Development stages of comprehensive service for perishable cargo at seaports

Increasing interest in perishable cargo transport and logistic services is connected with international trade growth, as well as technology and markets development. Shippers, carriers, forwarders, and logistic operators pay more attention to the quality and complexity of delivered food services within a supply chain. In particular, it refers to seaports functioning where perish­able cargo is handled and different logistic services are delivered. The aim of the study is to focus on and explore the concept of comprehensive service development in seaports related to perishable cargo, and to determine the stages for developing this service in container terminals and ports re­frigerated warehouses. This study is the preliminary step for a comprehensive service for perishable cargo development in seaports for the current literature. The levels of the comprehensive service development were determined. As a result, an algorithm for the implementation of a comprehensive logistics service for perishable goods in seaport was proposed

Customer Satisfaction in the Field of Comprehensive Service of Refrigerated Containers in Seaports

The article analyzes the issues concerning customer satisfaction survey with the complexity of handling refrigerated containers at the seaports' container terminals. It aims to determine the criteria to evaluate the port comprehensive service and to examine the opinion of chosen seaports terminals on customer satisfaction with the complexity of handling refrigerated containers. Evaluation criteria of comprehensive service of refrigerated containers in seaports were identified and examined. The analysis of ports opinions on customer satisfaction with the service of refrigerated containers was based on surveys, which covered 5 container terminals located in the Polish cities of Gdansk, Gdynia and Szczecin. The research revealed that according to the ports, complex service primarily affects the high-level customer satisfaction and shorter service time, while implementation of this service regards a good level of customer service and price

Assessment of the Impact of Seafarers' Professional Experience on the Perception of Risk Factors from the Perspective of Polish Container Ships Crews Members

Safety of navigation is the important issue especially related to the dynamically developing container shipping. The main purpose of the article is to demonstrate the results of research on the perception of risk factors by seafarers working on container ships in terms of their professional experience. The ranking of risk factors considering their impact on the safety of container shipping has been created. An additional goal of the research was to acquire the knowledge on ships crews members' assessment of the impact of the human factor on the safety of navigation, including factors related to the organization of seafarers' work (systemic aspects) and those directly resulting from the operations carried out on ship. The assessment of risk factors affecting the navigation safety was performed from the perspective of Polish crew members working on container ships. The research was carried out with the use of an empirical study questionnaire. 161 seafarers' opinions were analyzed. On the basis of the created risk factors ranking analysis, it was found that seafarers perceive the human factor, and consider both the systemic and the work-related aspects having the greatest impact on the safety of container shipping. Moreover, the conducted non-parametric Pearson chi-square independence test proved the hypothesis that assessments of the five highest rated risk factors, reviewed by studied young and experienced professional groups of seafarers, didn’t differ significantly

Organization of vessel traffic on dredged Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway : VTS operators’ viewpoint on the use of infrastructure for ships passing

PURPOSE: Modernization of the Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway involved the infrastructure investments. As a part of developed infrastructure, the new passing places were designed, allowing the implementation of two-way vessel traffic within this waterway. The commissioning of modernized fairway created challenges for Vessel Traffic Services operators (VTSOs), who plan and organize the traffic in this area. The purpose of the study was to analyze the opinions of VTSOs on the impact of changes in the fairway infrastructure on decision-making process related to planning vessel traffic on the dredged fairway, considering the use of passing places.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A marketing research method was used to conduct the research. A questionnaire was developed, and the survey was carried out among VTSOs employed in Vessel Traffic Services centers in Szczecin and Świnoujście.FINDINGS: In a result of conducted research, it was found that VTSOs are cautious about the use of newly commissioned Świnoujście-Szczecin fairway infrastructure elements for planning the two-way traffic of maximum-sized ships. The major concerns stemmed from the lack of needed data and the absence of mutual agreements between the process participants.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The results of the research may be of interest to seaports and institutions planning and organizing vessel traffic on the waterways.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The article shows the VTSOs’ opinion on the possibility to schedule the passing places for two-way vessel traffic on newly commissioned dredged ŚwinoujścieSzczecin fairway. The operators’ viewpoint on the safety level of vessel traffic within fairway specific sections was investigated. Recommendations for improving VTSOs decision-making process related to passing places planning within dredged fairway were formulated.The authors would like to acknowledge Ministry of Education and Science (Poland) for financial support of the research conducted within the project DWD/6/0570/2022.peer-reviewe

Organization of Cargo Traffic Using Ferry Connections

The observed development of ferry transport in the Baltic Sea is associated with the development of trade exchange between the countries of this region. Cargo transportation constitutes a significant part of these carriages. Disturbances in the organization and implementation of transport chains with the participation of ferry shipping may cause delays in the delivery of cargo to customers. Therefore, it is reasonable to look for solutions to streamline the organization of these processes. The aim of the article is to identify the current state and to analyze the organization of the process of cargo transportation with the use of ferry shipping. The ferry line connecting the ports of Liepaja (Latvia) and Travemünde (Germany) was considered in details. On the basis of surveys carried out among truck drivers and owners of transport companies on the ways of transport organization, the selected aspects related to the planning of the transport process with the use of ferry shipping were determined. As a result of the analysis of the data obtained, recommendations were made to improve the organization of cargo transportation in ferry shipping

Influence of Parking Sheds on Energy Efficiency of Road Refrigerated Transport

The energy efficiency of road refrigerated transport is still a less researched area, despite a significant amount of energy being used for cooling perishable goods inside the refrigerated vehicle. The refrigeration units of these vehicles continuously operate while en route from the cargo sender to the recipient, even during the vehicle’s forced stopovers due to the driver’s working time limitations. This article aims to summarize the impact of the parking sheds used in rest and service areas on the energy consumption of the vehicle’s refrigeration unit. The achievable cost savings by decreasing the energy consumption of the semi-trailer’s refrigeration units are also presented. We establish a mathematical model to calculate the heat balance and verify our approach. The calculation results, which were carried out under certain operating conditions of the refrigeration unit of a semi-trailer, provide an opportunity to achieve savings on a scale of 12.03%. Lastly, ideal locations of rest and service areas with sheds along the motorways and expressways in Poland are also proposed

Rationalization of servicing reefer containers in sea port area with taking into account risk influence

This paper is aimed at presentation of a set of methods for rationalization of servicing containerized refrigerated cargoes in sea ports. During servicing reefer containers in port container terminals, take place various combinations of risk factors which can lead to loss of quality merits of cargoes contained in them. In the paper the risk factors capable of influencing quality of cargoes during their servicing in sea port, are identified, and the elaborated model for assessing risk level with the use of assumptions of fuzzy logic theory, is presented. Also, a simulation of servicing reefer containers in port, was performed. Moreover a prototype of an expert system which makes it possible to take correct decisions on servicing reefer containers in sea port, depending on impact level of risk factors, was propose

Stochastic model of deteriorating cargo transshipment at port’s terminal under irregular arrival of ships

In the article the stochastic model is analyzed for deteriorating cargo transshipment taking into account the irregularity of arrived ships movement and cargo removing from warehouse with the regular surface transport. It is assumed that unloading rate of ships is given and fixed, but hold capacities of ships are randomly varying. During storage the cargo is subjected to deterioration with the given intensity. The problem of stationary probabilistic joint distribution of number of ships in terminal and quantity of cargo in warehouse is investigated. For this purpose the theory of Markov drift processes and methods of queueing theory are used. The problem of optimal value of deterioration rate is formulated and solved

The Complexity of Logistics Services at Transshipment Terminals

Transshipment is the process of off-loading an intermodal loading unit (for example, different types of containers, semitrailers, swap-bodies, and so on) from one means of transport (for example, a vessel, a freight railcar, etc.) and loading it onto another. Such a process, as well as other logistics services related to loading units, may take place at a transshipment terminal, which is the intermediate node added to an intermodal transport network when combining two or more liner services that facilitate freight transport. Growing customer requirements affect transshipment terminal operations and contribute to the development of comprehensive logistics services. Terminal clients expect the delivery of complex services that often pose serious challenges to terminals providing these services. The specific decision-making tools are essential for facilitating the shaping of terminals’ complex service offerings. In this study, we investigated the issues connected to the complexity of logistics services offered by transshipment terminals. The aim was to develop a decision-making approach to assess the complexity of logistics services offered by these terminals. A procedure for the formulation of complex and comprehensive service sets at transshipment terminals, which includes sustainable energy and energy efficiency issues, was proposed. The approach for assessing the complexity of services at terminals handling intermodal loading units was developed, and an appropriate mathematical model was applied. Consequently, indexes of the efficiency and comprehensiveness levels of ordered services in a terminal were proposed. The ranking of decision-making criteria influencing the shaping of complex service offerings was created based on the results of a questionnaire survey distributed among the managerial representatives of terminals located in Poland. The data obtained with the use of a questionnaire survey allowed us to verify the proposed approach. The research results may be useful for the management of transshipment terminals while making decisions on the creation of comprehensive services offered to their clientele

Influence of Parking Sheds on Energy Efficiency of Road Refrigerated Transport

The energy efficiency of road refrigerated transport is still a less researched area, despite a significant amount of energy being used for cooling perishable goods inside the refrigerated vehicle. The refrigeration units of these vehicles continuously operate while en route from the cargo sender to the recipient, even during the vehicle’s forced stopovers due to the driver’s working time limitations. This article aims to summarize the impact of the parking sheds used in rest and service areas on the energy consumption of the vehicle’s refrigeration unit. The achievable cost savings by decreasing the energy consumption of the semi-trailer’s refrigeration units are also presented. We establish a mathematical model to calculate the heat balance and verify our approach. The calculation results, which were carried out under certain operating conditions of the refrigeration unit of a semi-trailer, provide an opportunity to achieve savings on a scale of 12.03%. Lastly, ideal locations of rest and service areas with sheds along the motorways and expressways in Poland are also proposed