Current Issues In Port Logistics And Intermodality

Bringing together an international network of leading scholars, this multidisciplinary book unravels some of the most pressing challenges to shipping, ports, and logistics. Divided into five parts--shipping, the analysis of flows and networks, terminal operations and performance, logistics, and port development and governance--this record is an essential read for practitioners in the maritime and logistics world, postgraduate students, policy makers, and professional organizations. As market players expand and improve their services in line with increased requirements on rates, reliability, environmental footprint, and safety and security, this compendium encourages further systematic thinking.

As centres for logistics activities, seaports have traditionally been the focus of maritime logistics chains. However, changes in production patterns, supported by the development of rapid transport of goods over long distances, have altered the logistics landscape. As a result, the relevance of port hinterland transport has become more important, with a consequent need for the high utilisation of transport resources and infrastructure through the consolidation of cargo flows and for seaports to extend their influence within their hinterlands to increase their competitiveness. The development worldwide of inland ports, terminals and dryports in their various forms, together with associated new functions and strategies, address these challenges in diverse ways to realise the potential benefits that come from the successful implementation of inland ports that connect seamlessly into transportation systems. This book comprises case studies and state-of-the-art examples of dryports in different parts of the world that have varying economic, social, institutional and environmental realities and which exhibit the complexity of, and diverse approaches to, this recent logistics phenomenon.

. . . the book will be a valuable resource for students, researchers, policy makers and practitioners. Competition and Regulation in Network Industries The book is well balanced. . . The authors depict the reality of this complex world and identify the right strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Bart Jourquin, European Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research . . . the editors and the expert contributors provide a timely overview of the present role and challenges of intermodal freight transport. . . the book will not only be appealing to academics and researchers with an interest in the emerging field of intermodal transport research. As the book is largely kept at an executive and policy level, it is also appealing to practitioners and policy makers. . . the book is a valuable contribution to the study of intermodal freight transport as a new transportation research application field. It is an essential reading for all stakeholders in the field of intermodal freight transportation, providing them with insight and tools to address the mounting academic and practical challenges in this segment of the transport and logistics market. Theo Notteboom, Journal of Transport Geography This book explores the great challenge of increasing the scope of intermodal freight transport. In view of the current dominant role of road transport and the increasing difficulties in coping with a growing number of vehicles in an efficient and sustainable way, intermodal freight transport could be considered a viable alternative. However, the book makes recognition of the fact that there is still a need to improve the performance of the intermodal transport system. The expert contributors provide an overview of the present role of intermodal freight transport, address opportunities to significantly improve current performance, and demonstrate design and modelling tools used to analyse and support this performance. Requirements for the implementation of intermodal innovations are also prescribed, and policies needed to improve competitiveness are outlined. Many factors contributing to the performance and competitiveness of intermodal freight transport are explored, from technological and organisational innovations through to institutional settings and policy frameworks. This comprehensive range of topics will attract a broad audience including academics, researchers, policymakers and practitioners involved in the design and development of freight transport systems. It will also strongly appeal to those with an interest in the future of freight transport.

This book presents a specific technical solution, called intermodal transport, which became the basic technological solution that made it possible to provide global interregional transport. Every day, new technical, technological, and organizational solutions appear that significantly affect the further development of this industry. However, there are certain local differences between regions. In addition, an essential factor is the exchange of experience between scientists from different countries. Accordingly, the purpose of this monothematic book is to acquaint readers with the achievements of scientists dealing with this topic and living in different regions. Scientists and specialists from Poland, Germany, Great Britain, USA, Romania, Bulgaria, Russia, Italy, Kazakhstan, and Lithuania participated in the writing of individual chapters of this book. This book is intended for professionals, teachers, students, and others who are interested in new approaches to solving transport problems.

While the operational realities of intermodal transport are relatively well known, the institutional challenges are less well understood. This book provides an overview of intermodal transport and logistics including the policy background, emerging industry trends and academic approaches. Establishing the three key features of intermodal transport geography as intermodal terminals, inland logistics and hinterland corridors, Jason Monios takes an institutional approach to understanding the difficulties of successful intermodal transport and logistics. Key areas of investigation include the policy and planning background, the roles of public and private stakeholders and the identification of emerging strategy conflicts. Substantial empirical content situates the theoretical and practical issues in real-world examples via three detailed case study chapters (covering the USA, UK and Europe), making the book useful to students as well as practitioners desiring an understanding of how intermodal transport and logistics work in practice. The identified challenges to intermodal transport and logistics are used to demonstrate how competing port and inland strategies can inhibit the necessary processes of integration required to underpin successful intermodal transport. The book concludes with a look at the future of institutional adaptation that may enhance the capacity of freight actors to engage with intermodal transport developments.

Contemporary practice and scientific innovation consider the logistics aspects of shipping or maritime and seaport operations as one of the most important areas for development of competitive advantages in business and for study and research. This book covers issues having a significant impact on the industry.