A case study analysis of the role of intermodal transport in port regionalisation

This thesis presents an analysis of the role of intermodal transport in Notteboom and Rodrigue's (2005) port regionalisation concept, an approach to port development that focuses on the inland aspects of the process, as well as taking port development models from a spatial focus to a focus on institutions. It is argued that the port regionalisation concept is insufficiently disaggregated; it does not identify or classify different processes within the concept, nor does it explain how they operate or who drives them.In this thesis, the port regionalisation concept is broken down into its three constituent parts: inland terminals, market and logistics and the resolution of collective action problems. Each of these is examined in its own chapter, based on a case study methodology. The methodology was chosen for its ability to provide rich detail and build or extend theory, as the overall aim of this thesis is to critique the port regionalisation concept and extend its explanatory power. Part one follows a multiplecase design, analysing numerous European inland terminal developments in order toimprove inland terminal classifications that can then contribute to the port regionalisation concept. Parts two and three each utilise a single case design, taking a single case in depth in order to explore in rich detail how these issues play out in industry. Part two studies the role of large retailers as the primary drivers of intermodal transport in the UK, while part three examines the development of an intermodal corridor in the United States, offering the opportunity to study a collective actionproblem in detail.Part one reveals that port actors, both port authorities and port terminal operators, can be directly involved in the development of inland terminals, and that differences can be observed between terminals developed by port actors and those developed by inland actors. A conceptual distinction is proposed to capture this observation. Part two identifies barriers to port regionalisation, such as operational issues, spatial development decisions and a lack of integration between inland market players. Part three demonstrates the difficulties faced by public bodies attempting to direct regionalisation strategies, constrained by legitimacy and agency conflicts and an institutional structure that limits their effectiveness. An added contribution to the literature is the theoretical framework that is developed for the analysis of the institutional factors at play in resolving a collective action problem.While additional cases are required to advance the concept further, the cases in this thesis elucidate reasons why ports may not be controlling or capturing hinterlands through the strategies of integration that the port regionalisation concept suggests. It may be more accurate to state that regionalisation can only occur as long as a set of favourable commercial and institutional conditions are maintained. The findings from the cases presented in this thesis suggest that it is not easy to maintain such conditions, implying that regionalisation may be the exception rather than the norm

Cascading feeder vessels and the rationalisation of small container ports

Small container ports rely on feeder services from hub ports to provide access to unitised trade flows for their hinterlands. They generally possess limited water depth and handling facilities, as investments required to handle larger vessels are not justified by their low container throughput. This paper questions the future of small ports due to larger vessels cascading down as a result of ever-larger vessels on the major trade lanes. The paper uses vessel call data to identify all world ports currently served by sub-1,000 TEU vessels. Data on the dimensions of the vessel fleet and order book are analysed in conjunction with accessibility constraints at these small ports. Results show that with 15% of the sub-1,000 TEU fleet currently laid up and very few on order, larger feeders with deeper drafts seem certain to serve at least some of these routes. But with 90 container ports (21%) having berth depth of less than 9.1m and the need to accommodate design drafts of at least 8.7m, larger vessels will threaten the viability of these ports unless they commit significant investment. A geographical analysis is also conducted, mapping the distribution of small ports across the globe and classifying coastal, estuary, river and island locations, as well as identifying clusters of small ports that could in future be served by second-tier hubs, such as Southeast Asia and the Baltic Sea.Findings suggest that, just as container ports at the larger end of the scale were rationalised as flows concentrated at major hubs, several drivers exist for the same process to occur at small ports. Consequently, the paper asks how small ports and local shippers will cope, whether such ports lose their connections entirely, if local shippers must pay for an additional handling cost to tranship a second time from large feeder to small feeder, or whether they rely on overland transport links.Free download available until 31st March 2017: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1UX8e3RpEO7ii

Port governance in the UK: Planning without policy

The UK's highly privatised port system means that, while many of the issues in the port governance literature relevant to port concessions do not arise here, the respective roles of harbour authorities and port operators continue to be questioned. The concern in the UK is whose role it should be to monitor the capacity and service quality of the port sector, including how to govern the ways in which the different classes of port stakeholder interact.This paper describes and discusses the UK port sector, the main ports and cargo types, the governance system and recent developments. Recent changes in national policy are reviewed and potential new developments in governance are considered, reflecting on how the UK case represents some key theoretical considerations regarding infrastructure governance within a modern political system favouring private ownership and operation of the transport sector

Integrating intermodal transport with logistics: a case study of the UK retail sector

Retail traffic is one of the main drivers for the growth of intermodal transport services in the UK. The aim of this paper is to understand the key factors underpinning this modal shift in order to learn lessons for other market and geographical contexts. Successful retail intermodal logistics involves many actors, thus this paper is based on semi-structured interviews with major retailers, third-party logistics providers (3PLs) and rail operators, supplemented by document analysis. The qualitative data are analysed via a conceptual framework derived from the literature. Despite past successes and the presence of drivers for future growth, the paper identifies many operational issues without current solutions and the presence of ongoing public subsidy. The major conclusion is that the importance of 3PLs, aggregation and multi-user platforms must be recognised by transport planners in supporting the use of intermodal transport by retailers and other large shippers

Empty container repositioning for Scottish shippers.

SEStran is the Statutory Regional Transport Partnership for South East Scotland. SEStranwas established under the Transport Scotland (2005) Act as the strategic transport planningauthority for an area covering the eight local authorities of Borders, East Lothian, WestLothian, Midlothian, Edinburgh, Fife, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire. SEStran aims todevelop a sustainable transportation system for SE Scotland that will enable business tofunction effectively, and provide everyone living in the region with improved access tohealthcare, education, public services and employment opportunities. The development ofSEStran’s Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) was an historic opportunity to plan for thetransport needs of 1.5 million people, living in Scotland’s most economically vibrant region.It is a blueprint for transport development in South East Scotland that will form the core ofour work for the next 15 years....

Structure of the Scientific-Methodical Support of Realization of Infrastructure Concession Projects

Article considers the problem of the theoretical and scientific-practical ensure of the realization of the concession projects in the infrastructure sector. Structure of scientific-methodological ensure of realization of the projects of the infrastructure concession and assessment of the criteria of condition of this ensure in the different branches and industries is presented on the basis of systematization of the native and foreign experience. Results of approbation of the offered method which are applicable to the units of housing and utilities infrastructure and road infrastructure in Russia are presented. Realization of method allows to assess the current condition and suggest ways of further development of scientific-methodical support of infrastructure concession projects

Empty container repositioning for Scottish shippers.

SEStran is the Statutory Regional Transport Partnership for South East Scotland. SEStranwas established under the Transport Scotland (2005) Act as the strategic transport planningauthority for an area covering the eight local authorities of Borders, East Lothian, WestLothian, Midlothian, Edinburgh, Fife, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire. SEStran aims todevelop a sustainable transportation system for SE Scotland that will enable business tofunction effectively, and provide everyone living in the region with improved access tohealthcare, education, public services and employment opportunities. The development ofSEStran’s Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) was an historic opportunity to plan for thetransport needs of 1.5 million people, living in Scotland’s most economically vibrant region.It is a blueprint for transport development in South East Scotland that will form the core ofour work for the next 15 years....

Spatial and institutional characteristics of inland port development in China

This paper examines the spatial and institutional characteristics of the emerging trend of inland port development in China. The paper analyses a sample of 18 major inland ports in three geographical clusters, comparing observed issues with similar developments in Europe, the United States and Africa. It highlights the issues of customs clearance and intermodal transport, before an extended discussion on conflicting models of development based on the priorities of inland and port actors. The aim is first to provide a descriptive account of this development, and second to provide tentative explanations for these results by comparing the findings with similar developments in other countries. This task is aided by use of a conceptual framework drawn from the literature, in which port-driven and inland-driven inland ports are contrasted. Thus a supplementary aim of the paper is to develop the conceptual model of directional development in a new geographical context. Findings reveal the need to align development priorities of central and local governments, as well as clarifying the use of subsidies to a number of different inland ports which may potentially split economies of scale through increased competition for an overlapping hinterland. The paper demonstrates that, while in the past China’s seaports had less inland penetration compared to more mature systems, emerging trends suggest some similarities to patterns observed in more integrated networks such as Europe and North Americ

Using a “virtual joint venture” to facilitate the adoption of intermodal transport

Purpose The supply chain literature discusses various models of supply chain collaboration and integration. When applied to logistics, each has been shown to exhibit different levels of success depending on particular factors. This paper examines a strategic alliance between a large shipper and a freight forwarder to provide an intermodal service to and from the port of Gothenburg. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is based on action research and interviews supplemented by document analysis. Findings According to this innovative model, a new entity is not set up but an open-book basis is established, long-term contracts with other parties are signed, risks and profits are shared, and the shipper makes several investments specific to the service. Thus the benefits of a joint venture are obtained without needing to establish a new organisation and thus sacrifice flexibility and independence. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study is that it is based on a single case of best practice; it may be difficult to replicate the high levels of trust in other situations. Nevertheless, the evident success of this “virtual joint venture” suggests that some elements are transferable to other cases, and the model may be refined through additional case analysis. Practical implications Results indicate several advantages of this “virtual joint venture” model, including risk sharing, knowledge development, long-term service stability and diversification of activities which all contribute to facilitating the shift of a large customer from road haulage to intermodal transport. Potential challenges mainly relate to contractual complexity. Originality/value This paper identifies an innovative business model for logistics integration that can be used in future in other cases to make modal shift more attractive and successful, which is a key aim of government policy in many countries