Determinants of container port choice in Spain

For the economic and financial evaluation of port investment projects, it is important to know the demand function of a port's services. The objective of this study is to establish such a demand choice function for the Spanish container port services. The function is derived from the coefficients of a port choice model, for which a multinomial logit model is used and of which the coefficients are estimated with regression analysis. The variables tested concern inland transport cost, ocean transport costs and broad proxy variables for quality of service. Information on container import and export flows for 2007 is obtained from the Spanish Treasury Department. The linear regression analysis is based on differences of utilities of alternative routings of containerised cargoes compared to those routed via the port of Valencia. The obtained results are satisfactory in terms of model fit. The estimated coefficients can be used to assess the impact of changes in costs of container flows routed via a port on a port's market share. A demand choice function for the port can be derived by systematically doing so. An example is presented for the port of Valencia.     

Rail and multi-modal transport

This paper elaborates on the definitions of inter and multi-modal transport, as well as their differences in terms of performance. A survey of the barriers, both internal and external, to an efficient intermodal transport is included followed by an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of combining rail transport with the other transport modes. Transhipment technologies for efficient freight service and some examples of freight rail corridors between sea and inland terminals are presented. The integration between air and rail transport is discussed and the potential synergies between air and high-speed rail services are emphasised. The paper concludes with a discussion on energy use for sustainable rail performance.     

散装水泥船船型发展趋势

通过分析当前散装水泥船、码头装卸设施及未来发展趋势,介绍了一种新型散装水泥船的特点和船型关键技术.这种水泥船除了适用于大部分水泥码头,还能装运普通干散货,具有较好的经济性.     

Pricing strategy and tariff structure for a port authority: a case study of South Africa

South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) tariff structure shows imbalances and cross-subsidisation amongst commodities and groups of port users. Benchmarking studies show that South African port costs are below the benchmarked mean for low-value bulk commodities like coal and iron ore, and above the mean for high-value containerised commodities. Vessel charges are also below the benchmarked mean and the required tariff revenues are raised from the tariffs charged to port tenants and cargo owners. This study examines and compares the 2013/2014 TNPA tariff structure with that proposed by the Ports Regulator of South Africa. It compiles, calculates and compares 254 commodity cargo dues with their relevant sector base tariffs for the year. The results indicate the level and direction of cross-subsidisation within and between break-bulk, dry bulk, liquid bulk and containerised cargoes. Of the 254 commodities examined, 100 are below the sector base tariff (being subsidised) and 154 are above (subsidising other cargoes). The findings of this article contribute to the implementation and monitoring of a tariff strategy that will allow for a more reasonable, just and cost reflective TNPA tariff structure.     

三峡库区大型散货出口码头结构型式和装卸工艺

三峡库区具有特殊的水文地质条件，散货出口码头结构型式和装卸工艺相对落后。文章结合重庆某专用矿石出口码头的建设，提出3种适用于大型散货出口码头的结构型式和相应的装卸工艺。研究认为架空直立墩式结构及相配套的装卸工艺具有占用岸线短、使用方便、装卸效率高和造价低等优点，适宜在三峡库区大型散货出口码头建设中推广应用。     

散货港口生产全生命周期环境管理信息系统研发

针对我国散货港口粉尘污染严重、主要环保设备使用效率较低的现状,结合港口生产各个产尘环节的特点,立足于港口清洁生产、高效生产的需要,着手解决港口环境管理信息平台的架构、模型选择与系统开发的问题。建立散货港口环境管理信息系统,提高港口环境的自动化、信息化水平。     

Cost analysis of bulk cargo containerization

ABSTRACT

Bulk cargo containerization (BCC) involves changes in the transportation mode of container shipping for cargo that uses bulk carriers without packing. This topic has recently attracted considerable attention as an alternative transportation method for container cargo. BCC is advantageous because it can address imbalances in the amount of cargo conveyed between the main and back hauls, thereby improving efficiency. A previous survey among companies involved in cargo shipping revealed that in addition to ocean freight, vanning and devanning, and customs clearance costs, consignees’ decisions were the key factor in selecting transport modes. The present study aims to clarify the cost competitiveness of container shipping and identify cost reductions that may increase the use of BCC. To quantitatively check the results of the survey employed in this study, we constructed a model based on consignees’ and container shipping companies’ costs to determine the choice of transport mode for back-haul trade, then examined the incentives for consignees and shipping companies. We found that BCC can be realized by cost reduction on the part of the consignee and profit improvement on the part of the container shipping company for some routes and goods. Although reducing the freight rate would effectively promote BCC, reducing other costs would not have the same effect.     

Mode selection of tractor-and-semitrailer swap transport for ro-ro shipping under land-sea combined transportation

ABSTRACT

Combining ro-ro shipping and tractor-and-semitrailer swap transport under land-sea combined transportation can reduce operating costs and improve the safety of maritime transport. In addition, selection of the tractor-and-semitrailer swap mode (i.e., the ship-swap mode and port-swap mode) is a critical factor that affects the efficiency and cost of ro-ro ship loading/unloading. Considering inland pickup/delivery and ship loading/unloading, this paper develops a model that determines the mode of tractor-and-semitrailer swap transport with the objective of minimizing the total cost. This study also considers constraints such as empty semitrailer exchange and multiple time windows associated with customer receiving/delivery locations and the ro-ro ship. A hybrid simulated annealing (SA) is applied to solve the problem. By analysing numerical examples, the results show that the port-swap mode is more suitable than the ship-swap mode when the number of tasks is large because the port-swap mode can perform more tasks with fewer tractors than the ship-swap mode and because the port-swap mode can service receiving/delivery locations and finish ship loading/unloading more punctually than the ship-swap mode. Thus, this research provides a useful reference for road transport carriers and port firms to select the mode of tractor-and-semitrailer swap transport for ro-ro shipping.     

Incentives to reduce port inefficiency: a theoretical approach

Over the last decades, the European Union (EU) has devoted a large amount of effort and money to projects aimed at boosting some of its maritime corridors as a modal alternative to road or rail freight transport. However, the overall design of most of these programmes has ex post revealed as very ineffective. This paper suggests that promoting port efficiency might be a more suitable target to increase the modal split of Short Sea Shipping (SSS) than subsidizing firms to transfer cargo from road to sea. But defining ‘port efficiency’ is a complex task and, therefore, granting money directly to port authorities could also generate perverse moral hazard effects, particularly when the improvements are difficult to monitor and many investments are non-refundable. The European Court of Auditors points out that millions of EU public port finance was wasted on empty terminal and other unused infrastructure. The objective of this paper is to design a proper subsidy to promote SSS by encouraging port improvements through a proper system of incentives. As a policy recommendation, in this paper we propose the development of a subsidy per inefficiency-reduction unit.     

通用杂货码头液体散货装卸工艺设计要点

在运营中,有些码头需要间隔装卸不同类别物料,在通用杂货码头也需装卸液体散货,由于液体散货具有易燃、易爆和火灾危险性等特点,其装卸工艺应根据项目情况慎重考虑。通过分析已建通用杂货码头液体散货装卸工艺的设计经验,总结设计要点,为类似工程工艺设计提供参考。     

A simulation model for gate operations in multi-purpose cargo terminals

ABSTRACT

A multi-purpose cargo terminal in a seaport contains necessary infrastructure to handle different types of cargo, such as container, dry bulk, general bulk, and Ro-Ro. Since such terminals generally have dedicated areas and equipment for different types of cargo, berth, and yard operations for each type of cargo can be considered separate. On the other hand, trucks that carry all types of cargo use the same gate structure to enter and leave the terminal. Therefore, a method to superimpose the traffic that is caused by different types of cargo is needed for the planning of gate investments and operations. Consequently, this paper has developed a simulation model for a multi-purpose terminal to estimate the gate traffic and determine the necessary gate infrastructure, so that it can be used as a decision support tool for terminal planners and operational managers.     

大连港内陆“散改集”的技术创新

为提高内陆散粮的装卸效率,大连港集装箱发展有限公司开发了"散改集"装卸工艺,并研发了门式倾转机。介绍内陆"散改集"主要工艺和该公司对工艺的改革和创新。介绍了门式倾转机的功能与特点。该研究成果取得良好的经济效益和社会效益,可为其它港口和行业提供技术借鉴。     

Ground travel mode choices of air arrivals at regional destinations: The significance of tourism attributes and destination contexts

The aim of this paper is to examine the air leisure arrivals’ ground travel mode choice in the context of their decision to disperse beyond the gateway. A stated choice experiment was designed to examine the dispersal and travel mode choice of leisure visitors arriving on air transport at Cairns. Results show that for a hypothetical public bus alternative, attributes such as ‘sightseeing opportunities’ and ‘driver quality’ were significant for trips made to less known destinations located south of Cairns, compared to destinations north of Cairns. Findings suggest that while travel mode attributes and trip characteristics are significant determinants of the mode choice of air leisure arrivals, the extent of their significance varied markedly across destinations. Although the data examined in this paper were collected in Cairns, this research should be of relevance to many regions interested in understanding the relationship between destination transport and dispersal of air arrivals.     

沿海、内河货物运输合同关系新探

沿海、内河货物运输合同关系,在法律适用方面,以《合同法》和《民法通则》为基本标尺,以《国内水路货物运输规则》为基本规范。相关货运合同的签订,遵循《合同法》规定的要约与承诺方式,运单是运输合同的证明和承运人已经接收货物的收据。未取得《水路运输许可证》的水运企业所签的沿海、内河货物运输合同,应依法认定为有效合同,但这不影响水运行政主管机关对有关承运人追究行政责任。     

Valuing casualty risk reductions from estimated baseline risk

Stated choice studies have been applied regularly to the valuation of time savings and other attributes of travelling as perceived by individuals. In such experiments, respondents often provide reference levels for the attributes and the hypothetical choices presented to them are pivoted around actual behaviour. However, most individuals are not able to provide reference levels for the number of casualties on the road they travel. Thus, if valuation of this important element is attempted, it is the researcher who must provide casualty risk reference levels to the respondents. Some studies have applied route choice experiments including a safety attribute but the majority has been limited to only one particular road section with a common baseline risk for all respondents.     

运输模式选择的计量分析与实证研究

选择何种内陆运输模式对区域经济发展和集约型社会的构建具有重要意义。文章出于循环经济与绿色交通的战略构想，从环境、经济、运输时间、便捷性、土地节约化利用、安全等方面对内河航运和公路运输进行综合比较分析，构建内陆运输模式选择的指标体系。引入模糊综合评价法对2种内陆运输模式进行综合评价，为内陆地区综合运输体系的构建提供参考。以江苏省南北向交通为例进行了实证分析，并对内河航运的发展提出相关建议。     

论《国际海运固体散装货物规则》的实施

文中就《国际海运固体散装货物规则》生效后,根据交通运输部海事局《关于执行<国际海运固体散装货物规则>有关事项的通知》要求,结合国内固体散装货物运输的现状,就海运固体散装货物申报、载运固体散装货物船舶申报进行了细致分析。对载运固体散装货物船舶提出了具体要求。针对检测机构,固体散装货物装、卸作业单位和海事机构监管工作提供了具有可操作性的参考。     

Financial and environmental impacts of hypothetical Finnish dry port structure

One main theme of European Union’s in transport policy statements has been the increased role of railways in the reducing environmental impacts and costs of transport activity. One option to increase the modal share of rail transport is to utilize the dry port concept, particularly applicable to general cargo. At the Port of Gothenburg (Sweden) use of this concept in combination with rail transport has led to a reduction of CO₂ emissions, and lower transport energy costs. The main objective and motivation of this research work are to examine through analytical models, how this same dry port concept could be implemented in the Finnish transportation network, with estimates of the benefits being gained.The research method of this study is macro gravitational models of distribution. Main input data for the models are distances and population in the area. The approach aims to research, how relative transport costs behave by increasing the number of dry port distribution locations. For the actual computation work the authors apply linear integer programming. Based on the results, the authors argue that relative transport costs can decrease considerably by increasing the number of dry ports, up to the level of six locations. This is considerably less than what is the current situation in Sweden. The found solution also differs from Sweden as the fragmented Finnish seaport system enables using numerous seaports instead of one, which further decreases inland transportation distances and volumes considerably. At the same time forthcoming sulphur emission reduction regulation (for sea transports) might impact the transportation network structure by decreasing sea transport and the number of seaports used. This might lead to a further increase in land-based hinterland transport.     

Large oil tankers and the Baltic marine environment: A statistical survey

The short Baltic export route for Russian oil is an attractive source of supply for the European energy market. The article examines the Russian oil export trade in the Baltic based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data from 2005 matched with supplementary data. The first part of the article gives a survey of activities and characteristics of 261 large crude oil tankers, their flag states and owner countries. The second part views the data in the context of accidental oil spill risk. Greek and Russian owners are leading carriers in this trade. Russia plays a double leading role as oil exporter and shipowning country, securing major cargo shares for nationally owned vessels, while also giving a preferential spot in the trade to Greek owners. Where environmental aspects are concerned, previous research has linked vessel characteristics with the risk of casualty. Knowledge of flag, age, ownership and activity levels adds useful information about environmental risk. The data show that flags associated with very high casualty or detention probabilities were represented by 18% of the activity in this trade. Older vessels have a similar share, and at this particular time probably represent the more serious threat of accidental oil spills.     

Impacts of increased rail infrastructure charges in Sweden

The impacts of the already decided increase in rail infrastructure charges in Sweden are described for various market segments within the rail transport system and on the aggregate level for society as a whole. The need for complementary measures in the road transport system is also discussed. Likewise, the paper also mentions the impact of increased rail infrastructure charges on certain significant industrial sectors. An increase in rail charges may reduce social welfare even though the reduction in rail transport mileage is small. This is mainly due to large non-internalised absolute externalities for road freight. For commuter trains, the infrastructure charges' share of the costs of rail transport is expected to rise to 13 percent, which in an international perspective still will be small.