AGW for efficient freight transport in container yard: models and costs

Abstract Different modes of transport are frequently used to transfer goods from origin to destination, especially on medium-long distances, in relation to the network supply, the available services, the costs. The transfer from one carrier to another, in an interchange node such as a port, a rail station, a logistics terminal, often implicates an increase of monetary and temporal costs, connected to material and immaterial operations. The principal aim is to minimize the overall cost of transport, but the freight interchange node can represent critical steps in logistics chain and for this reason much attention is now committed to actions to make efficient the functional organization of the terminal. In the last years an increasing interest is directed to the use of vehicles technologically advanced with automation of functions. The paper focuses on a particular technology, conceived recently, otherwise an intelligent rail wagon called AGW (Automated Guided Wagon) for handling of containers in a port. The use of intelligent system AGW as handling unit of containers in the yard, would allow the overcoming of diseconomies of scale and the reduction of the handling times and costs through a flexible management in relation to the characteristics of the transport supply and demand, the latter subject to a high variability. In the paper, after a brief description of the AGW technology and the advantages connected to the use of this handling system in a freight interchange node, the attention is focused on a comparative analysis between the handling system now operating in the container port (RTG, Straddle Carrier, AVG, etc.) and the system that involves the use of AGW. This analysis is made on the operational characteristics of the different handling systems, through the use of: functional schemes, with the aim to carry out evaluations related to the spatial, organizational and relational structure of container yard equipped with different handling unit; network models (graphical representation of links and paths; basic cost parameters) for the schematization and simulation of container handling in the yard; cost models for quantitative evaluation of monetary and temporal impacts, that derive from the use of different handling unit in the yard

Simulation Modeling and Analysis of Complex Port Operations with Multimodal Transportation

AbstractWorld trade has been increasing dramatically in the past two decades, and as a result containers exchange has grown significantly. Accordingly, container terminals are expanding to meet this increase and new container ports have opened. Ports with one or more container terminals are considered complex systems in which many resources, entities and transporters interact to achieve the objective of safely moving containers delivered by ships inland as well as loading containers delivered by trucks and rail onto ships. Ports with multimodal transportation systems are in particular complex as they typically operate with ships arriving to one or more terminals, multiple quay cranes, rubber tyred gantry cranes, trains, and trucks delivering containers of different types to terminals.With several resources of different types working and interacting, the system can be so complex that it is not easy to predict the behavior of the system and its performance metrics without the use of simulation. In this paper, a generic discrete-event simulation that models port operations with different resource types including security gates, space, rubber tyred gantry cranes, trains, quay cranes, and arriving and departing ships, trucks, and trains is presented. The analysis will entail studying various scenarios motivated by changes in different inputs to measure their impact on the outputs that include throughput, resource utilization and waiting times

Best practices exchange in sea-rail intermodality. A case study of the ports of İzmir, Turkey and Trieste, Italy

Benchmarking and best practices derivation is a traditional and consolidated approach in transport planning. Less frequent is the use in the design of ports’ masterplans and intermodality promotion in coastal cities, where the connection between the development of ports and local economy and the quality of the environment is stronger. Rail transport is essential for the development and efficiency of a port as it enhances economic importance and competitiveness. It also provides faster movement and higher port capacity, thus affecting the total throughput, which is a fundamental productivity measure of a seaport. This paper aims to depict a roadmap for the increase of rail modal share in ports’ areas by identifying the most promising operational and infrastructural actions derived by recognized best practices. The case study described in the paper is about the exchange of best practices between the ports of Trieste and İzmir. For many years, İzmir has been an important container port in Turkey. However, its total throughput has decreased dramatically in recent years while its competitors, both in the Aegean and Marmara regions, have been developing their business rapidly. Considering that the owner and operator of the port are Turkish State Railways, the port of İzmir currently has quite a low rail share, which was less than 10% in 2021. This decrease is mainly due to an unsuitable infrastructure and poor coordination with the railway network. This paper exemplifies how it would be possible to increase the rail modal share of the port of İzmir by defining the necessary actions and redesigning the rail infrastructure. This can make the port of İzmir an effective alternative to solve the massive congestion problem of the Marmara region (Istanbul) ports, affected by morphologic barriers. Here, the port of Trieste will be the reference port as it has the highest rail share (50%) in Italy. Its current state and future targets will represent the best practice to increase the rail share in İzmir. Since almost half of the Turkish maritime freight directed to Europe is via Trieste, similar percentages on the Turkish side can strengthen the sea–rail intermodal connection between these port cities

Assessing the eco-efficiency benefits of empty container repositioning strategies via dry ports

Trade imbalances and global disturbances generate mismatches in the supply and demand of empty containers (ECs) that elevate the need for empty container repositioning (ECR). This research investigated dry ports as a potential means to minimize EC movements, and thus reduce costs and emissions. We assessed the environmental and economic effects of two ECR strategies via dry ports—street turns and extended free temporary storage—considering different scenarios of collaboration between shipping lines with different levels of container substitution. A multiparadigm simulation combined agent-based and discrete-event modelling to represent flows and estimate kilometers travelled, CO2 emissions, and costs resulting from combinations of ECR strategies and scenarios. Full ownership container substitution combined with extended free temporary storage at the dry port (FTDP) most improved ECR metrics, despite implementation challenges. Our results may be instrumental in increasing shipping lines’ collaboration while reducing environmental impacts in up to 32 % of the inland ECR emissions

Intermodal terminals simulation for operation management

A freight terminal is a key node in a transportation network and the transit time of containers through this terminal represents one of the most relevant bottleneck in logistic chains. The system performance reduction and the corresponding increase of transit time is often due to the increase of the freight flow without a corresponding increase of stacking and handling capacity. For this purpose it was decided to approach the problem by a discrete event simulation model, in order to reproduce the activities carried out inside an intermodal terminal, to calculate the total transit time and to identify the bottlenecks. The transit time of a cargo unit in a terminal is the summation of times required for the development of each phase of the process (waiting time + operational time). Therefore, the first step was the identification of the main activities and the analysis of waiting and operational phases, in order to quantify the times of each phase. For modelling the software Planimate® was used. Planimate® allows the simulation of a process as a set of discrete events, in series or in parallel, through the use of hierarchical networks. In order to optimise handling operations on containers, different scenarios were simulated with various fleets of trailers and front cranes to investigate the corresponding variations of performance indicators. For the application of the model an Italian case study was chosen: the container terminal inside the harbour of Livorno (Darsena Toscana Terminal)

A novel optimization method on logistics operation for warehouse & port enterprises based on game theory

Purpose: The following investigation aims to deal with the competitive relationship among different warehouses & ports in the same company. Design/methodology/approach: In this paper, Game Theory is used in carrying out the optimization model. Genetic Algorithm is used to solve the model. Findings: Unnecessary competition will rise up if there is little internal communication among different warehouses & ports in one company. This paper carries out a novel optimization method on warehouse & port logistics operation model. Originality/value: Warehouse logistics business is a combination of warehousing services and terminal services which is provided by port logistics through the existing port infrastructure on the basis of a port. The newly proposed method can help to optimize logistics operation model for warehouse & port enterprises effectively. We set Sinotrans Guangdong Company as an example to illustrate the newly proposed method. Finally, according to the case study, this paper gives some responses and suggestions on logistics operation in Sinotrans Guangdong warehouse & port for its future development.Peer Reviewe

A study of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in Dublin Port in conjunction with the Intelligent Transport for Dynamic Environment (InTraDE) Project

In the last four decades the container as an essential part of a unit load-concept has achieved authentic importance in international sea freight transportation. With ever increasing containerization the number of port container terminals and competition among them has become quite remarkable. Port container operations are nowadays unthinkable without effective and efficient use of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) (Steenken & Stahlbock, 2004). The main problem in handling increasing levels of cargo is managing the internal traffic and optimizing space inside smaller and medium sized ports. A gap exists between automated cargo handling equipment that is suitable for use in the larger container terminals such as Rotterdam and its suitability in smaller terminals such as Dublin. A new generation of cargo handling technology has been designed in the form of an Intelligent Autonomous Vehicle (IAV). The IAV is a clean, safe, intelligent vehicle which will contribute to improving the traffic management and space optimization inside confined space by developing a clean, safe and intelligent transport system. This technology has been designed and developed as part of the ‘InTraDE’ (Intelligent Transport for Dynamic Environment) project to which the research has contributed. By using ITSs, logistics operations could be improved by enhancing the exchange of information and real-time status updates regarding different business operations in different modes of transportation (Schumacher et al., 2011). Maritime transport has recently gained increased attention, especially in connection to the building and further development of ITS (Pietrzykowski, 2010). This research looks at the main logistic processes and operations in port container terminals. It discusses the extent to which the terminal shipping operators in Dublin Port currently meet the demands of their customers and whether the introduction of ITS could enhance the efficiency and productivity of such services

Concept of the Decision-Making Model for Establishment of Dry Port on The Sample of Rijeka Seaport

Nowadays, seaports face many problems. One of the major problems is the increase in container traffic, and due to this there are problems such as the lack of space at the seaport terminals, and the congestion on routes serving those terminals, i.e. increase of bottlenecks in land transport systems serving the seaports. For some seaports, the weakest links in their transport chains are exit gates where congested roads and inadequate rail links cause delays and increase transport costs. Strategic solution would be the implementation of railways and/or improved land-based intermodal terminals, i.e. dry ports serving seaports. This paper presents a decision-making model on the necessity to establish a dry port for serving seaport in order to increase the capacity or space of the seaport, accelerate the technological process and reduce the rush on the routes