Solving the Resource Allocation Problem in a Multimodal Container Terminal as a Network Flow Problem

International audienceContinuously increasing global container trade and pressure from a limited number of large shipping companies are enforcing the need for efficient container terminals. By using internal material handling resources efficiently, transfer times and operating costs are reduced. We focus our study on container terminals using straddle carriers for transportation and storage operations. We assume that straddle carriers are shared among maritime and inland transport modes (truck, train, barge). The problem is thus to decide how many resources to allocate to each transport mode in order to minimize vehicle (vessel, truck, train, barge) delays. We present a mixed integer linear programming model, based on a network flow representation, to solve this allocation problem. The modular structure of the model enables us to represent different container terminals, transport modes and service strategies. We present parts of our model and exemplary applications for a terminal at the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille in France

Criteria Impacting Synchronization of Transport Flows along International Transport Corridor

The main goal of this paper is to determine the main technical and technological criteria impacting the effectiveness of the synchronization of transport flows in the East-West Transport Corridor (EWTC) in the southern part of the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) corridor using a specific questionnaire. The results were processed using the Kendall rating correlation method, and the compatibility of the expert selection was analysed using a match factor. Following Kendall’s concordance coefficient and consistency ratio values, the expert opinions were reconciled. In the course of the research using the Average Rank Transformation into Weights (ARTIW) method, the normalized subjective weights of the main technical and technological impacting synchronization of transport flows were determined. The outcomes of the research presented in the paper have shown that the main technical criteria impacting synchronization are: railway infrastructure and road transport infrastructure at the terminals. The most important technological interaction criteria are accessibility of seaports and accessibility of railway distribution stations. In the following stages of research, the main criteria of the above two factors should be used to create models and facilitate synchronization with the purpose of building an interconnected transport system spanning all modes of transport. &nbsp;</p

Multimodal schedule design for synchromodal freight transport systems

Intermodal freight transport has been discussed for decades as an alternative to unimodal road transport. However, it still does not represent a significant portion of the total freight market. A new and promising possibility to improve the performance of freight systems is the synchromodal design of hinterland transport systems. A cornerstone for synchromodality is an integrated view in the design and operation of intermodal transport. A main benefit of this integrated view is an improved flexibility in mode choice in hinterland transport. This paper gives a detailed description of this integrated view for synchromodal freight transport. Based on this description, a mathematical model for designing service schedules for synchromodal freight transport systems is also presented. The benefits of providing integrated transport services compared to separately planned transport services are also discussed for a case in the hinterland network of the Port of Rotterdam

Synchro-Modality and Slow Steaming: New Business Perspectives in Freight Transportation

The logistics sector faces substantial challenges in meeting customer demands for higher service quality, speed and flexibility under conditions of continued growth in world trade and worldwide transportation movements, increasing distances and vulnerabilities of the supply chain. Additional challenges relate to the economic and environmental sustainability of logistics operations. While a lot of attention was devoted in the past decades to the operational and technical aspects, the business development phase has been put aside, causing the market failure of several projects. The paper presents the SYNCHRO-modal supply chain eco-NET (SYNCHRO-NET) project, which will demonstrate the effectiveness of slow steaming combined with synchro-modality in reducing the cost and the emissions of international supply chains and improving reliability and sustainability through the optimization of the planning process. Differently from other similar projects, SYNCHRO-NET combines operational aspects with a business perspective and represents a stakeholder-driven approach aimed at developing a close-to-market solution over the timeframe of the project

Real-time Container Transport Planning with Decision Trees based on Offline Obtained Optimal Solutions

Hinterland networks for container transportation require planning methods in order to increase efficiency and reliability of the inland road, rail and waterway connections. In this paper we aim to derive real-time decision rules for suitable allocations of containers to inland services by analysing the solution structure of a centralised optimisation method used offline on historic data. The decision tree can be used in a decision support system (DSS) for instantaneously allocating incoming orders to suitable services, without the need for continuous planning updates. Such a DSS is beneficial, as it is easy to implement in the current practice of container transportation. Earlier proposed centralised methods can find the optimal solution for the intermodal inland transportation problem in retrospect, but are not suitable when information becomes gradually available. The main contributions are threefold: firstly, a structured method for creating decision trees from optimal solutions is proposed. Secondly, an innovative method is used for obtaining multiple equivalent optimal solutions to prevent overfitting of the decision tree. And finally, a structured analysis of three error types is presented for assessing the quality of an obtained tree. A case study illustrates the method’s purpose by comparing the quality of the resulting plan with alternative methods

Análisis y tendencias en desarrollo del transporte de contenedores: Un enfoque desde la planificación y la optimización de rutas

The incidence of container transport in foreign trade has enhanced the growing scientific and organizational interest in the study of efficient behavior and the variables that affect the exchange of goo ds between countries. In this research, a bibliographic review related to container transport was carried out based on the documents registered in the Scopus and Web of Science databases in the last 12 years. Bibliometric tools were used for the development of scientific mapping and network analysis in the definition of the characteristics of the documents published in the area, the main authors, journals and countries. The study identified three research trends related to logistics distribution network, intermodal transport and route optimization. Finally, future research perspectives derived from the analyzed documents are proposed.En la presente investigación se realizó una revisión bibliográfica relacionada con el transporte de contenedores a partir de los documentos registrados en las bases de datos Scopus y Web of Science en los últimos 12 años. Se aplicaron herramientas bibliométricas para el desarrollo de un mapeo científico y análisis de red en las características de documentos publicados en el área, principales autores, revistas y países. Se identificaron tres tendencias de investigación relacionadas con la red de distribución logística, el transporte intermodal y la optimización de las rutas. Finalmente se proponen las futuras líneas de investigación derivadas de los documentos analizados. &nbsp

A Literature Review, Container Shipping Supply Chain: Planning Problems and Research Opportunities

This paper provides an overview of the container shipping supply chain (CSSC) by taking a logistics perspective, covering all major value-adding segments in CSSC including freight logistics, container logistics, vessel logistics, port/terminal logistics, and inland transport logistics. The main planning problems and research opportunities in each logistics segment are reviewed and discussed to promote further research. Moreover, the two most important challenges in CSSC, digitalization and decarbonization, are explained and discussed in detail. We raise awareness of the extreme fragmentation of CSSC that causes inefficient operations. A pathway to digitalize container shipping is proposed that requires the applications of digital technologies in various business processes across five logistics segments, and change in behaviors and relationships of stakeholders in the supply chain. We recognize that shipping decarbonization is likely to take diverse pathways with different fuel/energy systems for ships and ports. This gives rise to more research and application opportunities in the highly uncertain and complex CSSC environment.</jats:p

How technology can advance port operations and address supply chain disruptions

Supply chain disruptions continue to be a significant challenge as the world economy recovers from the pandemic-related shutdowns that have strained global supply chains. Shocks challenge the adaptability and resilience of maritime ports. The reaction of automated container terminals to supply chain disruptions has renewed interest, given the dramatic scenes of ships anchored for weeks. In this dissertation, I provide a vision of how technology can enhance a port’s ability to anticipate and handle shocks by improving coordination, cooperation, and information exchange across port stakeholders. The vision will be helpful for academics and practitioners to perform research that advances theory and practice on the use of advanced technologies to improve port operations. I use complex adaptive systems theory to develop a qualitative cross-case study of the ports of Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Rotterdam. I examine the effect that automation and other technologies have had on the efficiency of these ports, both in daily operations and during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using critical tenets of complexity and with a rigorous application of the case study method, I develop theoretical propositions and practical insights to ground the vision of the port of the future based on current practices. The findings from the cross-case study suggest that automated terminals were more efficient during the pandemic than non-automated terminals. I propose that transitioning to higher levels of automation, supported by emerging technologies like blockchain and the internet of things, will make ports more resilient to supply chain disruptions when those systems are coordinated through Port Community Systems