Optimal reefer slot conversion for container freight transportation

Given a fleet of container ships of varying capacity, a cost-efficient approach for improving fleet utilization and reducing the number of delayed containers is to optimize the sequence of container ships in a given string, a problem which belongs to the large ship-deployment class. A string sequence with ‘uniformly’ distributed ship capacity is more likely to accommodate a random container shipment demand. The number of one’s total ship slots acts as a gauge of the capacity of the container ships. Meanwhile, there are two types of ship slots: dry slots and reefer slots. A dry slot only accommodates a dry container, while a reefer slot can accommodate either a dry or a reefer container. The numbers of dry and reefer slots for ships in a string are different. Therefore, in this study, we propose a model that considers both dry and reefer slots and use it to elucidate the optimal ship-deployment sequence. The objective is to minimize the delay of dry and reefer containers when the demand is uncertain. Furthermore, based on the optimal sequence deduced, the study also investigates the need to convert some dry slots to reefer slots for the container ships.     

The Competitive dynamics of the freight container manufacturing industry

This article investigates the on-going relocation of freight container production, particularly in the standard dry freight segment, from South Korea and Taiwan to emerging economies (especially China and south-east Asia). It offers an assessment of their competitive positions but goes beyond the conventional focus on comparative cost advantage among nations. Drawing on the wealth of trade, investment, location and strategic management theories, it explores other variables including demand condition, industry structure, foreign direct investments and vertical industry linkages, besides production factor cost.     

Option for Western Australia/Europe container freight traffic

By extending a methodology developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, firm-specific short-run costs of a barge company are estimated in this paper. The estimated costs include average costs, marginal costs, and cost elasticities. These estimates led to a breakeven analysis and an analysis of financial conditions of the barge industry in general. Findings include that the breakeven ton-mile rates range from 0. 52 to 0.72 cents for a full-capacity operation and that the costs of barge services are highly inelastic. A questionnaire survey of 256 barge and towing companies has also been shown to corroborate the findings of this paper.     

集装箱运价衍生品的发展分析

分析集装箱运价衍生品开发的必要性、具体操作方式以及使用中面临的问题,以达到更好地发挥衍生品功能的目的,为建设上海国际航运中心软环境作出贡献。     

Predicting freight flows in a globalising world

In this paper we suggest a methodology to predict commodity specific transportation flows that brings together data in value and in quantity terms in a consistent way. The approach is based on the modern gravity formulation. There are three driving forces of the transport flows dynamics: economic growth, the ongoing globalization (reduction of trade barriers), and the changing commodity composition of trade, whereby the evolution of value-to-weight ratios is explicitly taken into account. The methodology is applied to forecast the interregional trade flows in Europe.     

Seasonality patterns in the container shipping freight rate market

Shipping indexes have attracted many researchers because they reflect the overall trend of corresponding seaborne markets and can provide implications for the future. Apart from the Baltic Dry Bulk Index (BDI) and correlated indices, the China Containerized Freight Index (CCFI) has been gaining more attention. As a country with large-scale manufacturing, China is an important exporting country and the CCFI was chosen to reflect the container shipping market because the data are more convincing and representative. There have been no systematic attempts to understand the seasonality patterns of container freights. Seasonality patterns reveal the regular fluctuation patterns within a 1-year period. They exist in time series, which are observed more than once a year, like the CCFI. To investigate the nature of seasonality (stochastic and/or deterministic) in container freight rates across different line services, we analyze the CCFI. This paper uses the HEGY method and Monte Carlo method comprehensively to figure out the small sample problem. In addition, seasonal dummy variables are used to test deterministic seasonality. Except for the Japan service series, which contains a half-year unit root, the other container freight rates seem to only involve a non-seasonal unit root at the zero frequency. Deterministic seasonality exists in all the line service series. Furthermore, the seasonality depends on the balance between supply and demand. Under this premise, the seasonal law of freight rates is much obvious.     

The study on the compilation of the China container freight index

Although there exists many kinds of shipping freight indexes, the compilation of a container freight index is still not shown. As such, this paper has taken a further study on the compilation of the China container freight index, which includes selection of calculation formula, determination of freight type, the choice of samples of shipping lines and rules of revision of the index.     

The study on the compilation of the China container freight index

Although there exists many kinds of shipping freight indexes, the compilation of a container freight index is still not shown. As such, this paper has taken a further study on the compilation of the China container freight index, which includes selection of calculation formula, determination of freight type, the choice of samples of shipping lines and rules of revision of the index.     

全球集装箱运输的中国因素

2003年,全球集装箱班轮运输业的发展有太多可圈可点之处. 这其中既有对行业发展百花齐放的喜悦,又有对相关产业投资过热的担忧;既有走出"非典"困境的欣慰,也有陷入贸易摩擦的烦恼;既有对外贸海运量高速增长的惊喜,又有对压港问题日趋严重的忧虑;既有对行业投资回报大幅改善的欣喜,也有对新船订单持有量连创新高的担忧.总而言之,世界经济列车经受了美伊战争和非典疫情的考验稳健提速,全球集装箱班轮运输业也在内忧外患,跌宕起伏中异军突起,再次成为传统航运业中备受瞩目的亮点.在众多亮点当中,中国大陆以其在班轮业发展过程中的突出表现,确立了其在世界集装箱运输业中的特殊地位.伴随着港口建设的突飞猛进,中国港口在世界集装箱运输中的地位不断上升.2003年上海港在世界集装箱吞吐量排名中由2002年的第四位升至第三位,深圳由第六位升至第四位,青岛港由第19位升至第14位,天津首次进入前20强.中国因素在其影响力和波及面不断扩大的同时,也日益成为理论界和商界共同关注的热门话题.     

金融危机下基于CCFI指数的中美航线集装箱班轮运价研究

运用CCFI指数,通过对美国经贸形势和中美航线运量运力的调查分析,解析金融危机下2008—2009年中美航线集装箱班轮运价的波动过程,并简要地对2010年的中美航运市场进行展望。     

中国集装箱运输业前景看好

世界航运业正处于一个稳定快速发展的时期.集装箱运输作为航运业的重要部分,2004年也经历了诸多变化与发展.为进一步探讨世界集装箱行业的最新发展与未来前景,以及中国中西部的经济发展对海陆多式联运及区域集装箱运输行业带来的新挑战与新机遇,IBC亚洲私人有限公司于2004年12月9-10日在中国北京举办了2004年中国集装箱运输国际研讨会.     

赢在集装箱班轮市场之道

从年初的淡季到年终以来的旺季，眼下全球各大集装箱班轮公司又进入了收获的时节。从今年以来全球集装箱班轮市场的走势及各大班轮公司的表现看，尽管遭遇集装箱运力蜂拥投入高峰、美国次贷危机等非利好因素，但全年持续走强、班轮公司获利颇丰的旺盛势头应已成定局。正是在与日俱增的市场走势上判断，2007年又是一个的好年景。解读今年的集装箱班轮市场，记者发现，各大班轮企业均有赢在市场之道。[第一段]     

A review of passenger rail franchising in Britain: 1996/1997-2006/2007

This paper reviews 10 years of passenger rail franchising in Great Britain and highlights problems in three areas: the tension between commercial and social objectives; the presence of risks and uncertainty; and vulnerability to strategic behaviour such as low-balling, chiselling and back loading. It concludes that franchising has had some good features (such as the high level of competitive pressure) but also some bad features (such as a high rate of franchise failures). In addition, an ugly feature of franchising is the scope for strategic behaviour. Further reform is suggested based on a distinction between commercial and social franchises.     

The container terminal community

Over the past 30 years, technological developments have not only affected the design and operation of the port function, but also the organizational and institutional relationships within the port community. Two inter-organizational interaction models are presented, drawing on the findings of over 200 in-depth interviews with senior managers representing terminal operators, shipping lines, feeder operators, ship agents, road hauliers, freight forwarders and shippers serving the UK?Far East trade. The first model represents a breakbulk berth of the 1960s and the second a modern container terminal community. In comparing the models, it is shown that containerization has transformed the fragmented breakbulk operation of the 1960s into the cohesive container terminal community that today facilitates port operations. The paper concludes by examining trends in key inter-organizational relationships in the community and the emergence of eBusiness.     

香港货运市场前景乐观

众所周知,香港是全球知名的自由港,有19条国际航线联系着全球100多个国家的460多个港口,每星期有超过400货柜船航班,配合高效率的货柜码头、简易的报关程序和灵活的国际贸易结算,吸引300多家国际航运公司选择香港作为中途挂靠港及区域管理中心.     

货运兴旺水涨船--当前集装箱船建造特征及市场展望

经过2001年的低谷及2002年的逐步恢复,集装箱船市场于2003年全面恢复,新船订单、手持订单量创历史新高,2004年以来,集装箱船建造市场继续保持旺盛需求,大型集装箱船订造空前火爆。     

AGV在集装箱码头中的应用

结合我国集装箱码头面临的压力和AGv的发展现状,阐明了在集装箱码头使用AGV的必要性和可行性,并对AGV在集装箱码头应用所涉及的关键性技术问题进行了简要分析.     

末来我国集装箱运输前景展望

1986年我国大陆集装箱港口吞吐量为59万TEU,经过近20年的发展,2003年港口集装箱吞吐量达到4850万TEU,位居世界第一,年均增长率接近30%.