Sergi Saurí

Promoting Incentives: Performance Improvement in Container Port Terminals

Most ports in developed countries have undergone the process of privatization. One of the often-cited drawbacks of this phenomenon is that, in the case of little competition among private operators, privatization simply represents a change from a public monopoly to a private one. This paper focuses on concessions of container terminals with market power. The aim is to define incentive mechanisms to encourage a private terminal operator and a stevedore company to reduce tariffs and increase the terminals productivity at such a level as if they were in competition. For this purpose, the problem has been analyzed in the context of the principal-agent theory. Particularly, a moral hazard problem with hidden information has been used. The model was successfully applied to a container terminal concession. The results suggest that an improvement both in the terminals productivity and in tariffs is possible through an annual fee that is based on an estimation of the terminals cost and tariffs in a competitive market and is paid by the private operator to the port authority.

Evaluating Pricing Strategies for Storage in Import Container Terminals

In most container terminals around the world, storage space is scarce, and pricing policies are needed to increase performance. Specifically, congestion when inbound containers are temporarily stored in terminal yards leads to high operational costs. This paper focuses on the introduction of a yard storage tariff to encourage early pickup of containers. Different from previous approaches, the price schedule introduced has a nonzero flat rate. Both demand reactions and changes in pickup decisions are considered in the analysis. A model is developed for the objective function (profit of the terminal operator). A numerical example illustrates an optimal price schedule, shows how sensitive the profit is to the basic constituents of the model, and provides general pricing rules.

Quality indicators and capacity calculation for RoRo terminals

Abstract Road freight transportation has increased dramatically over recent years along with its impacts such as congestion, noise, and pollution. As a result, European and US governments have started policies to promote alternatives to road transportation, such as logistic chains containing a Short Sea Shipping (SSS) link. Road is, by definition, a more flexible means of transportation than shipping, which is usually cheaper. Therefore, to move traffic to SSS chains, it is necessary to provide fast, frequent, and reliable maritime transportation. In this sense, roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels are the most convenient ships to be used, since they have smaller dwell times in port and, therefore, this is a kind of traffic likely to increase dramatically. The foreseeable increase of this kind of traffic must meet with an increase in the actual capacity by means of either improvement in performance and possible enlargements of existing terminals or the construction of new terminals. In that sense, this paper proposes a simple methodology to calculate the capacity of a RoRo terminal, whether already in operation or during its design process, and relate it to some quality standards by means of quality indicators, which should lead to the definition of Levels of Service similar to those already used in roads and airports. The paper ends by applying the methodology to a real terminal in Barcelona, Spain.

Short Sea Shipping in Supply Chains. A Strategic Assessment

The feasibility of implementing short sea shipping (SSS) between two specific ports has been typically approached on the operative level, in terms of time and cost for a specific origin–destination pair. This paper focuses on the strategic level. Particularly, its goal is to study the potential of SSS in different industrial sectors by analysing their freight-distribution strategies. To achieve the objective, some standard freight-distribution strategies are defined based on the requirements of the industry, the demand and the product being transported. The information is complemented with a survey of more than 100 Spanish companies distributing internationally. As a result it is concluded that there are economies of scale related to the size of the carrier (the ship) and its capacity to absorb the variability in demand. This potential increases with the cargo value. Additionally, a framework of supply/distribution chains is provided which can help to identify potential customers/sectors and the feasibility of new potential shipping lines. The value of this paper resides in its approach (strategic, instead of operational/tactical), and the solid groundwork point provided for future researchers.

Comparing Manned and Automated Horizontal Handling Equipment at Container Terminals: Productivity and Economic Analysis

The choice to use horizontal handling transport in automated container terminals is not fully consistent in comparison with the automation of stacking cranes at the storage yard. Often the decision of whether to use an automated system between the berth and the yard area is not clear, and terminal operators tend not to use automated systems. The goal of this paper is to provide an economic analysis to determine under which conditions automated horizontal transport is more efficient than a semiautomated system. The study provided several simulation models to calculate the optimal equipment necessary to connect storage and berth subsystems in a maritime container terminal in fully automated and semiautomated scenarios. Data from the semiautomated container terminal at the Port of Barcelona, Spain, were used. In addition to the cost analysis, guidelines on the best alternative, considering labor costs, throughput movements per quay crane and year, and quay crane productivity are provided.

Short sea shipping in Europe: issues, policies and challenges

This book concerns the regulation of transport within a European context, covering air, inland waterways, rail, road passenger and freight, urban public transport, and short sea shipping. All these sectors have experienced substantial changes over the last two decades, in terms of ownership, competition and liberalisation, and the book explores the main transformations and their impacts. The authors address these issues, with a specific focus on the effects of the organisation and regulation of transport systems on their performance. They also provide timely policy recommendations, including possible European future policy initiatives.

Performance Indicators for Roll-on–Roll-off Terminals: A Planning Assessment Tool

Road freight transportation has increased dramatically over recent years, as have accompanying impacts such as congestion, noise, and pollution. As a result, European governments and the U.S. government started implementing policies to promote alternatives to road transportation, such as logistic chains containing a short sea shipping (SSS) link. Shipping by road is a more flexible means of transportation than shipping by sea, which is usually cheaper. Therefore, to move traffic to SSS chains, it is necessary to provide fast, frequent, and reliable maritime transportation. In this sense, roll-on–roll-off (RoRo) vessels are the most convenient types of vehicles to be used because they have shorter dwell times in port. Therefore, the level of this kind of traffic is likely to increase dramatically. To cope with the increase in traffic, terminal managers must decide whether a change in the terminals operation would suffice or whether the enlargement or construction of a new terminal, given the level of service provided, is necessary. This paper proposes a methodology that can be used to relate the level of service in a RoRo terminal to its capacity from the ships point of view. This goal is achieved by using several quality indicators that, in turn, should allow terminal managers to foresee what the level of service that they offer to shipping companies would be, given the numbers of arrivals and their distribution, as well as the terminals performance. The paper ends by applying the methodology to a real terminal in Barcelona, Spain.

Matching Funding, Mobility, and Spatial Equity Objectives in a Networkwide Road Pricing Model: Case of Catalonia, Spain

A review of the pricing and funding model for interurban roads in Catalonia, Spain, is timely because of the forthcoming finalization of toll concessions and the decrease in road taxes. This paper proposes a comprehensive policy approach for a new networkwide road pricing model to simultaneously deal with financial sustainability, mobility management, and spatial equity. A multiobjective perspective involving multiple trade-offs is required. The rationale for these trade-offs is analyzed and a diagnosis of the Catalan road network is performed on the basis of a revenues–costs matrix, which is built on a deep study of revenues and costs for the interurban network disaggregated by type of vehicle and class of road. From this matrix, a consistent road pricing model for the complete interurban road network is drawn and feasible implementation paths are defined. The resulting pricing scheme is focused on the road operation. Charges cover maintenance, operation, and external costs of the whole interurban road network, whereas the fixed costs of road development would be financed by the public budget. In this way, road charges and fuel taxes are complementary and simultaneously cover the full social costs of road transport. Then a two-part tariff is set such that a lump sum charge covers the costs related to second-class roads and a unit tariff per distance is charged on motorways. Alternative implementation paths from the status quo to the proposed model are then set by considering technological feasibility and other social and juridical constraints.A review of the pricing and funding model for interurban roads in Catalonia, Spain, is timely because of the forthcoming finalization of toll concessions and the decrease in road taxes. This paper proposes a comprehensive policy approach for a new networkwide road pricing model to simultaneously deal with financial sustainability, mobility management, and spatial equity. A multiobjective perspective involving multiple trade-offs is required. The rationale for these trade-offs is analyzed and a diagnosis of the Catalan road network is performed on the basis of a revenues–costs matrix, which is built on a deep study of revenues and costs for the interurban network disaggregated by type of vehicle and class of road. From this matrix, a consistent road pricing model for the complete interurban road network is drawn and feasible implementation paths are defined. The resulting pricing scheme is focused on the road operation. Charges cover maintenance, operation, and external costs of the whole interurban road network, whereas the fixed costs of road development would be financed by the public budget. In this way, road charges and fuel taxes are complementary and simultaneously cover the full social costs of road transport. Then a two-part tariff is set such that a lump sum charge covers the costs related to second-class roads and a unit tariff per distance is charged on motorways. Alternative implementation paths from the status quo to the proposed model are then set by considering technological feasibility and other social and juridical constraints.

Environmental rail charges in Europe: a review

ABSTRACT European legislation implies the use of marginal social cost pricing in rail access charges levied on rail operators. Thus, they may include specific environmental charges to internalise the impacts of rail transport. However, when applying these principles in practice, several difficulties call for second-best settings adapted to the particularities of the rail market. In this context, few European railway administrations are already implementing rail access charges with an environmental dimension. This paper reviews the literature on the issue and assesses the current European experience in noise and air pollution rail charges. For this purpose, an analytical framework is built on the definition of four basic dimensions: charging approach, allocation of abatement efforts, degree of differentiation and intermodal approach. The qualitative examination of the existing systems suggests that the level of environmental surcharges can be generally increased given the low substitutability between rail and road and that the range of abatement possibilities should be enlarged by further differentiating charges. It is also found that the pricing scope should be adapted to achieve particular cost-efficient allocations of abatement efforts among rail operators and upstream agents. Finally, further research requirements for a quantitative assessment are defined.

Empirical Analysis of Resiliency of Terminal Operations for Roll-On-Roll-Off Vessels

Regular maritime lines with roll-on–roll-off vessels must offer a reliable service without substantial cost increases to be competitive. Port terminals need to respond quickly to any disturbance and return to a smooth operational state in a minimum amount of time (resilient terminals). In this paper, a complete taxonomy of the disturbances affecting the operational processes in a roll-on–roll-off terminal is introduced together with a system able to assess the performance of any measure used to mitigate those disturbances. This study is based on an overview of the existing literature on the topic, a detailed diagram of the operational processes of the terminal, and a set of interviews with the staff involved in the processes occurring in the terminal, along with field measurements. The main vulnerabilities are identified, and possible corrective and preventive measures are emphasized.