Violeta Roso

The emergence and significance of dry ports: the case of the Port of Göteborg

The dry port concept is based on a seaport directly connected by rail to inland intermodal terminals, where shippers can leave and/or collect standardized units as if directly at the seaport. The purpose of this paper is to present the dry port concept, to identify and categorize existing dry ports for the Port of Goteborg and to evaluate the concept from an environmental perspective. The conclusions indicate that implementation of a dry port in the seaport’s hinterland enables the seaport to increase its terminal capacity; the modal shift from road to rail results in a reduced congestion at the seaport gates and its surroundings and consequently in improved inland access, as well as in lower environmental effect. Only two of the surveyed intermodal terminals can be categorized as simple dry ports for the Port of Goteborg.

Sustainable intermodal transport via dry ports - importance of directional development

As container transport volumes continue to grow, the sea flow generates almost proportional inland flow; the links with hinterland will become critical factors for the seaports functionality. Intermodal transport with dry ports could be a potential solution for seaport terminal congestion as well as for better seaport inland access that might be based on short haul rail. Intermodal transport is generally considered to be viable on markets with larger flows or longer distances; however, due to cost of congestion, growing environmental constraints, but also due to competition between seaports, the break-even distance for inland intermodal transport could be very market dependent. Therefore the purpose of this paper is to analyse effects of directional development of dry ports on sustainability of intermodal transport based on a short haul rail. Some of the studied ports in Australia and New Zealand, with their close intermodal terminals based on Outside-In model; show feasibility of intermodal transport with shorter break-even distances.

Developing Dry Ports Through the Use of Value-Added Services

The growth of containerised sea transport has caused a demand for improved efficiency and increased capacity in the transit through seaports as well as in the transport to and from seaports in the hinterland. To stimulate the development of those seamless intermodal transport chains, the concept of dry ports has been established. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how value-added services can support the transformation of a conventional inland terminal into a dry port and how an existing dry port can be further developed through the use of value-added services. This conceptual paper combines literature from the field of dry ports with literature addressing value-added services, with data obtained through interviews with actors in the transport system. The conclusions indicate that the development of dry ports and their viability may depend on different value-added services being available at the dry port, however only once the infrastructure and basic services are in place. Furthermore, the availability of value-added services may increase the dry port’s attractiveness. This paper provides a platform for further research on the importance of value-added services for dry ports’ development.

Seaport-inland port dyad dynamics: an investigation of service provisions and intermodal transportation linkages

This research investigates the operational and logistical dynamics of seaports and inland ports. Face-to-face semi-structure interviews were conducted on three seaport-inland port dyads that actively use intermodal transportation to move freight between the seaports and connected inland ports. The three dyads are the port of Virginia and Virginia Inland Port (VIP) in the USA, the Port of Sydney and Minto terminal in Australia, and the Port of Gothenburg and Hallsberg terminal in Sweden. Findings of this research provide essential understanding of the range of services provided at the three inland ports studied, offering a benchmark for ports around the world in devising their business portfolio.