessity for every community in supporting all activities and daily routines, PT. ASDP Indonesia Ferry Persero as a ferry operator plays an important role in organizing proper public transportation in our country. The main problem identified by this research is the absence of a safety standard for sea ferries transportation. The expected result with this research is to be able to take inventory of safety standards and to anticipate the extent of safety on the ferry so that recommendations can be formulated to prevent accidents in the future.
 Keywords: Ferry, Safety, Sea Ferries

Территориальная структура паромного сообщения в акватории Балтийского моря

Ferry services are transport systems whose regular routes link areas separated by water bodies. Sometimes ferries are the only connection between an island and the mainland. In the Baltic Sea, such transport situations are not rare. A typical example is the island of Saaremaa. Ferries are the backbone of cargo and passenger traffic in the Baltic Sea region. This article aims to describe the spatial structure of ferry services in the Baltic Sea. To this end, a statistical database on 101 ferry routes is created and passenger and car traffic on each is calculated using an original methodology, which can be applied in analysing the spatial structure and traffic of ferry services in other regions. Baltic ferries account for over half of all European ferry-borne car and passenger traffic. The Baltic stands out for its unusually long ferry routes, which sustain timber exports. Most cargoes in the region originate from Sweden.

International intermodal container shipping network in South Asia: modelling and policy simulations

This paper focuses on the international intermodal container cargo shipping network in South Asia. A two-layered network assignment model of international container cargo is applied to this region for simulating the impact of policies designed to increase the level of international logistics infrastructure. The first simulation, which focuses on the improvements of the road and rail networks around the largest port in this region (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, or JNPT), reveals that Indian west coast ports are very competitive in acquiring cargo both originating from and destined to Delhi. More importantly, these west coast ports face critical capacity constraints for hinterland shipping around JNPT. The second simulation estimates the effect of the recommencement of the international ferry connecting South India and Sri Lanka and suggests that the reduction of cross-border barriers and improving connected rail services are essential for promoting the international ferry service.

International intermodal container shipping network in South Asia: modelling and policy simulations

This paper focuses on the international intermodal container cargo shipping network in South Asia. A two-layered network assignment model of international container cargo is applied to this region for simulating the impact of policies designed to increase the level of international logistics infrastructure. The first simulation, which focuses on the improvements of the road and rail networks around the largest port in this region (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, or JNPT), reveals that Indian west coast ports are very competitive in acquiring cargo both originating from and destined to Delhi. More importantly, these west coast ports face critical capacity constraints for hinterland shipping around JNPT. The second simulation estimates the effect of the recommencement of the international ferry connecting South India and Sri Lanka and suggests that the reduction of cross-border barriers and improving connected rail services are essential for promoting the international ferry service.

Modelling the marine transport resilience of Vancouver Island in a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake scenario

ABSTRACT The dependence of coastal communities on marine transportation can challenge a region’s capability to withstand large disruptions, especially in regions susceptible to large natural hazards. Here, a process is presented to model and simulate marine transport earthquake resilience for coastal communities. The model is created using the Graph Model for Operational Resilience. The approach includes the interdependent relationships of different infrastructure sectors and allows for estimation of recovery timelines following disruption. A case-study application in Southern British Columbia, Canada for freight and public transportation ferry service between mainland Vancouver and Vancouver Island is presented. The disruption scenario used in this case study is a magnitude nine Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. The step-by-step recovery timeline produced by the model can provide stakeholders with a concrete example of how recovery could unfold for their operations. The case-study results indicate that berth infrastructure recovery is often the key limiting factor for terminal recovery.

Optimal allocating and sizing of passenger ferry fleet in maritime transport

Ferry service represents an important geostrategic, economic and social issues for the coastal regions that are using this mode of transport to satisfy demands of domicile population and tourists. The existing analyses report the significance of ferry service as an alternative mode of transport in narrow places that have a limited road infrastructure. We investigate the organization of transport policy establishing regular passenger ferry fleet service among a given set of routes and predetermined passenger preferences within the defined planning horizon. A Mixed Integer Programming (MIP), more precisely Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation for deterministic optimization problem related to the maximization of ferry operator's profit is developed. It considers the passenger ferry fleet sizing taking into account the employment of the existing and subcontracted fleet. The proposed model can be used to optimally solve instances by using a commercial exact solver. To deal with hard examples, we used three matheuristic methods: Variable Neighborhood Branching (VNB), Variable Neighborhood Decomposition Search for 0-1 MIP (VNDS 0–1 MIP) and Variable Intensity Neighborhood Search (VINS). Our experimental results show that in most of the cases matheuristics produce solutions of equal or higher quality in less computational time compared to the commercial exact solver.

The study of safety behavior in ferry transport

This paper evaluates the effect of safety training, safety knowledge, and safety management on employees’ safety behavior at ferry services in Indonesia. Data were collected from completed questionnaires responded to by employees of ferry service companies in Indonesia, with 469 copies of valid questionnaires used for this analysis. Exploratory factor analysis is employed to identify variables included in the safety management dimension as well as in the safety communication, safety leadership, and safety commitment dimensions. Further explanation was derived by using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in examining the effects of safety training on safety behavior and the mediating effect of safety knowledge and safety management on the safety training for ensuring safety behavior. This paper also studies the moderating effect of personal awareness on safety practices on safety knowledge and safety management related to safety behavior. This research finds that the impact of technology on safety management is not significant unless it is followed up with safe procedures through safety management. In short, the study findings indicate that safety training has significant positive effects on employees’ safety behavior.

The influence of waiting time on the value of headway time on a ferry service in Norway

The value of headway time is travellers willingness to pay for a reduction in the length of the time intervals between departures on public transport services. As such, it is an important number when departure frequencies on such services are determined. Because waiting, according to the literature, gives rise to the emotions of anger and uncertainty it can be assumed that waiting time influences travellers willingness to pay for reduced headway. As such, it is the aim of this study to investigate the relationship between respondents waiting time at ferry terminals and their willingness to pay for reduced headway. The main finding is that the value of headway increases concavely with waiting time. That is, a marginal change in waiting time influences the valuation of headway positively. However, the effect is diminishing. This result implies that, all else equal, the welfare effect of reducing the length of the time interval between departures is greater on services with a long average waiting time than on those where the average waiting time is short.

Risk Evaluation of Ferry in the Bali Straits using FMEA Method

Improving marine safety of transportation is very important. The Bali Straits is a strategic area that connects between Java island and Bali island. This strait is categorized as a busy strait. Bali straits also categorized as a tourist area. The strait separates Java Island (in the west) and Bali Island (in the east). The Bali Strait is connected by ferry services to the Gilimanuk Port (in Bali) and the Ketapang Port (in Java). Marine traffic safety has given benefit for life. Total ferry operating in one day is around 32 ferries. In this study we have analyzed and evaluated risk of maritime traffic. FMEA method was developed in this paper. RPN value was determined by considering the variables O (occurrence), S (severity) and D (detection). Development of scenario was established to analyze the behavior of the accident risks, with respect to changes in the surrounding traffic condition, meteorological and geographical.

The impact of competitive tendering on operational costs and market concentration in public transport: The Norwegian car ferry services

The literature on how competitive tendering (CT) affects the operational costs of transportation services has been inconclusive; some concluded that it reduces operational costs, while others maintained that it increases or does not affect operational costs. We add to the literature by assessing the impact of CT on the operational costs of car ferry services in the case of Norway. Note the similarity with public transport: car ferries transport vehicles from one road point to another, like public transport does with passengers. Furthermore, we study the impact of CT on market concentration. The data comprises 53 ferry links across 8 years, yielding 424 observations. The results reveal that: (i) implementation of CT significantly lowered operational costs; and (ii) market concentration increased. These findings suggest that CT might not lead to free competition in the long run but rather to monopolistic/duopolistic tendencies, contrary to its intentions. We urge policymakers to reconsider CT carefully because its results could be counter to intentions.

Comparison of System Characteristics of the Guangzhou Water Transit System with Its International Peers

With ports having moved downriver, redevelopment of central city areas and waterfronts has transformed the urban centres and created new economic bases for once industrial cities. Water transit systems, such as New York’s East River and City-Wide Ferry services and Gothenburg’s harbor ferries, are being installed by economic development agencies as a device to stimulate further land development, provide tourism opportunities, and promote a new social engagement with the river. Guangzhou’s water transit system is the third largest in Asia by passenger volume, behind only Bangkok and Sydney. This paper describes the Guangzhou system in depth, comparing its operations favourably with the world’s leading water transit systems. Comparisons are made in vessel design, route design, terminals, operations, and fares. The Guangzhou case is distinctive, with a mixture of cross-river and parallel routes, and an especially unique approach to subsidy that may be an option for North American cities considering water transit. Opportunities to further improve the system in line with international trends are identified, as well as a research agenda to further the knowledge of water transit operations and regulation generally.

Responsible Ferry, Happy Employees, and Quality Services: The Study of Fair Transport in the Ferry Industry

In the context of ferry industry, fair transport is a new concept and under-researched in the academic research and industrial practitioners. The ferry operators overlook responsible ferry, happy employees, and quality services are crucial to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The role of fair transport is still ambiguous and unawareness of the society. Also, the government bodies, policymakers, and international organizations implement ineffective measures to support the idea of fair transport in a ferry industry. The paper mainly review the current ferry industry context for the new fair transport concept, and investigate the key roles of ferry operators and international organizations in the fair transport.
 
 
 

Infrastructure Improvements and Maize Market Integration: Bridging the Zambezi in Mozambique

Historically, transport infrastructure connecting the most agriculturally productive areas of Mozambique and the richer southern region has been poor. A primary bottleneck was an unreliable ferry service over the Zambezi river, addressed by construction of a road bridge in 2009. In this paper we identify the impact of this transport infrastructure enhancement on integration of national maize markets. Applying a dyadic regression approach, we find a significant narrowing of equilibrium price differences among market pairs that experienced a large relative reduction in journey times due to the new bridge. We also estimate that the elasticity of the absolute price differential with respect to intermarket driving times is around 30%. As such, the new bridge infrastructure enhanced market integration by shrinking the “internal border” at the river, but such benefits were spatially limited.

The Making of Post‐Post‐Soviet Ruins: Infrastructure Development and Disintegration in Contemporary Russia

Western journalists and photographers fetishize the infrastructural ruination of the former Soviet Union. While sites like abandoned railway stations are assumed to be artefacts of the country's collapse in 1991, many of these ruins are actually products of contemporary Russian state policies. This article critiques the way in which Soviet ruins are imagined as archaeological relics of a long-gone polity by examining the recent political processes that have generated infrastructural obsolescence long after the Soviet collapse. In pursuit of this aim, I draw on an analysis of texts and imagery depicting Soviet ruins and ethnographic fieldwork and observations in the Russian North and Far East. Specifically, I examine infrastructural construction and ruination in Vladivostok, where the federal government spearheaded a multibillion-dollar megaproject in advance of the 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit for which four new bridges were built. Residents of Podnozhye, a community located on an island to which one of the bridges extends, assert that its construction caused the discontinuation of their ferry service to Vladivostok, which consequently rendered infrastructure and amenities along the waterfront obsolete. This dynamic indicates that while ruins often denote the reversal of development, development itself can prompt decay and disintegration, too.

Main engine calculation for ferry Ro-Ro 500 DWT ship using electric propulsion

The development of the current design of electrical system to protect the environment in the world. The purpose of this research is to obtain an electric propulsion system and engine power needed by the Ferry RoRo 500 DWT ship. The analysis begins by calculating the total ship resistance using the software. Next, the calculation of determining the generator power is calculated by a mathematical method. Resistance of 500 DWT RORO ferry at 12 knots 67.7 kN service speed. The increase in ship resistance is affected by the volume of the hull below the waterline. The greater the volume the greater the value resistance ship to get. The power play engine generator required to fight the value of ship resistance at the ferry RORO service speed of 984.49 kW.

System and analytical research of the development of transport and technological systems of railway ferries

The object of research is the development processes of transport and technological systems of railway ferries as complex technical systems. In the course of the study, a systematic approach to solving the scientific and technical problem of increasing the efficiency of maintenance of railway ferry services is used, for which a graphical method is used to analyze the formation of cause and effect ties with the construction of Ishikawa diagrams. According to the most informational criterion, the reserve for accelerating the speed of railcars on railway ferries is selected – a qualitative characteristic of the efficient use of the railway fleet, which directly depends on the reduction of railway outages in the port area, is promising. The research results provide a multifaceted picture that shows the possibility of reducing the time spent on the ship at the port by increasing the technical level of organizational work with rolling stock on access roads and loading them on a ferry. It also affects the state of the material and technical base for servicing rolling stock and the port base for loading ferries, the compatibility of operations of dispatch services and the need for appropriate information support. However, the development of these areas is impossible without ensuring conditions for the reliability of railway automation, automation and telemechanics, as well as advanced training of personnel for their maintenance. The compatibility of operations of dispatch services is implemented through the use of flexible forms of organization of cargo flows with the preparation of an optimal cargo plan for loading a railway ferry. The implementation of information support should take into account the synchronization of the information systems of the railway and port, as well as the relationship of automation with the work of the ferry, constantly updated with new software products. Based on the analysis, a program of measures has been drawn up for the development of transport and technological systems of railway ferries.The obtained results are aimed at increasing the efficiency, validity and effectiveness of management work on the operation of means of transport and can be used in carrying out research work of other objects of railway-water communication, in particular port railways.