Inland Container Depots Research Articles

Exploring service quality of inland container depot-empirical evidence from the Red River Delta, Vietnam

Inland Container Depots (ICDs) are inland multi-modal terminals where goods in intermodal loading units can be transferred directly to seaports. The contribution of ICDs to regions’ economic and social growth is undeniable. To achieve the sustainable development of ICDs, evaluating and improving their service quality is critical. This study aims to investigate the factors contributing to the service quality of ICD in a developing country. The data utilized covers some ICDs in the Red River Delta, Vietnam. Regarding analytic methods, descriptive statistics first were run to show the level of aspects of service quality of ICDs. Subsequently, attitudinal statements were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis before linear regression was applied to recognize the factors influencing the service quality of ICDs. Generally, the service quality of ICDs was evaluated at an acceptable level but far from the high one. The results suggested that the four influential service quality factors included location and accessibility, facilities, process and management, and labor. Based on the findings of contributing factors, managerial implications were proposed.

Analysis of Constraints against Efficiency of Seaport-hinterland Logistics in Nigeria

Having realized that most Nigerian seaports are congested and the problem of moving goods have been difficult, the Federal Government through Bureau of Public Enterprises and Nigerian Shippers’ Council were mandated to identify Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and Container Freight Stations (CFSs) across the country with connectivity to rail transport. Since 2004 to date, these have mostly not been functioning. This paper therefore examined the constraints and possible factors responsible. The Nigerian Ports Authority, Road Haulage Association, Terminal Operators, selected Shipping companies were used as respondents. 34.1% (253) from the population of 743 respondents were sampled with the use of Cochran formula and stratified random sampling technique. Shaphiro Test and multiple regression were used to analyze the constraints against the use of ICDs and CFSs. Principal Component Analysis was used to extract the major factors hindering port-hinterland logistics in Nigeria. It was observed that 50% of general logistics constraints emanated from lack of efficient rail system, enforcement and finance combined. Extracted causative factors against port-hinterland movements of goods are: inadequate terminal capacity, parking and inadequacy of cargo handling facilities. The research concluded that both general constraints and causative factors are to be looked into with stringent policy enforcement.

Inland Container Depots and Port Congestion in Nigeria

Inland Container Depots and Port Congestion in Nigeria

Integrated Location Selection and Scheduling Problems for Inland Container Transportation

Well-organized network configuration is the key to the success of inland container transportation systems. In this study, we firstly propose an integrated framework for the location selection of inland container depots (ICDs) and the scheduling of containers and trucks. The objective is to minimize the total cost of setting up the ICDs and transportation cost associated with trucks and containers. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed to solve the proposed problem. The computational studies show that the proposed decision approach is effective and can reduce the total operating costs of ICDs and transportation costs of containers. Sensitivity analysis on the impact of customer distributions and the number of ICDs on the total cost are conducted to reveal the characteristics of the problem. The utilization of ICDs can significantly improve the efficiency of the transportation network, i.e., the total cost is reduced by at least 27% for the proposed instances, and the transportation distance of empty containers is reduced by at least 4%. Finally, managerial insights and future research directions are provided.

Inter-terminal transportation for an offshore port integrating an inland container depot

Offshore ports, which are located on islands or away from the hinterland, are usually connected with the hinterland via bridges for truck transportation. With the rapid growth of port throughput, the bridges are likely to become a bottleneck restricting the development of port business. Inland container depots (ICD) have been introduced as satellite terminals to address congestion issues on bridges by allowing a proportion of drayage trucks to pick up and drop off containers at the ICD instead of going to the container terminals of the offshore ports. Containers are transported between the ICD and container terminals by inter-terminal transportation (ITT) trucks owned by port authorities. The ICD is expected to mitigate the bridge congestion by transferring the travel demands of drayage trucks in peak hours to the travel demands of ITT trucks in off-peak hours. We propose a methodology for analyzing the influence of ICDs on port efficiency. An integer linear programming model is developed to optimize the movements of containers, drayage trucks and ITT trucks in an offshore port area with the objective of minimizing the costs of drayage trucks and ITT trucks and the penalty for late delivery of containers. Two model transformation approaches are proposed to reduce the solution space of the model for improving the computational efficiency of the algorithm. The influence of ICDs on port efficiency is evaluated through a real-world case study using the proposed methodology. The results provide insights for port authorities to make strategic decisions.

Economic justification for development and operationalization of rail-freight-corridors between hub-seaports and inland container depots in Nigeria

The obsolesce and decay of rail transport infrastructure linking major seaports Cities to hinterland cargo origin and destination centers serviced via the seaports and the total lack of rail infrastructure connection between some hub seaports and the hinterland cargo centers in Nigeria induces enormous economic setback. Most rail routes from seaports to the inland container depots (ICDs) in all the geopolitical zones of the Country are currently inoperable. Government’s recent attempt to develop and make operable the rail routes is faced with funding challenges necessitating the need for a Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach in which government provides regulation and enablement while private sector operators fund the projects. This study was aimed at providing economic justification for private sector investment in developing, revitalizing and making operable, the rail-freight-corridors between hub-seaports and inland container depots in Nigeria. It estimated the operator-benefits and profitability potentials of investment in each of the ten rail-freight-corridors consisting of existing but inoperable and proposed rail routes from Lagos, Port-Harcourt/Onne, Warri and Calabar seaports to the Inland container depots in different geopolitical regions of Nigeria. Secondary data on the import and export (cargo generation) capacities of each of the ICD regions to and from the respectively connected hub-seaport were obtained from the Nigerian ports authority statistical report covering a period of two years (2018 – 2019) based upon which the annual expected revenue earnings of the operators (investment) were estimated as a product of the total annual TEU handled by each route and the price of delivering per TEU from the seaport to the ICD region. The cost of investment in developing and operating each rail-freight-corridor as determined in previous studies for the Nigerian Shippers Council for the same period were also obtained. Benefit-Cost-Ratio (BCR) and Net Present Value (NPV) tools were used to estimate the operator-benefits and profitability potentials of each rail route within the period using 10% interest rate. It was found that six of the rail routes have BCR > 1; and NPV>0; implying higher operator-benefits over costs within the period. The rail-routes from Lagos seaport to Gombe and Bauchi; Warri seaport to Aba; and Calabar seaport to Kano have BCR <1; and NPV <0; implying higher operator-costs over benefits and unprofitability of the routes within the first two years of service delivery. It was recommended that the PPP terms for rail freight corridors with BCR <1 and NPV<0, should have a higher contract period than the other routes to enable the private investor have a higher payback period to recoup the cost of investment and earn profit.

Economic Justification for Development and Operationalization of Rail-Freight-Corridors Between Hub-Seaports and Inland Container Depots in Nigeria

Abstract The study provided economic justification for private sector investment in developing, revitalizing and making operable, the rail-freight-corridors between hub-seaports and inland container depots in Nigeria. It estimated the operator-benefits and profitability potentials of investment in each of the ten rail-freight-corridors consisting of existing but inoperable and proposed rail routes from the major seaports to the Inland container depots in different geopolitical regions of Nigeria. Secondary data on the import and export (cargo generation) capacities of each of the ICD regions to and from the respectively connected hub-seaport were obtained from the Nigerian ports authority statistical report covering a period of two years (2018 – 2019) based upon which the annual expected revenue earnings of the operators were estimated. The cost of investment was also obtained. Benefit-Cost-Ratio (BCR) and Net Present Value (NPV) were used to estimate the operator-benefits and profitability potentials of each rail route. It was found that six of the rail routes have BCR > 1; and NPV>0; implying higher operator-benefits over costs within the period while four of the rail-routes have BCR <1; and NPV <0; implying higher operator-costs over benefits.

Container depot location problem in the frame of the Polish part of the New Silk Road

The Chinese project One Belt One Road, in Europe often referred to as the New Silk Road, triggers infrastructural investments enabling seamless transportation of goods on the Eurasian route. Since most of these goods are transported in containers, the optimal location of inland container depots, where containers wait for future repositioning after they had been emptied at the importers, is an interesting problem. In this paper conditions determining the optimal location of inland container depots in the Polish part of the NSR are analysed. They include proximity of container transhipment terminals located on the Polish stretch of the NSR, structure of highway network enabling distribution of containers by trucks to other destinations, as well as green aspects mainly referring to avoidance of city congestion caused by trucks transporting containers.

Critical factors that impact on the efficiency of the Lagos seaports

Background: Since the past two decades, the Lagos seaports have experienced vessel and storage yard cargo congestion, resulting in dwell times of about 30 days for containerised imports and high trade logistics costs.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify the critical factors that impact the operational efficiency of the Lagos seaports with a view to improving liner trade activities.Method: The study adopted an operational-based approach to understand the dynamics of the various interfaces of the port value chain. The research paradigm adopted for the study was therefore a combination of constructivism and post-positivism paradigms, which entailed the exploration and understanding of the various stakeholders in the port value chain. The epistemology of the research relied on the use of the exploratory sequential mixed method research technique (i.e. the qualitative approach followed by the quantitative approach) at the operational level of port operations.Results: The result of the research showed that significant challenges exist and that some of these challenges cut across all functions of port operations. Challenges are experienced in the areas of corruption, trade fraud, transport infrastructure deficits, the absence of a supply chain culture and shortcomings in the execution of the ‘contract of customs’. Additionally, these factors include the deficiencies in services and facilities provided by state agencies and government-appointed service providers and private sector companies such as truckers, inland container depots, Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and terminal operators.Conclusion: Specific recommendations are made to address the issues identified which, if implemented, could significantly address the current inefficiencies observed in the Lagos seaport’s operations.

Thar ICD Layout

To reduce congestion at the ports, Inland Container Depots (ICDs) facilitates intermediate handling, storage, and delivery of containers from the customer premises to the container terminals and vice versa. The design of an ICD such as the location of the functional areas such as bonded and debonded warehouse, railway siding, weighbridge etc affects the turnaround times for storage and retrieval. Further, the number of resources such as reach-stackers affects the throughput capacity of an ICD. Through this case, the participants should understand the ICD operations and the system design elements.

Study on Transport Scheme for Easing Congestion in and around Port - Take Colombo Port as an Example

Considering the traffic congestion happened on the roads around Colombo Port, this paper first analyzed the existing problems of Colombo Port. 3 schemes are presented to ease its congestion and comparison is made between them to get the best one. Through this comparison, the scheme that building inland container depots (ICDs) and dock rails is proved to be the best one. Finally, we roughly calculated the cost the road and railway transport in ICDs and draw a conclusion that constructing ICDs can save much money in near future operation.

PInland container depot integration into logistics networks based on network flow model: The Tanzanian perspective

In response to increasing container volumes, congestion and capacity constraints; ports have embarked on implementation of inland container depots (ICDs) as capacity enhancement strategy. Determination of optimal routing of containers, depot location and number of depots to insert in the logistics network is a challenge faced by many ports today. This paper presents a network flow optimization model for container depot integration in multi-stage logistics network with direct shipment constraints. LINGO mathematical modeling language is used for programming and solving the model using Dar es Salaam port in Tanzania as a case study. The model evaluates various flow scenarios and simultaneously determines container routing options as well as the optimal number of depots to include in the network in order to attain minimal total cost. Partial integration approach is proven by computational result to be a superior strategy for ICD integration into the freight network. Key words: Inland container depot (ICD), dry ports, network flow optimization, partial integration, cleaning approach, Dar es Salaam Port, Tanzania.

Measurement of Delay Factors in Container Ports of a Developing Economy: A study of Lagos Container Terminal, Nigeria

This paper focuses on measuring the influence of delay causative variables /factors on the turnaround time of ships in a container terminal in Lagos, Nigeria using the respondents’ perceptions as a tool of data collection of the research. The rankings of the respondents relative to each of the causative factors were cumulated and termed the independent variables (X 1 – X 10 ), while the average turnaround time of ships represents the dependent variable (γ). Using multi- regression model, the Beta coefficient of the various delay causative factors was calculated to determine the weight of each of the factors on the delay value observed. This led to the identification of critical factors relative to delay at the port. The most significant output of the study is the modeling of the relationship existing between the dependent variable (γ), the turnaround time of ships at the port and the independent variables (delay causative factors X 1 – X 10 ). The output model serves as a predictive tool to forecast delay in the port. The study identified variables X 5 , X 6 , X 8 , X 7 as critical factors relative to delays in the port. The study suggests that the number of government agencies present at the port be reduced to almost three to tackle the problem of corruption. Also there is the need to establish inland container depots and cargo stations outside the port premises in the hinterland of the port to discourage the handling of cargo and container documentations inside the port. Keywords : Turnaround time of ships, Delay, Causative delay factors, Cumulative, Rankings Multi-regression analysis, Perception

Users& Perspective on Inland Container Depots in Rajasthan

This study deals with the users' perception on Inland Container Depots (ICDs) in Rajasthan. It is an attempt to understand that how far the users of ICDs are satisfied with the procedures, documentations, storage, facilities and amenities and the control of time to maintain quality service used by Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation. The study concludes that there are several things to be updated and upgraded to bring the overall satisfaction amongst the users. The implication of the study is that these state owned institutions must adopt competitive strategies to meet the challenges of change in the area of international management.

Port development: from gateways to logistics hubs

Since the UNCTAD three generation port development model was proposed in 1990, changes in technology, working practices and the commercial environment have led to tighter and more sophisticated linkages between service providers, facilitators, operators and end customers. This was explored in more detail in the WORKPORT model which highlighted the way in which ports and the services they provide develop in an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary way. The political dimension can also play a lead role in port evolutionary paths, as the port is often seen both as a vital part of the supply chain and as a natural focus for regional development and employment initiatives. Depending on the type and form of cargo, customer requirements and other factors such as the degree to which ports are tied to a particular distribution channel varies. Ports remain convenient stockholding locations but where they have been made more responsive is in tailoring services to individual customers’ needs, thus becoming more agile. The role of ports within the supply chain has taken several different forms and development paths. In the UK the early expression of port logistics was in the form of intermodal facilities linked to the railway network and with emphasis on transport rather than value addition. Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and P&O Roadways Container Logistics Containerbases are examples of these traditional and conservative forms of activity. European approaches have been somewhat different building on their advantage of high volumes and proximity to very large ports. The development of Distriparks and company specific facilities such as Districenters (Nedlloyd) are classic examples of landlord-tenant solutions often seen in continental Europe. Most recently there has been evidence of convergence between the UK and continental models. Associated British Ports (ABP), for example, launched their ABP Connect Division in 2001 aimed at offering Fourth Party Logistics services tailored to individual port customers’ needs. The prospective development of large distripark-style facilities in the UK, e.g. at Hull and London Gateway, represents the latest stage in the evolutionary role of ports in the logistics chain.

Nigerian Concept Of Bonded Warehouses And Dry Ports

This is a historical and structural analysis of the Nigerian concept of bonded warehouses and Inland Container Depots (ICDs).. The bonded warehouse in Nigeria is a strategic expansion of ordinary warehouses that are usually developed in the ports and related cities, strictly meant for safe-keeping of cargoes for owners before final take-over by consignees after payment of some customs duties. A bonded warehouse and ICDs are seen as mini-ports or an extension of a port, where usual ports operations take place. A custom bonded warehouse is a building or other secured areas in which dutiable goods may be stored, manipulated or undergo manufacturing operations, customs inspections while examinations are carried out and correct duties paid. This paper will attempt to x-ray the socio-economic justifications of the establishment of bonded warehouses and ICDs in terms of increased productivity, cargo-throughput, efficiency and development of the society at large. Keywords: Bonded warehouse; dry ports; congestion; policy inconsistency JORIND Vol. 6 (1) 2008: pp. 5-5