Inland Port Research Articles

Research on Coordinated Development of Nanjing Port Logistics and Hinterland Economy Based on Gray Correlation Analysis

Zhou, L., 2020. Research on coordinated development of Nanjing Port logistics and hinterland economy based on gray correlation analysis. In: Hu, C. and Cai, M. (eds.), Geo-informatics and Oceanography. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 105, pp. 215–218. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Nanjing Port is the largest inland port in China, and it has played an important role in politics and economy for more than a thousand years. This paper takes Nanjing Port as the research object and analyzes the correlation between its port and container handling capacities and its gross production, gross industrial output value, total profit of large-scale industrial enterprises, gross output value of the construction industry, fixed asset investment, total retail sales of consumer goods, and total imports and exports. Suggestions put forward include optimizing its functions and enlarging its infrastructure construction and industrial park so as to further promote its development.

Spatial, temporal and institutional characteristics of entry strategies in inland container terminals: A comparison between Yangtze River and Rhine River

Recent decades have brought a growing commitment of investors in the (co-)funding and management of inland terminals, particularly container terminals. However, the actors involved, the forms of third-party entry and the emerging partnerships in inland terminals have only been investigated on a fragmented basis in inland port research. To complement existing inland port research on governance, management and spatial development, this paper analyses entry strategies of actors in inland container terminals on the Rhine and Yangtze in terms of their spatial, temporal and institutional characteristics. The unit of analysis in this paper is the inland container terminal, not necessarily the entire inland port (which might have more than one terminal). The entry strategies and the drivers behind these strategies are examined using a conceptual framework focused on five questions, i.e. who, where, when, why and which way. The empirical application is based on a large dataset of all container terminals on the Rhine and Yangtze. Our findings suggest clear differences between the two rivers in terms of the type of operators, the sequence of inland port development and also the major actors shaping the inland terminal landscape. Despite these differences, there is also some level of similarity, including a low presence of international players, the absence of deepsea (landlord) port authorities and observed waves of single acquisition, multiple-site acquisition, and capital entry in the terminals. Government policies, institutional frameworks and the nature of shipping network development are determinants of inland port investment and the entry strategies adopted by relevant actors. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the drivers and contextual environment guiding entry strategies in inland ports and can help policy makers and port operators in inland rivers to assess and benchmark their strategy. The paper adds to existing literature by considering spatiotemporal aspects of terminal ownership and the strategic considerations of and institutional drivers and impediments to the inland terminal strategies of the corresponding actors.

An analysis on the triadic connection between seaports, inland terminals and hinterland market

ABSTRACT Malaysian seaports face challenges of capacity utilisation due to unbalanced regional economic development. Additionally, the resulting challenge from mega shipping alliances may have effects on Malaysian seaports’ competitiveness in the Southeast Asia region. To improve the existing space capacity, infrastructure and connectivity, seaports have moved forward by developing collaborative networks with other seaports in the same region or beyond the region to facilitate and boost trade without massive investments. Given the fact that Malaysian seaports are adopting co-operative strategies and there is limited academic research in seaport co-operation in the Malaysian context, this paper examines the forms of Malaysian seaport co-operation. It investigates factors driving co-operation in new and existing seaports. This paper firstly reviews relevant literature in order to classify the forms of seaport co-operation in Malaysia. Furthermore, the authors conduct a questionnaire survey of key seaport stakeholders (seaport organisations, shipping lines, shippers, inland port operators and port authorities and government officials) to investigate forms of, and the driving factors for, seaport co-operation. The findings provide an insight into seaport managers and government officials for decision-making related to strategies for seaport co-operation.

A Location-Routing Problem with Market Competition for Designing Inland Port Urban Delivery Network

Wang, X.F. and Yang, F., 2020. A location-routing problem with market competition for designing inland port urban delivery network. In: Guido Aldana, P.A. and Kantamaneni, K. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Coastal Management, and Marine Science Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 104, pp. 333–338. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.To effectively design an inland port urban delivery network for a logistics company, a nonlinear integer programming model for the location-routing problem with market competition (LRPMC) is presented. This problem seeks to construct an efficient logistics network to provide flexible and high quality delivery service for customers, so as to minimize operation cost, and maximize market shares. The logistics company can simultaneously provide two flexible delivery services: home delivery and customer pickup, and its market shares captured can be deduced from the patron behavior in competitive market. To solve the model, a hybrid heuristic algorithm combining genetic algorithm and local search is proposed. Based on the computational performances of real-world instance, the results show the proposed model formulation and heuristic approach are effective.

Have PPP Project Improved the Efficiency of Medical Facilities Supply? : The Example of Inland Port Urban

Pei, J.P. and Lian, C., 2020. Have PPP project improved the efficiency of medical facilities supply?: The example of inland port urban. In: Guido Aldana, P.A. and Kantamaneni, K. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Coastal Management, and Marine Science Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 104, pp. 967–971. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.To further explore the influence of PPP project on the supply efficiency of medical facilities, the PSM-DID method is adopted to make an empirical test of the supply efficiency of medical facilities in PPP projects on the basis of theoretical analysis. The results of this paper show that PPP project is still an important policy tool to make up for the shortage of public investment and promote the reform of medical and health undertakings. We should focus on increasing the construction and support of high-quality, high-tech PPP medical and health projects, provide more high-quality medical resources, and further promote the reform of the medical and health system mechanism.

The development modes of inland ports: theoretical models and the Chinese cases

ABSTRACT This paper examines the development modes of inland ports based on the economic models and the Chinese empirical cases. After reviewing the recent policies in China, four modes, i.e., the government-driven mode, the seaport-driven, the market-driven mode and the corridor-effect mode, are established to describe the development of Chinese inland ports from the perspective of the driving forces. Moreover, we setup an economic model to compare them and conclude that (1) the seaport-driven mode promotes the larger inland port than the corridor-effect mode and the market-driven mode; (2) if the marginal capacity investment cost is low or the efficiency of the inland port is high enough, the corridor-effect mode leads to higher social welfare than the market-driven mode and the seaport-driven mode; (3) whether the government-driven mode promotes the larger inland port and higher social welfare than the other modes depends on the positive externality from the inland port to the social welfare; (4) The ‘Go west’ policy and the Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) promote the inland port capacity under all modes. Whether the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and the port integration promote the inland port capacity depends on the port efficiency improvement after the implementation of these policies.

Research on Competitiveness Evaluation of Major Inland Ports in China

This paper constructs the competitiveness evaluation model and indicator system of inland port from three aspects of infrastructure, production capacity and development environment. The competitiveness of 31 major ports in the four river systems is measured by analytic hierarchy process and correlation coefficient method. According to the competitiveness evaluation results, K-means clustering analysis is carried out for inland ports by SPSS software. The results show that the competitiveness of inland ports in China is relatively low, and there is a significant gap between the competitiveness of ports in the same river system and different river systems. Each port has its own competitive sources. Highlighting the development advantages of each port and making up for the shortcomings will help to improve the efficiency of port resource allocation. At the same time, suggestions are put forward to improve the competitiveness of inland ports.

Improving the freight transport of a developing economy: a case of Boankra inland port

PurposeShippers and Freight Forwarding Agents spend much time clearing their cargo from the Ghanaian ports. As a result, the cost of doing business in Ghana through the Tema and Takoradi ports is high. This research investigates the potential impact the establishment of an inland port will have on a reduction in congestion at the Tema and Takoradi ports and on the efficiency of the freight transport system.Methodology/approachThis study used questionnaires to gather data through an experience survey conducted at the Ghana Sea Ports and Boankra inland port.FindingsThe study found out that for the inland Port to work effectively, there should be a connection from the Boankra inland port to the Takoradi and Tema Sea Ports as well as the container depots of the neighboring landlocked Sub-Saharan African Countries.. The study discovered that the implementation of the Boankra inland port will result in the decongestion and efficiency of Ghanaian seaports. Factors such as the increase in skills and experience of personnel; the use of management information systems; formulation of programmes and policies in decongesting the two main Ghanaian seaports; enhanced road network; adaptation of new technologies in the cargo handling process; and reduced bureaucracy in clearing processes at the ports are arbitrating factors through which the establishment of the Boankra inland port may have an impact on the seaports and the Freight transport industry at large. It was found that the challenges which may impede the improvement of freight transport in Ghana are inefficiencies and distortions in the trading system; unnecessary bureaucratic clearing processes; weak regulatory framework; Poor quality control;, inadequate staff; political interference, and lack of capital. It was found that for the Boankra Inland Port to be efficient, the officials and stakeholders must be trained; the various institutions in the transport chain must be empowered; corruption among port officials must be managed; there must be minimal political interference in the port operations; there must be more investment into the freight transport system; and there must be trade regulations to govern the freight transport system.OriginalityThis novel study differentiates itself from existing studies on Port System by focusing on inland ports in Africa and their influence on the efficiency and decongestion of seaports.

The Impact of Logistics Infrastructure Development in China on the Promotion of Sino-Korea Trade: The Case of Inland Port under the Belt and Road Initiative

Purpose - This study investigates the impact of inland port development in China on the promotion of bilateral trade flows between China and South Korea. Design/methodology - The probable association between the establishment of inland ports and SinoKorea trade was estimated using gravity models. In this regards, two sets of data were collected. The first dataset consists of the baseline variables of a gravity model, while the second one includes variables of logistics infrastructure development. The indicators of logistics infrastructure development include inland ports, the amount of government expenditure on transport infrastructure, the lengths of roads and railways, the number of trucks and the number of logistics industry workforce. Findings - The results show that inland port development has a positive impact on facilitating bilateral trade between China and South Korea. However, the positive association holds only for Chinese regions with a large trade volume and a proximity to seaports. In other regions, the impact of inland ports is not statistically significant. Originality/value - To the best knowledge of the authors, this study is the first attempt to explore the economic impact of inland ports in China. In addition, the findings in this paper provide both policy and managerial implications for the future development of inland ports, such as the strategic location of inland ports and integrated intermodal operations.

AIR EMISSIONS FROM IN-LAND ACTIVITIES OF CHITTAGONG PORT OF BANGLADESH

The study was conducted to estimate and describe air emissions generated from April 2017 to March 2018 by the in-land activities and cargo transportation of the Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, using activity-based approach. These emission sources include cargo handling equipment, head trucks and locomotives. The pollutants focused in this study are categorized into two groups: criteria pollutants consisting NOx, CO, SO2, Particulate matters and Black carbon, and greenhouse pollutants consisting of CO2, CH4 and N2O. Head trucks are the major sources of all air emission (NOx 91.35%, CO 94.83%, PM10 62.11%, PM2.5 60.47% and CO2e 98.73%), demanding serious consideration to this sector. The locomotives cause the least emission among all sources and can be used as a tool to reduce emission from head trucks. About 3478.04 tonne NOx, 1134.22 tonne CO, 31.09 tonne PM10, 30.97 tonne PM2.5, 22.82 tonne SO2, 23.88 tonne Black carbon, and 5141319.71 tonne of CO2e were released in the atmosphere during the study period due to the in-land port activities.

Port Of The Inland Waterways

Inland water harbor is a port located in the inland waters of a large river that can be navigated, canal / river or in a lake. The inland port can function like a seaport with various loading and unloading activities including container ships, tankers, roro ships and so on like the Boom Baru port in Palembang, Trisakti Port located in the suburbs of Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan Province, is located on the banks of the Barito River, about 20 miles from the mouth of the Barito River at position 03 "20" 18 "LS, 114" 34 "48" East. Banjarmasin port is a major supporter of sea transportation which directly or indirectly plays an active role in the economic development of South Kalimantan Province. Because through inland waters usually the draft ship is not too deep depending on the river being passed.

Inland waterway ports selection and evaluation using stochastic analytical hierarchy process

ABSTRACT Inland waterway ports are an integral part of a country’s transportation system and the overall economy it supports. Though these ports support and contribute to a country’s import-export business and transportation economy, little attention is paid, primarily on the characterisation of these inland waterway ports. In this paper, we develop a systematic, multi-criteria, multi-personnel decision making approach, referred to as stochastic Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), that can be used to characterise inland waterway ports and to identify the factors that contribute most towards a port’s performance and overall utilisation. This robust method can successfully handle judgment errors, biases, and inconsistencies, while reducing the uncertainty associated with decision-making. We use the state of Mississippi’s inland waterways system as a testbed to visualise and validate the modelling results. Results indicate that the Mississippi River ports demonstrate less capability over the ports located along the Tennessee-Tombigbee waterway, based on the criteria used as a part of this study. A number of sensitivity analyses were performed, including additional investments, augmenting dredging capabilities, and introducing new businesses, to reveal managerial insights about the selection of inland waterway ports in Mississippi.

CONNECTING THE NORTHERN ANDES AND THE ATLANTIC. THE ROLE OF INLAND PORTS IN NEW GRANADA'S INTERREGIONAL TRADE (1770-1809)

ABSTRACTThis paper analyses the role of Mompox in New Granada's interregional trade during the late colonial period. It focuses on the value, structure and destination of exports of domestic goods from Mompox to markets on the Atlantic and the Andes. By unearthing unexplored sources, this paper provides evidence that will help to understand, indirectly, some issues such as the nature and timing of economic growth, the degree of regional specialisation and, above all, the role of inland ports in the economic geography of the viceroyalty. The paper contends, first, that the region experienced a boom–bust cycle during the late colonial period. The export of domestic goods doubled between 1770 and 1800 but subsequently collapsed during the 1802-1809 years. Second, evidence suggests that the region experienced a process of market deepening and widening. Trade flows, then, played a larger role in shaping the economic history of the region than previously thought.

Sustainability Reporting for Inland Port Managing Bodies: A Stakeholder-Based View on Materiality

Sustainability reporting has been marked by a rise in importance in recent years as it has proved to be an important management tool in the understanding of where an organization is situated along the sustainability pathway. However, industries have shown different behaviors towards embracing this practice. In this paper, we turn our attention to the port industry, using the metropolitan inland Port of Brussels (Belgium) as a case study. Given the contested nature of port activities within urban regions, metropolitan inland ports are expected to benefit from the development of a sustainability report as it allows a more transparent account of the contribution of port activities to the objectives of different stakeholder groups in the urban environment. The case study is based on a survey yielding 74 valid responses from different stakeholder groups (employees, clients, and broader society). Our results show that the expected content of a sustainability report is viewed differently by these various stakeholder groups in terms of the relative importance of the dimensions of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), as well as in terms of the specific indicators representing material issues. Furthermore, the concept of boundary setting with respect to the different dimensions of the TBL and the desired level of inclusion by stakeholders during the development of a sustainability report are differently assessed. The paper is of interest to academics as well as policy makers, as the research results complement the existing insights on sustainability reporting in general and can be used as basis to stimulate the adoption of sustainability reporting by inland ports.

Modeling and assessing interdependencies between critical infrastructures using Bayesian network: A case study of inland waterway port and surrounding supply chain network

The evolution of international supply chains have created a constant need for the transportation of goods through maritime transport. This mode of transport has been beneficial through its efficiency in the mobility of a large quantities of merchandise. In this context, inland waterway ports are one of the mainstays of the maritime transportation network. The aim of this paper is (1) to model and assess the interdependency between inland port infrastructure and its surrounding supply chain and (2) to show how the disturbance in one will have a ripple effect and trigger cascading failures in the entire network. To comprehend this interconnectedness, we outline three thorough interdependency types: geographic, service provision, and access for repair. After these interdependency types are validated, the factors related to port disruption and its supply chain performance are identified, and the Bayesian network is applied to visualize the interdependency among these factors. The quantification of interdependency is examined, and the results are profoundly analyzed through different advanced techniques such as belief propagation and sensitivity analysis. The general interpretation of these analyses entails that environmental factors and supplier responsiveness are imperative to port disruption and supply chain performance, respectively.

A Novel Intelligent Shore-to-Ship Power Supply System Using Collaborative Motor Control

In this paper, a novel type of intelligent cable lifting device for shore-to-ship power connection system is proposed. By analyzing the shortcomings of the commonly used lifting methods in inland port, the structure and control circuit of the new cable lifting device are designed based on motor collaborative control. The reliability and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy are verified by establishing the mathematical model of the motor and Simulink software simulation analysis. The cable lifting device can adjust the cable delivery position in inland port. At the same time, it can significantly reduce manual operation and improve the efficiency of shore-to-ship power connection operation.

인천 내항 통합사 출범에 따른 만족도 조사 연구

Since the start of the terminal operating company(TOC) system in Incheon''s inland port, various measures have been discussed to stabilize the management of the operator following the continuous decrease in volume since 2007. However, as the company experienced difficulties in the current state of operation both internally and externally, it was decided that the integration of the TOC, which had been discussed as a way to improve the management of the Incheon inland port operator. As a result, it was launched in 2018. This study was intended to quantify the qualitative satisfaction level of the service by investigating the post-integration satisfaction level of customers using the Incheon port following the launch of the integrated company. In addition, the purpose of the project is to collect diverse Voice Of Customer(VOC) to discover logistics process improvement factors and improve satisfaction level. The satisfaction survey was divided into three major factors: ''sales service'', ''port operation service'' and ''port authorities service''. The average satisfaction level, or “port authorities service,” was 54.4, the highest in three categories. The results of the ''sales service'' average satisfaction survey showed 51.8 points, and the ''port operation service'' had the lowest average satisfaction score with 50.0. This study is the first integrated the case of a single company in line with the government''s initiative, and it is believed that it can contribute to the development of port logistics with the launch of a successful fully integrated corporation by reflecting the economic effects, productivity comparison analysis, qualitative indicators of satisfaction, and preference when integrating into other ports.

Employment effects and efficiency of ports

Expected increasing transport volumes in Germany and Europe, combined with increasing sustainability requirements, lead to a prospective major role of sea and inland ports in future transport systems. But especially for inland ports this increased expectations more and more lead to conflicts regarding port property denomination as city development heavily pursues non-transport and non-industry dedications, e.g., with high-scale living quarters, recreation and office space concepts like, e.g., in Düsseldorf, Cologne or Duisburg. This research contribution outlines a quantitative analysis of this economic conflict of interest - in contrast to existing research, based mainly on qualitative arguments - especially for public inland port authorities and the main objective of employment effects using the cost-benefit analysis method.

Container barge network development in inland rivers: A comparison between the Yangtze River and the Rhine River

Abstract The formation of barge networks on rivers and associated inland port systems is subject to a complex set of influencing factors and mechanisms. This paper aims to present a comprehensive comparative empirical analysis focusing on the container shipping (barge) network in the Yangtze and the Rhine. This analysis is supported by extensive datasets on both river basins, incorporates the latest development on both rivers and is grounded on concepts and methods coming from transport geography and economic geography. We find that a large diversity might exist in how inland port systems and related gateway seaports are dealing with cargo flows and supply chains. In view of explaining this diversity, we make a distinction between geographical/nautical aspects, macro-economic factors and institutional/governance factors. In particular, we discuss the role of institutional and governance factors in barge network development by using the concepts of selection, retention and variation.

Directional inland port development: Powerful strategies for inland ports beyond the inside-out/outside-in dichotomy

Considerable scientific attention has been paid to inland port research and many of the papers are driven by an Outside-In perspective where the seaport is often regarded as leader and the inland port as follower. Increasingly, Inside-Out approaches where inland ports themselves are taking the initiative are receiving scientific attention. However, it is argued that both processes can be at play simultaneously within the same port and that these processes are reinforcing each other. The focus of this paper is therefore on defining powerful strategies for inland ports also from an Inside-Out and bi-directional perspective. We observe that not all developments connected to inland ports acting as extended gates for seaports are positive: for inland ports traffic conditions might worsen, and external effects increase (i.e. seaport problems are ‘exported’ inland). New powerful strategies for inland ports are amongst others: redefining their role versus seaports with a central role for the inland port, governments should give more attention to the inland port and seek the development of strategic plans and strategies for the inland port as to realize their own objectives. Seaports and container carriers increasingly seek partly ownership of inland ports and terminals and inland port themselves should analyze if these developments suit their ambitions. Inland ports could also develop network strategies that not solely focus on the closest seaports but also consider adjacent inland ports. Cooperation with other inland ports can also be developed into a strategy that strengthens the role of the inland port versus seaports.