Intermodal Transport Chain Research Articles

Evaluation of intermodal transport chain: Case of importing tires through a China-Balkans routes

Within the context of global trade, logistics chains face the complex task of bridging significant geographic distances while simultaneously striving to increase their efficiency and sustainability. A significant portion of global logistics chains relies on maritime transport in the initial phase, followed by road, rail, or river transport in the subsequent continental phase. Road transport, however, is associated with various ecological and operational drawbacks. In contrast, intermodal transport (IT) provides an efficient solution by integrating multiple modes of transportation. The key challenge of IT applications remains the determination of the best combination of transport modes, technologies, and routes. Consequently, this paper aims to identify the most favorable alternative to the intermodal transport chain (ITC) for the import of tires from China to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). Since selecting the most favorable alternative to the ITC requires an analysis of conflicting objectives and criteria, the use of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) becomes essential in addressing this challenge. The paper presents a new MCDM model that combines the fuzzy DELPHI analytical hierarchy process (fuzzy DAHP) and the fuzzy Axial-Distance-based Aggregated Measurement (fuzzy ADAM) methods. The applicability and effectiveness of the model were demonstrated and confirmed by a case study. The results indicate that the best variants are those that combine maritime, rail, and road transportation through the Port of Koper (with a ranking value of 0.339) and Rijeka (0.289), followed by the variants that combine maritime and road transportation through the same ports (0.241 and 0.222, respectively). The rest of the variants have significantly lower performances.

CURRENT STATE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS OF TRANSPORT SERVICE STAKEHOLDERS AND END-CUSTOMERS IN THE INTERMODAL TRANSPORT CHAIN

Despite all the measures already taken and those still underway, pollution remains a major global problem, as the transport sector is the one where emissions are expected to increase in the coming years. Companies and policy makers are under increasing pressure to reduce the impact of their logistics activities in order to make transportation more environmentally friendly. One of the solutions to reduce emissions from intermodal transport is to choose the “right” mode of transport for each step in the transport chain. Such a measure increases the complexity of the transport chain and places an additional burden on transport companies in planning and organising transport for the entire transport chain. Additional difficulties arise from the fragmentation of information on emissions emitted for a single transport link and the lack of a unified approach to measuring and estimating transport chain emissions. As a result, this work finds that there is a lack of knowledge among users about the environmental impacts of transportation, despite the desire to contribute to greener transportation by paying more for a product or transportation service. The current research fills the gap in stakeholders’ understanding of the negative environmental impacts for individual transportation and for the entire transport chain. In addition, the study reveals a need for a systematically regulated and adapted way of informing users of intermodal transport chains due to the lack of transparency and comparison between different intermodal transport chains. To successfully address the challenges, the study proposes a 2-pillar approach. The 1st pillar approach focuses on designing a set of necessary measures (combination of top-down and bottom-up approach) for the transition to a low-carbon transport chain, while the 2nd pillar mainly focuses on mapping the level of green transport for easy comparison of similar products or services. The results of the research study show that the combination of numerical data with symbolic data is best suited to provide information on the level of green transport.

Supply chain engineering: Considering parameters for sustainable overseas intermodal transport of small consignments

An increasingly environmentally conscious global economy is placing new demands on supply chain engineering, with a focus on sustainable approaches to modelling transport chain. In addition to the price and time efficiencies that characterize agile and lean supply chains, strategies for low-carbon and energy-efficient external transport must also be incorporated. This research therefore focuses on the challenges of organizing the supply of small overseas shipments to define how the relationship between land and sea transport in the selected intermodal chain affects environmental and energy performance. Understanding the input parameters and their impacts is a prerequisite for planning CO2, NOx, SO2 and NMHC emissions, as well as energy efficiency (EE) of overseas transportation. The number of individual transport legs and their characteristics are crucial parameters for sustainable transport chains. The applicability of the proposed research framework is carried out on the example of outbound supply chains of the southern part of the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor using intermodal transport chains of small shipments via the ports of Koper and Genoa. The results of the case study show that an additional transport leg representing only 2 % longer land transport to the port of Genoa significantly affects the carbon footprint of the whole supply chain's compared to chains via the port of Koper. Moreover, other results also require special attention in supply chain modeling. The study enriches the field of supply chain engineering, as there is a lack of such studies. The study is part of the project "Green port - Developing a sustainable model for the growth of the green port", co-founded by the Slovenian Research Agency.

A Multi-Criteria Approach for Evaluating a Sustainable Intermodal Transport Chain Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic

The sustainable performance of the intermodal transport chain has gained popularity in recent decades, especially due to climate change and numerous European laws aimed at minimizing the negative impacts of transport. In this paper, we have developed a novel three-phase, two-stage approach that is a combination of distance-based analytic hierarchy process/data envelopment analysis (AHP-DEA). The added value of this multi-criteria approach is in evaluating a sustainable intermodal transport chain, with prioritization of the most efficient combinations of transport in accordance with the weights derived from its users. Instead of the classic pairwise comparison, the weights of the criteria were determined using a new distance-based AHP method in which respondents were asked to sort the criteria (transportation time, price, emissions, and variability) pre-selected from the literature in order of greatest importance. Therefore, the approach determines the most efficient transport chain in the transportation corridor. Since a transportation corridor was previously defined, the settings for this corridor were set to constant initial variables. In this way, the above criteria were chosen as inputs, with DEA aimed at minimizing these variables and presenting the results in ranks from highest to lowest efficiency. The potential of our approach was presented in a case study, where the most efficient of the selected transport chains between Asia and the northern Adriatic were chosen. The results show that there are different intermodal transport chains, each of which consists of either maritime and rail transport or maritime and road transport. The paper concludes that the presented multicriteria approach has greater discriminatory power than the current DEA, as well as greater flexibility, since the weights can be derived faster and more effortlessly than is typical. Therefore, this method can help transportation organizers to determine which intermodal transportation chain is the most efficient or sustainable in any given situation.

Efficiency effects of information on operational disruption management in port hinterland freight transport: simulation of a Swedish dry port case

ABSTRACT Management of operational disruptions with support of information is essential to facilitate the shift from road to rail and to ensure efficient hinterland intermodal transport chains. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the operational efficiency effects of information on operational disruption management in hinterland transport with a dry port to facilitate efficient intermodal hinterland transport. For that purpose, a simulation model with five scenarios was developed and applied using empirical data from a real-world case of a hinterland transport chain with a dry port. The results show that the resource utilisation of the trucks that deliver containers from the dry port to the receivers can be increased using the information that supports management of the disruption. Nevertheless, in attempts to increase resource utilisation when managing the disruption, issues arose from efficiency measures that are important for other actors, e.g. the receivers.

Container port drayage operations and management: Past and future

Although long-haul intermodal container transportation combines multiple transportation modes including shipping, the most critical aspect of enabling door-to-door service is container port drayage operation. Container port drayage connects customers and container ports and provides an effective solution to the first/last-mile problem faced by the container logistics industry. Therefore, container port drayage has a significant impact not only on the economic advantages of the long-haul intermodal container transportation chain, but also the management, environment and social benefits of the stakeholders involved. In this paper, we comprehensively review the existing literature on container port drayage studies from different methodological angles (e.g., model development and algorithm design) and technological angles (e.g., autonomous truck and blockchain). Moreover, with the shifting of industrial focus from traditional operations and management of container port drayage towards e-commerce platforms, we identify potential issues for future research directions.

Integrating Short Sea Shipping with Trans-European Transport Networks

This paper studies the possibilities of closer integration of short sea shipping, with other components of the Trans-European Transport Networks, shifting a significant share of road freight onto rail corridors and inland waterways. A numerical model of transport networks is used to support the calculation of the main parameters driving transport decisions, for multiple pairs of origin/destination representing statistical regions of the European Union, and for different, alternative intermodal and unimodal transport chains. Results are presented using a geographic information system. This approach is applied in a case study dedicated to the evaluation of the competitiveness of transport chains based on short sea shipping between Portugal and The Netherlands, integrated with other components of Trans-European Transport Networks (rail freight corridors and inland waterways), compared to road haulage-based transport chains. Conclusions are drawn regarding the geographical scope of the relative competitiveness of these transport chains and policy investment insights are presented.

Numerical Modeling of Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gases Emissions in Intermodal Transport Chains

This paper discusses the most attractive emission compliance options (emission abatement technologies and cleaner fuels) in intermodal transport chains that include short sea shipping. Most studies on emissions-based transport chain comparisons have estimated high levels of nitrogen and sulfur oxide emissions in maritime transportation, decreasing its competitiveness. However, the consequences of regulatory and technological developments and the integration of maritime transport in intermodal transport chains have not yet been considered in detail. In order to address this research gap, a numerical model for computing emissions from different transport modes in an intermodal transport network, under the effect of these developments, is presented that is based on bottom–up emission factors that depend on the fuel type, engine type, and operational profile of each vehicle. Different emissions scenarios are chosen for specific unimodal and intermodal routes (short sea shipping-based) between Portugal and northwestern Europe. Conclusions are drawn on estimated values of air pollutant emissions and greenhouse emissions, in CO2-eq per unit of cargo, in each scenario. These results allow the identification of the most environmentally friendly transport chains, thus supporting the development of adequate transport policies.

A methodology for short-sea-shipping service design within intermodal transport chains

A methodology for short-sea-shipping service design within intermodal transport chains

EVALUATION OF THE INNOVATIVE VALUE PROPOSITION FOR THE RAIL FREIGHT TRANSPORT: AN INTEGRATED DEMATEL–ANP APPROACH

Freight transport represents a very dynamic and competitive market with high requirements for reliability, lead time, cost, flexibility and visibility of transport service. Rationalization of transport service, reduced travelling time and reliable delivery times represent the main prerequisites for lowering the costs and increasing the efficiency of entire transport chain. These performance indicators actually represent the main factors affecting the shipper’s mode choice. Improvement of these factors could be achieved by improved coordination between rail and non-rail-related stakeholders involved in freight transport service planning and realization. Since this solution requires a multi-stakeholder collaboration, it is needed to evaluate the interests of each of them in order to derive a preferred set of indicators, which will facilitate a collectively accepted solution and value alignment of all involved actors. In this paper, the preferred set of indicators was selected by using the DEcision MAking Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) model technique integrated with the Analytic Network Process (ANP). DEMATEL is applied to analyse the causal relationships among the relevant dimensions and among the criteria within each dimension. The causal relationships are then used in ANP for determining the weights of the criteria. An empirical case study based on implementation of information sharing platform in rail intermodal transport chain is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Based on this study the attributes that belong to reliability (“departing / arriving on-time”, “cancelled services”), lead time (“idle time”) and investment cost (“organizational culture”, “business process redesign”) dimensions represent five the most critical factors for obtaining a collectively accepted solution. This effective evaluation model enables policy makers and stakeholders in transportation / logistics to understand and conduct appropriate actions towards fulfilling the objectives for greener transportation.

Utilizing the RIS system to improve the efficiency of inland waterway transport companies

Environmental protection and counteracting the effects of global warming have become an important topic of political debate in many countries, especially in Europe. One of the main challenges they face is changing the transport system, which is responsible for a significant proportion of harmful emissions. To achieve this, in addition to improving navigation conditions, inland navigation should be included in the modern intermodal transport chain. The analysis showed that activities in this area should be carried out in two stages. First, it is necessary to meet the boundary condition, i.e., to ensure the appropriate parameters of the waterway, and then it is necessary to implement ICT systems in order to standardize and streamline the process of data transmission between the stakeholders of inland navigation (water and shipping administration, port and terminal managers, shipowners and ship crews). The article presents the status of work on the implementation of the RIS system in Poland and the prospects for its further development, including the enlargement of the area covered by the system, and analyzes the possibilities of implementing new tools dedicated to ship captains and inland shipowners. An important element of the work is to indicate the benefits of using the RIS system by transport companies and the costs of its use.

Real-time disruption management approach for intermodal freight transportation

The share of intermodal transportation, which is often considered as a sustainable transportation alternative, is rather low compared to road transportation. There are several reasons for this situation, including the increased need for coordination of scheduled transport services and the reduced reliability of intermodal transport chains in case of disruptions. In this regard, developing an advanced algorithmic approach can help to handle real-time data during the execution of transportation and react adequately to detected unexpected events. In this way the reliability of intermodal transport can be increased, which might help to increase its usage and to minimize the negative externalities of freight transportation. This paper proposes a novel real-time decision support system based on a hybrid simulation-optimization approach for intermodal transportation which combines offline planning with online re-planning based on real-time data about unexpected events in the transportation network. For each detected disruption, the affected services and orders are identified and the best re-planning policy is applied. The proposed decision support system is successfully tested on real-life scenarios and is capable of delivering fast and reasonably good solutions in an online environment. This research might be of particular benefit to the transport industry for using advanced solution methodologies and give advice to transportation planners about the optimal policies that can be used in case of disruptions.

INVESTIGATION ON SPOT BOOKING AND DYNAMIC OCEAN FREIGHT MODELLING FOR HIGHER SPACE UTILISATION ON ULTRA LARGE CONTAINER VESSELS

The article deals with the very topical issues of the use of spot ship’s space booking and the dynamic adjustment of ocean freight, according to the demand and availability of cargo space on container ships. Container lines are facing the challenges of filling the growing container ships, which also raises the difficulty of managing the overbooking. Two research hypothesis; that (H1) freight forwarders have concerns about a new spot booking mode and a dynamic way of formulating ocean rates; and that (H2) freight forwarders feel threatened by Container Lines (CL) to some extent to phase them out from the organization of intermodal transport chains due to the introduction of larger ships and the risk of low space occupation, are followed by the research. A survey between freight forwarders and NVOCCs (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) on a global scale provides guidelines for the further development of CL model for the booking process and the formation of ocean rates because the results expose how new ways of working have a greater impact on the operational and commercial work between CL, freight forwarders and NVOCCs. According to the obtained result, the article proposes a three-step approach to be developed by CL that would bring freight forwarders and NVOCCs closer to a new way of working, reduce business risks, and, as a result, provide leverage to achieve ship space optimization and lower space pressure on container terminals. The study provides new understandings in building new operational models for efficient maritime logistics and brings novelty to the scientific community by defining descriptive gaps in changing strategic and operational approach for ship’s cargo space optimization.

Eliminating Barriers for Sustainable Transport Systems on Maritime Silk Road and Baltic–Adriatic Corridor under BRI

Infrastructure elements are a crucial factor in accommodating larger ships, organizing longer trains, and ensuring the higher flow of goods in intermodal hubs. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) supports the development of infrastructure on the defined transport routes—the Maritime Silk Road (MSR), which includes the European southern transport route through the northern Adriatic. The research emphasizes the importance of the port, and railway infrastructure development on the Baltic–Adriatic Corridor (BAC) by analyzing the pollution level produced from transport means currently employed. The results of SO2, NOx, PM10, and the energy efficiency of intermodal transport chains prove that the current transport route to the northern leg of the BAC via the port of Gdansk is more environmentally friendly, even if it is about 3000 NM longer. The article provides a scientific contribution by pollution data elaboration for demonstrating the need and justification for high investment in BAC in order to establish sustainable transport chains. The study shows that pollution values from supply chains on the Asia–Central Europe axis could be reduced by up to 30% by eliminating infrastructural barriers in the port of Koper and on the railway network at BAC, which is one of the primary goals of BRI.

Can digitalization mitigate barriers to intermodal transport? An exploratory study

Although it offers11This paper is developed from a master thesis done at Chalmers University of Technology: Eriksson, G., & Yaruta, M. (2018). Mapping barriers in intermodal transportation both economic and environmental advantages particularly for long-distances, intermodal transport is still not utilized effectively, and it is challenged by many barriers to its utilization. On the other hand, the transport sector is influenced by recent trends, such as digitalization, Industry 4.0 and many technological innovations are introduced, aiming to transform the way of doing business. Therefore, understanding digitalization's potential to solve the transport sector's struggle for a higher degree of integration between different modes in intermodal transport is important. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential of different digital tools in mitigating barriers for increased utilization of intermodal transport. Semi-structured interviews and a policy Delphi study combined with a brainstorming session are conducted to classify various barriers for intermodal transport under certain categories and to understand if and how selected digital tools could help to mitigate these barriers. Findings indicate that the multi-actor nature of intermodal transport networks results in varying perceptions related with digital tools and technologies. This variance acts as a hindrance for digitalization within the conservative context of transportation industry and its cost-based competition structure. Adoption by market leaders, demand from intermodal transport buyers, vertical integration in intermodal transport chains are potential mitigation factors for elimination of barriers to digitalization in intermodal transportation.

The one container drayage problem with soft time windows

Intermodal freight transport consists of using different modes of transport without changing the load unit. This results in a significant reduction in the time that goods spend at intermodal terminals, where transshipment takes place. Drayage refers to the transport of freight on trucks among intermodal terminals, depots, customers and suppliers. In spite of the fact that drayage only represents between 5 and 10 percent of total distance, it may amount up to more than 30 percent of the total costs. The aim of this work is to study drayage operations. First, an extensive literature review is undertaken. Since the intermodal transport chain can become more efficient by means of a proper organisation of the drayage movements, the optimization of the daily drayage problem has been identified as one of the main ways of reducing the drayage cost and improving intermodal operations. On this problem, the lack of a common benchmark has hindered reaching further conclusions from all the research carried out. Therefore, this paper proposes a common framework and presents a generalized formulation of the problem, which allows modeling most drayage policies, with the limitation of only considering one-container problems. Results show that flexible tasks in the repositioning of empty containers as well as soft time windows can reduce the operating costs and facilitate the management of drayage companies. This work may help consider adequate policies regarding drayage operations in intermodal terminals.

Simulation model for the North Sea Route transit time estimation

Today the Northern Sea Route attracts due attention of the international transport society. The Russian government has set a task to increase the cargo volumes transported via this way. There is an assumption that a substantial share of this amount would be the transit of the containerized cargo in both directions, Eastbound and Westbound. In these circumstances – since we speak about liner shipping and the maritime component of international intermodal transportation, there is a demand for scientifically proved methods of planning and prognoses of ice-breaker escort operations of transit caravans of merchant ships, both for selected legs and the whole route. This paper deals with the simulation model of the caravan of ships transiting the route leg by leg. The techniques proposed by this investigation enables to assess the random value – the time needed to pass along the Northern Sea Route. Simultaneously, the offered mechanisms permit to form the graphics of the movements along the parts of the route, which helps to make reliable forecasts for estimated passage times, estimated times for consolidation and dispersion of caravans, waiting times in the relay system of the movement along NSR. Eventually, these forecasts would form a base for the intermodal transportation chain.

Dry ports and related environmental benefits: a case study in Italy

The maritime containerised transport continues to grow; thus, an efficient seaport inland access becomes crucial for the performance of the entire intermodal transport chain. Dry ports are inland intermodal terminals directly connected to seaports via rail, which operate as trans-shipment hubs and provide services, such as: storage, consolidation, depot and custom clearance. In addition to offering benefits in terms of operational costs and efficiency, dry port concept implementation can produce positive effects also under an environmental point of view, promoting the modal shift from road to rail.This paper presents a simulation-based method to estimate the environmental benefits, in terms of emissions reduction, of a dry port implementation. This method is organized into three parts: (i) traffic demand analysis, (ii) traffic supply model, (iii) assignment and emission model. The methodology is applied to a real-world case study in Northern Italy, where the current scenario is compared to a future scenario in which a new railway connection is established between a seaport (Port of Venice) and an existing intermodal freight hub (Interporto of Padua). According to our findings, in the future scenario emissions of the main pollutants are reduced by 17%. In terms of CO2 this corresponds to about 8000 tons per year.

An ETA Prediction Model for Intermodal Transport Networks Based on Machine Learning

Transparency in transport processes is becoming increasingly important for transport companies to improve internal processes and to be able to compete for customers. One important element to increase transparency is reliable, up-to-date and accurate arrival time prediction, commonly referred to as estimated time of arrival (ETA). ETAs are not easy to determine, especially for intermodal freight transports, in which freight is transported in an intermodal container, using multiple modes of transportation. This computational study describes the structure of an ETA prediction model for intermodal freight transport networks (IFTN), in which schedule-based and non-schedule-based transports are combined, based on machine learning (ML). For each leg of the intermodal freight transport, an individual ML prediction model is developed and trained using the corresponding historical transport data and external data. The research presented in this study shows that the ML approach produces reliable ETA predictions for intermodal freight transport. These predictions comprise processing times at logistics nodes such as inland terminals and transport times on road and rail. Consequently, the outcome of this research allows decision makers to proactively communicate disruption effects to actors along the intermodal transportation chain. These actors can then initiate measures to counteract potential critical delays at subsequent stages of transport. This approach leads to increased process efficiency for all actors in the realization of complex transport operations and thus has a positive effect on the resilience and profitability of IFTNs.

EVALUATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF COMPLEX INTERMODAL TRANSPORT CHAINS

The paper highlights the problem of assessing the level of environmentally acceptable green transport in modern supply chains. Cargo owners put the elements of time and price of service into the forefront, where the degree of pollution (CO2, NOx, SO2, PMs) and the need for energy efficiency is too often ignored. Various studies highlight the lack of methodological approaches to the standardized evaluation of the environmental impacts of intermodal transport, thus the aim is to formulate a modular approach to the analysis of three parameters (time, price and pollution) of sustainable intermodal transport chains. The research hypothesis assumes that there are differences in complex intermodal transport chains and that the elements of price and time of transport do not directly reflect the degree of produced pollution. The study elaborates a four-step approach, with the main focus on evaluation processes, where input data must be unified to provide comparable decision-based parameters of various transport solutions. The modular approach proposes transparent data presentation that could be used by intermodal operators or logistics companies when presenting their offer to cargo owners. The modular approach is used on the ocean transport route from Asia to the northern Adriatic, with final inland transport to central European markets that is promoted under the Belt and Road Initiative. The study determines that along the entire intermodal transport chain the pollution level is not directly reflected by the elements of time and price. Thus, there is a strong need for a unified approach in the evaluation and presentation of structured data to cargo owners. Consequently, the study provides a new contribution to the transport industry, with customer s becoming aware sooner of pollution from transport and greener transport decisions.